The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova, was longer than I thought it would be (the pages are thin). Luckily, it was also very enjoyable. I finished it a couple days ago, but I finally have time to come up with a quick review now.
The primary thread through the story is a young woman who discovers her father’s research into Vlad Tepes, otherwise known as Vlad the Impaler or by others as Dracula, when he was a graduate student. This discovery sets her off on a journey to delve into the mystery of whether or not the famed vampire really is still alive, as her father and his mentor had suspected many years ago.
Part historical fiction, the novel takes the reader though temples, old archives, Cold War Europe, and copious amounts of Byzantine and Ottoman history. It pulls the reader along with little cliffhangers and an understated romance. It’s a pretty rapid read, given it’s length, but anyone who lacks patience for historical topics should shy away. Otherwise, it’s a trek into an – albeit romanticized – hunt for Dracula that’s satisfying, entertaining, and even suspenseful at times.
Kostova writes passably in the male voice but I suspect for most guys it would be even less convincing than it was for me. I know that most would say that The Historian is no literary feat, but I think it’s definitely worth a read for historical fiction buffs or Dracula enthusiasts.
Ok, I’ve read this 3 times. But that’s it.
It was the descriptions of Eastern Europe that drew me each time, and atmospheric Amsterdam.
Parts of the novel appal, parts work.
The climax in the crypt – it ends so peremptory, that it was almost laughable. The Istanbul section doesn’t work, nor the Darling Daughter postcards.
But – it did have me scouring maps of the Pyrenees for a likely setting for the monastery, and maps of Romania and Bulgaria for the Tepes connections.
The book had that kind of appeal.
I liked the historical research-side, too. Those worked for me.
I’d agree she manages the male voice quite well but I felt by the end (which was quite a distance from the start, I felt) the plot turns were a little too stretched. A holiday read or for the for the groups you suggest