Monday, December 7, 2009

Book Review: The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova


The Historian is the story of a hunt for Dracula...the original...Drakulya...Vlad III Tepes. Several generations of scholars, mostly historians, are discovering strange and ancient books. These books spark their curiosity and the search is on....for the true resting place of Vlad Tepes. The majority of the story is told through stories and notes from Paul to his daughter Eva, with small parts actually told through Eva's eyes.


The story is captivating. Kostova has done her research and her description of events, places, and historical documents is fascinating. You can see her love of history and places in every page. The majority of the story moved quickly and I didn't want to put it down. There was a section near the end that started to drag a little for me as the search seemed to go on endlessly...but I'm sure that was the point, to show how long and tiring the characters worked in all their efforts.

The characters were beautifully written and I became attached, especially to the character of Helen, Eva's mother. She is a strong female personality that was more than a match for the men she encountered in her travels.

Overall this was a great book. I would have liked to see the action progess slightly faster, which lowered my rating slightly.

3.5/5

1 comment:

Jem said...

I really loved The Historian when I first read it a couple of years ago. It was the first book I had read with a scholar on an adventure and uncovering a mystery. Thanks for your review. I do remember it being a bit slot at times, but I still really enjoyed it.