Sunday, April 24, 2011

The Historian

I just finished reading The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova (my third gothic novel. . .17 more to go!). While reading part one, I was not certain that I would have the patience to finish this novel. I am an Anne Rice, and even aTwilight, fan, so I was excited to read a "vampire" novel; however, in reading part one I was thinking I would never get to the "action" so to say. Luckily, part two and three were much more intriguing. It only took me one day to read those two parts! 

Kostova's novel intertwined several narratives. I am still contemplating the necessity of the multiple narratives being that several of the characters had almost exact experiences while searching for Dracula's tomb. The Historian was a daunting read at close to 700 pages. I would recommend this to any readers who have an interest in vampire novels, legends, etc. On a scale of 1 to 5, I would rate this novel a 3.5. Several parts of the end did not work for me, (SPOILER ALERT!) especially the absence of Helen for several years after her marriage to Rossi and the birth of their daughter, Helen. What was the point of her disappearance if Dracula was not really killed, which readers could infer since Helen (Rossi's daughter) received her own blank book with the symbol of the dragon? Instances such as these left me unsatisfied in reading this novel. Perhaps The Historian ending in such a way because there will be a sequel?? If so, I don't think it would be too high on my To Be Read list. 


3 comments:

  1. I've got this on my "possible" list for the Gothic reading challenge but I keep putting off starting it. I might read Rosemary's Baby instead!

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  2. I have watched Rosemary's Baby, but I have never read it. Judging by the movie, I bet it will be a thrilling read! Enjoy!

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  3. I had mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand I really enjoyed the traveling and lore and history, but I found some of it, especially towards the end, really dragged and left me feeling unsatisfied. A movie would be kind of cool, but I don't think I'll be rushing out to read a sequel at this point.

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