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The Historian
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Danelle
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Feb 16, 2010 04:47AM
Is a very good novel am I the only one who has read it?
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Linda
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I enjoyed, can be long at times but stay with it, the ending was very......thrilling, the description of characters eerily real...
I loved The Historian. It actually makes the list of one of my favorite reads. It is long. I've recommended it to a few friends and they gave up on it stating that it was too long and kind of slow in places. But the story requires a lot of period detail. I like being that clued in. One of my reluctant-to-finish-it friends did pick it back up for whatever reason and then later gushed about how glad she was that she returned.Totally worth the effort. Not about vampires in the current faddish style. Like Merry stated above "eerily realistic" and extremely thrilling.
I picked up Elizabeth Kostova's newest book The Swan Thieves just because....
You have to read it as if you are in that dark suspenseful place in which the story takes place, it is not intended to be a fast read... I have not read The Swan Thieves would be interested in what you think since you did enjoy this one....
I loved The Historian! Was excited to read/hear that Kostova has a new book.
Lmj wrote: "Isn't it about a vampire, Danielle? I know one of my aunts (she's only 4 years older than I am) read it and really, really liked it. She's looking forward to the author's newest which just came out..."Well it's unlike an other vampire novel hands down. Most written today, make the vampire the good guy. Yet this one doesn't do that. It doesn't have teen angst written all over it even though, the main narrator is in her early teens. It ties in a lot of fact, with fiction, and instead of the fact being boring and over bearing, it's interesting. After reading this novel i read more about the real Vlad the Impaler.
The best way i can put it, is this book isn't twilight...or the vampire diaries.
I agree with Ann though about the book being 100 pages too long. Which might be because the author worked on the book for so long.
I just bought the Swan thieves and really can't wait to read it lol. Even though there are a stack of other books before it :)
I loved this book. I loved the detail, the historical context, and yes, even the length. Although, I will admit I listened to this as an audiobook. My commute was never so entertaining. I actually looked forward to horrible traffic, just so I could listen longer. I'll admit, I have an affinity for Vampires--not the "teen" ones mentioned above, but dark, scary ones. And this book did not disappoint.
I have also purchased Swan Thieves and can't wait until I have a chance to get to it.
I read this book (or listened to it) and loved it. It did seem a little long in places but it was very well written. Seemed a little bit like a history book, mystery novel, vampire story and a bit of romance all tied into one.
"The Historian" was an intriguing read, designed to be a type of companion book to "Dracula," in that it conspicuously mimics Bram Stoker's Victorian style through journal entries.The protagonist, though a teenager, is - in my estimation - well drawn; resourceful, tough, smart, but also vulnerable. She's forced to retrace her father's steps, and solve the mystery of his disappearance. How this ties into the figure of Vlad Tsepes, the inspiration for "Dracula," and a secret cache of books is the meat and marrow of the book. The choice of time-period (cold-war Eastern Europe) makes for additional enemies and tensions.
All in all, though somewhat meandering, "The Historian" is a fun read, moreso if you've read Bram Stoker's classic, and already know a little of the "Little Devil" that was the historical Vlad Tsepes.
