From the Bookshelf of Around the World in 80 Books…

The Historian

Elizabeth Kostova

Start date: March 1, 2014

Finish date: March 31, 2014

Discussion: Group Reads Discussions

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Group Reads Discussions

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last updated Jan 18, 2013 07:12PM

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What Members Thought

Sep 01, 2009 Lindsey Z rated it liked it

This book was OK. It took me a year to read it which is a testament to my lack of dedication to the story line and the characters.

I liked the frame narrative and the idea of the narrator finding her identity through the unveiling of her parents' past together, but the writing is mediocre at best and leaves much to be desired in terms of character development. I didn't feel a sense of attachment to any of the characters, and not even when important ones died.

I learned a lot about Eastern European ...more

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Oct 23, 2009 Katie rated it it was amazing

It's been a while since I sat down and really enjoyed a book. This book had many elements that I enjoyed - it was a smart book, but it had a lot of adventure, history, and travel to places with which I'm not terribly familiar (Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, etc). The characters were interesting - not all of them, I felt, were thoroughly developed, with the exception of Helen. That being said, the plotline more than made up for it, and I feel I gained a great deal from having read this book. I would ...more

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Oct 29, 2008 Meghan rated it really liked it

I'm not much for Vampire literature, but I really enjoyed this book. Elegantly written, well plotted, interesting ending. What more could you ask for? ...more

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