The Historian
Elizabeth Kostova
I think that the first thing I should say about this book is that it is absolutely nothing like I expected. Having read it, I can't say exactly what it is I expected, but this isn't it. That is not to say that the book isn't good, however; think of it more as a disclaimer on the head of this review. Anyway, on to the meat.
The plot and premise of this book are remarkable. I'm amazed that a first-time author was able to weave such an intricate story. While there are parts of this six-hundred page monster that begin to drag, most everything seems necessary (or at least tangentially related) to the plot. If anything, the book isn't long enough, as it leaves some loose ends. Conveniently, this is also my first (and most major) gripe. Because the scope of the novel is so large, there are many details that get lost along the way, especially considering that it would be nearly impossible to finish this behemoth in a single sitting. There were many times that I had to check myself and refresh my memory regarding a trite detail that suddenly appears a hundred pages after it is introduced.
The winding nature of the plot and its narration exacerbate this effect and produce more than a bit of confusion on the part of the reader. The plot travels through three different time periods, each with its own narrator, and that doesn't include specific scholastic articles excerpted, or letters. While the print itself reflects this well (certain things are in italics, others in quotes), it is sometimes hard for the reader to see the whole picture clearly. In fact, I think I would need some serious Cliff's Notes to wrap my mind around the plot entirely. I kind of wonder what all I missed.
Setting these pseudo-professorial comments aside, however, I really enjoyed the book. Except for a few periods in the middle where I found myself bogged down, the plot really moves well without over-employing drastic chapter endings. They do appear (something like, "We looked down at the face to see that it was none other than...!"), but Kostova manages to end most chapters in a way that makes the reader want to read on without the cheap gimmicks. This, and the radical yet gripping plot line (vampires, Dracula, zombies!), makes the book quite addictive, and I must say that I enjoyed coming back to it each day.
The writing itself, the descriptions and such, flows smoothly and is consistently entertaining and fresh. Despite some problems inherent in a book whose locations and characters vary so widely, the package is very neatly wrapped. It's outlandish claims are tempered by a cool dose of reality, adding enough believability to keep the characters real and the novel entertaining. And to top it all off, the last sentence is rather magnificent. I have a feeling this book will haunt me for a while, and if you're up to the challenge I'd highly recommend it for some late-summer cramming.
Grade: A-
Elizabeth Kostova
I think that the first thing I should say about this book is that it is absolutely nothing like I expected. Having read it, I can't say exactly what it is I expected, but this isn't it. That is not to say that the book isn't good, however; think of it more as a disclaimer on the head of this review. Anyway, on to the meat.
The plot and premise of this book are remarkable. I'm amazed that a first-time author was able to weave such an intricate story. While there are parts of this six-hundred page monster that begin to drag, most everything seems necessary (or at least tangentially related) to the plot. If anything, the book isn't long enough, as it leaves some loose ends. Conveniently, this is also my first (and most major) gripe. Because the scope of the novel is so large, there are many details that get lost along the way, especially considering that it would be nearly impossible to finish this behemoth in a single sitting. There were many times that I had to check myself and refresh my memory regarding a trite detail that suddenly appears a hundred pages after it is introduced.
The winding nature of the plot and its narration exacerbate this effect and produce more than a bit of confusion on the part of the reader. The plot travels through three different time periods, each with its own narrator, and that doesn't include specific scholastic articles excerpted, or letters. While the print itself reflects this well (certain things are in italics, others in quotes), it is sometimes hard for the reader to see the whole picture clearly. In fact, I think I would need some serious Cliff's Notes to wrap my mind around the plot entirely. I kind of wonder what all I missed.
Setting these pseudo-professorial comments aside, however, I really enjoyed the book. Except for a few periods in the middle where I found myself bogged down, the plot really moves well without over-employing drastic chapter endings. They do appear (something like, "We looked down at the face to see that it was none other than...!"), but Kostova manages to end most chapters in a way that makes the reader want to read on without the cheap gimmicks. This, and the radical yet gripping plot line (vampires, Dracula, zombies!), makes the book quite addictive, and I must say that I enjoyed coming back to it each day.
The writing itself, the descriptions and such, flows smoothly and is consistently entertaining and fresh. Despite some problems inherent in a book whose locations and characters vary so widely, the package is very neatly wrapped. It's outlandish claims are tempered by a cool dose of reality, adding enough believability to keep the characters real and the novel entertaining. And to top it all off, the last sentence is rather magnificent. I have a feeling this book will haunt me for a while, and if you're up to the challenge I'd highly recommend it for some late-summer cramming.
Grade: A-
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