The Historian

by Elizabeth Kostova

The record-breaking phenomenon from Elizabeth Kostova is a celebrated masterpiece that "refashioned the vampire myth into a compelling contemporary novel, a late-night page-turner" (San Francisco Chronicle).

Breathtakingly suspenseful and beautifully written, The Historian is the story of a young woman plunged into a labyrinth where the secrets of her family's past connect to an inconceivable evil: the dark fifteenth-century reign of Vlad the Impaler and a time-defying pact that may have kept his awful work alive through the ages. The search for the truth becomes an adventure of monumental proportions, taking us from monasteries and dusty libraries to the capitals of Eastern Europe--in a feat of storytelling so rich, so hypnotic, so exciting that it has enthralled readers around the world.

"Part thriller, part history, part romance...Kostova has a keen sense of storytelling and she has a marvelous tale to tell." --Baltimore Sun

• ISBN10: 0316070637
• ISBN13: 9780316070638
• Publish Date: 1 September 2009 (first published 1 January 2005)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Little, Brown & Company
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 720
• Language: English

Reviews

[empressbrooke]

What if Vlad Ţepeş, Prince of Wallachia and the inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula, really was a vampire? Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian explores this question, following three different characters: in the 1930s, Bartholomew Rossi, an English professor, in the 1950s, his protégé Paul, and in the 1970s, Paul's unnamed daughter. Mysterious books and Rossi's disappearance spark a hunt for Dracula's tomb that crisscrosses Europe and lets Kostova use a buttload of historical and geographical research.

Kostova brings Eastern Europe to life in a way I've never seen even attempted in fiction before. From cities such as Istanbul and Budapest, to tiny villages in Romania, the author describes the sights, sounds, people, politics, and culture with such intensity that I could picture it and suddenly had an extremely strong desire to see it all myself. Without this element, the book would have been much less interesting.

The plot is as intriguing as the setting; despite being spread out over 40 years, there's a sense of urgency coupled with extreme creepiness that drives the story forward. As the characters get closer to discovering Dracula's secrets, they're warned off in violent ways. The story moves between all three time periods effortlessly and clearly. It's a more cerebral DaVinci Code, and the author seems to champion using the past for guidance on how to handle the present.

The book's only weakness is its ending; without revealing much, all I could think was, "What? That's IT? THAT'S why?" It folds nicely into the historical themes, but seems to be at odds with the direness that propelled the plot. A brief explanation was given for this, but it just seemed lame. If anyone wants to counter on me this, I welcome it, since I'm dying to find reasons to consider the ending just as wonderful as the rest of the book.

Heartily recommended.

[Eve1972]

LOVED this book!!