The Historian
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There's No Worse Thief than a Bad Book
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Misty
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rated it 5 stars
Oct 25, 2012 07:51PM
Spoiler alert! Kirby: i.e. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon. She finds the origional trail, makes it to the road, gets picked up and makes it out alive. The end.
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I didn't find the book offensive as such. It is an airport read basically, which is fine in its place. Just not into vampires or fantasy, so it was bound to be disappointing really.
I thoroughly enjoyed the Historian, though can understand where others are coming from when they say it was a little on the slow side. Also enjoyed another couple of books mentioned above: Cloud Atlas and Wuthering Heights (although it had its dull passages).
Loved the whole concept of The Da Vinci Code, though not a great fan of Brown's writing style.
Said this before, but it bears repeating: it's fortuitous that we all have such diverse tastes when it comes to reading material (and films, music, art, etc...) as it makes the world a much more interesting place.
Sam wrote: "Loved the whole concept of The Da Vinci Code, though not a great fan of Brown's writing style."me too.
Kirby - how do you do that... quote just a bit of someone else's comments? (I'm new here...)
Sam wrote: "Kirby - how do you do that... quote just a bit of someone else's comments? (I'm new here...)"yeah, when you hit "reply," it does just quote the first few lines of the original comment...so I just copy the part of the comment that I'm responding to and paste it in between the quotation marks! (and welcome to goodreads, by the way! :D)
Kirby wrote: I just copy the part of the comment that I'm responding to and paste it in between the quotation marks! Ah, I see. Thanks, Kirby
Its good to know that other people found The Historian tedious too. A friend recommended it and I really struggled to complete it given the slow pace and cumbersome writing. The only way I could make my peace with it was when I read it as a history book!
Jane wrote: "For my part, a book too bad to finish was Foucault's Pendulum. I tried. Believe me, I tried! I just couldn't do it, though, and I started it 3 times (as Claudia did w/ WH). I thoroughly enjoyed bot..."Couldn´t agree more on Foucault´s Pendulum - i started it this week and after 3 pages of rambling on random thoughts (the author) i put it down - i checked further along the pages and it seemed that there was litle storyline and much rambling...so i quitted reading it: never have i donne this before.
Oddly enough, i liked The Name of The Rose....maybe because i was reading it and playing the movie, in the back of my mind. But it really didn´t seemed that he rambled as much.
Maria wrote: "Jane wrote: "For my part, a book too bad to finish was Foucault's Pendulum. I tried. Believe me, I tried! I just couldn't do it, though, and I started it 3 times (as Claudia did w/ WH). I thoroughl..."True for me. Although I did enjoy the 150 odd pages I read, I kept it aside to read some other book. Now I just can't bring myself to pick it up again. It just feels so tedious.
Eco simply dumps every little piece of history he's researched into the book, rather than picking only parts that really work for the story. Once the Templar history begins, it really feels like a text book.
I had a hard time reading Bel Canto. I am sure it must be great as it is mentioned frequently by people as one of their all-time favorite books, but I got to the point where they were on the floor with the robbers (or whoever they were) threatening them and it felt like it would go on forever.I have picked up Widow of the South again and am proceeding. It's not riveting, although I know it should be. Had stopped it months ago because it seemed so morbid and black. I guess what else can you talk about when thousands of people die in the space of a few hours.
Has anyone read either of these? What was your impression?
i liked Bel Canto, but i also knew a bit about the context - while it is an unknown country - it is based off events that occurred at an embassy in Peru (IIRC)
I loved The Historian. I gave it a 5 star rating, and as a bookseller at the time it came out, I can say I got mixed feedback from clients. A book I really disliked was "Shadow of The Wind" - I found it so boring and all over the place. And worst than that "Night Train to Lisbon" - I wanted to throw it across the room, set fire to it and dance around the flames. But as a bookseller, I couldn't bring myself to do it. I still think about it though but thankfully I don't have a copy anymore.
I loved The Historian and looked forward to her next book.... HATED The Swan Thieves. Couldn't believe they were written by the same author. what a disappointment!
Dee wrote: "i liked Bel Canto, but i also knew a bit about the context - while it is an unknown country - it is based off events that occurred at an embassy in Peru (IIRC)"So after everyone gets up off the floor, does something interesting happen?
I loved this book - it is the ONLY book about vampires that I have ever read or plan to read. The Historian was beautifully written.I have given up trying to complete books that I do not like - why waste precious time trying to finish something that other people, with different tastes, recommend - no matter how highly? There are too many great books to read - just move on.
Patty wrote: "Dee wrote: "i liked Bel Canto, but i also knew a bit about the context - while it is an unknown country - it is based off events that occurred at an embassy in Peru (IIRC)"So after everyone gets ..."
yes - but i'm not going to tell what happened - read reviews, or google the events
There's no denying the skill of the author, but I kept waiting for something to happen.
A book I could not finish - "Last of the Mohicans." Only one member of our book group slogged her way through it and we talked about buying her a tee shirt that said "I read all of The Last of the Mohicans."I did read The Historian, but I don't have an especially strong feeling either way.
However, I find these kinds of discussions fascinating in that they range from utter detestation to overwhelming adoration. Everyone is different -- it's not just books, religion, or politics. We don't agree on what tastes good, what colors we like, what clothes to wear, and how to have a good time.
This is why we create forums to compare notes, to hear other perspectives, to explain our choices. We all have ideas to share and each person's perspective is their's alone. We must respect that. (Yay, Laura #49!)
I have been in a number of book groups during the past 25 years and I can count on one hand the number of books that EVERYONE really liked. It's ridiculous to think that we will all agree on something when there are so many factors that go into shaping an opinion.
I find that my view of a book is as dependent on my mood, where I read, and what edition (paper, kindle, audio) I am using as it is on the plot, quality of the writing, and characters. I do try very hard to give every book I read the best possible chance to be a favorite. I have books that are literary and books that are entertaining, and books that are exploratory/educational. If I am crabby or tired, I don't pick up a "difficult" book.
I try not to quit a book I don't care for -- especially when it is widely acclaimed -- because I have often had a completely favorable view when I have finished trying books. That said, if I consider a book to be very poorly written or if the plot disturbs me, or it contains characters I find toxic, I put it down.
Chuckell wrote: "Sorry, I messed up on the title the last time I tried to start this discussion. The Historian is a book that truly lived up to that Italian saying--I was angry at myself for every second I spent ..."
i alos did not like this book , incredibly boring , never finished it and it had such rave reivews?
I too found this book incredibly annoying.
Stacielynn wrote: "A book I could not finish - "Last of the Mohicans." Only one member of our book group slogged her way through it and we talked about buying her a tee shirt that said "I read all of The Last of the ..."
Shoot me for saying it, but that is possibly my favorite book ever.
Wow, I just backed up your statement there, didn't I?
You are absolutely right. We're all different.
The Historian is like Twilight. Some people hate it, others love it, and some are neutral.
Shoot me for saying it, but that is possibly my favorite book ever.
Wow, I just backed up your statement there, didn't I?
You are absolutely right. We're all different.
The Historian is like Twilight. Some people hate it, others love it, and some are neutral.
Brooke wrote: "Stacielynn wrote: "A book I could not finish - "Last of the Mohicans." Only one member of our book group slogged her way through it and we talked about buying her a tee shirt that said "I read all ..."Thanks, Brooke, for making my point so eloquently. Of course everyone is entitled to their preferences. The fun for me is discussing the preferences in order to gain an understanding of others' thought process. I would love to know what resonated for you.
I loved The Historian. It seemes (as I stated in my review of it) that it's like Marmite, you either love it or hate it! Saw a couple of references to The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King.I couldn't finish that one either!
I don't know where that extra e came from in seems? ;)
Stacielynn wrote: "Brooke wrote: "Stacielynn wrote: "A book I could not finish - "Last of the Mohicans." Only one member of our book group slogged her way through it and we talked about buying her a tee shirt that sa..."
Umm...everything. The writing, maybe, left something to be desired. But everything else did.
Umm...everything. The writing, maybe, left something to be desired. But everything else did.
May wrote: "I loved this book - it is the ONLY book about vampires that I have ever read or plan to read..."May, have you not read Dracula? One of the reasons I tried The Historian (and I'm glad I did) was because of my fondness for Stoker's novel.
Actually, I enjoyed The Historian - it was Kostova's The Swan Thieves that ended up being a total waste of time as I tried to follow this oddly woven tale. Loved other art based novels - Girl with the Pearl Earring, etc. - but this became a strange mix of past and present brooding artists and strange bed fellows.
THE DANTE CLUB! Was the one book that I really and truly hated. but the Historian wasn't far behind, followed closely by Twilight, and I couldn't get past the first few badly written chapters of Fifty Shades of Grey
Rick wrote: "THE DANTE CLUB! Was the one book that I really and truly hated. but the Historian wasn't far behind, followed closely by Twilight, and I couldn't get past the first few badly written chapters of F..."You found twilight and 50 shades better than The Historian or The Dante Club........... amazing
Initially I had a difficult time forcing myself to plod through the book, actually putting the book aside several times. While I loved the rich imagery and details, the story was progressing so slowly that I wished I could reach through the pages and throttle her father.When the time was right and I was in the right frame of mind to enjoy the details, I found the reading much quicker and enjoyable! I loved losing myself in the surroundings and the history of the novel. I know that a small fortune went into research for this novel and truly appreciate Kostova's attention to detail. Yes, I loved all the extensive descriptions of pollen and shirt collars and book bindings and the barn floor taste of the "milkshake" in the old woman's cottage. Sometimes the beauty of a novel isn't in the action sequence or the illuminating characters, it is in being transported to another setting.
Did the novel end the way I wanted it to? Absolutely not, but I learned a great deal about the history and culture and have vivid images in my mind of the landscape and some of the characters. Guy Gavriel Kay's Ysabel is another novel in which people could complain the action is not swift enough, but I felt richer for having read it.
Mark wrote: "Rick wrote: "THE DANTE CLUB! Was the one book that I really and truly hated. but the Historian wasn't far behind, followed closely by Twilight, and I couldn't get past the first few badly written ..."Mark wrote: "Rick wrote: "THE DANTE CLUB! Was the one book that I really and truly hated. but the Historian wasn't far behind, followed closely by Twilight, and I couldn't get past the first few badly written ..."
Ok Yeah I'll give you that, I couldn't even read Fifty Shades of Grey and Twilight did make me hate myself for finishing it, so the Historian was a vastly better book than both, but the Dante Club was just frustrating as all hell to read. Pearl is actually not that bad of a writer, but there's just something about the way he goes about telling the story that is just grating and hard to read.
I lasted three chapters - it was rubbish
I agree 100% that The Historian was a complete waste of time.
Kaye wrote: "Actually, I enjoyed The Historian - it was Kostova's The Swan Thieves that ended up being a total waste of time as I tried to follow this oddly woven tale. Loved other art based novels - Girl with ..."If you like Art based novels, check out Sacre Bleu.
Who is the author of Sacre Bleu? I can't find it on this site. Maybe I'll try Amazon.
Read this book some time ago. I don't even like vampires and found this to be a well-written, page turner. I especially enjoy a book that takes me on a journey of discovery. The Historian did that.
Patty wrote: "Who is the author of Sacre Bleu? I can't find it on this site. Maybe I'll try Amazon."it is Christopher Moore - Sacré Bleu: A Comedy d'Art
I loved The Historian...the shock when he's taken away...the travels through Romania and Turkey...and that Oh No! ending... I hated, hated, hated She's Come Undone, I don't remember the author...miserable book
Wally Lamband thank you Dee!
Did you read the same book? I LOVED LOVED LOVED this book.
Hard to imagine anyone not liking this book. Incredibly detailed description of characters and places. Though large, didn't take long to read.
I enjoyed it quite a bit, also. It read fast and I still recall a lot of the story, and I am not into vampire books.
I enjoyed and admired The Historian so much that I treated myself to a signed copy. Fantastic story-telling.
The Hunger Games is dreadful.
I loved it. It brought out the researcher in me and I love when that happens.
I couldn't finish The Elegance of the Hedgehog. Move along already. Felt like I never left the super's cruddy apt. I might pick it up and skim through the rest as I hear the last 50 pages make it all worthwhile but how pathetic is that.
I really enjoyed this book.
For me Historian is great book, one of few that put a smile on my face in the past years...it is a great combination of Conann Doyle, Stoker, Agatha Christie and E.A.Poe...a truly splendid and wonderful book...i really loved a parts whicha are set in Balkan and Former Yugoslavia because I come from one of Balkan countries...and what about bad books...there is a lot of them, but I always say to myself that there is not a truly bad book beacuse even a worst among them has at least one good sentence which cuts in to your brain forever ;)
