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The Historian
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The Historian
Author: Elizabeth Kostova

Book Information
Publisher: Little, Brown
Book Type: Hardcover
Large Print: Yes
Rating:

ISBN-13: 9780316058865 - ISBN-10: 0316058866
Pages: 1,184


Other Versions of this Book: Hardcover, Audio Cassette (Abridged), Audio CD (Abridged)

Book Description:
In this riveting debut of breathtaking scope, a young girl discovers her father's darkest secret and embarks on a harrowing journey across Europe to complete the quest he never could -- to find history's most legendary fiend: Dracula. When a motherless American girl living in Europe finds a medieval book and a package of letters, all addressed ominously to "My dear and unfortunate successor..." she begins to unravel a thread that leads back to her father's past, his mentor's career, and an evil hidden in the depths of history. In those few quiet moments, she unwittingly assumes a quest she will discover is her birthright: a hunt that nearly brought her father to ruin and may have claimed the life of his adviser and dear friend, history professor Bartholomew Rossi. What does the legend of Vlad the Impaler, the historical Dracula, have to do with the 20th century? Is it possible that Dracula has lived on in the modern world? And why have a select few historians risked reputation, sanity, and even their lives to learn the answer? So begins an epic journey to unlock the secrets of the strange medieval book, an adventure that will carry our heroine across Europe and into the past -- not only to the times of Vlad's heinous reign, but to the days when her mother was alive and her father was still a vibrant young scholar. In the end, she uncovers the startling fate of Rossi, and comes face to face with the definition of evil-- to find, ultimately, that good may not always triumph.

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Top Member Book Reviews

A. J. C. (Bibliocrates) wrote on 4/1/2008...

4 member(s) found this review helpful.

I loved this book! I knew it was going to be about Dracula somehow, but an ancient book-collecting vampire, not at all what I expected. The triple narrative, the telling of the story from three different perspectives and time periods, was absolutely brilliant. The ending was rather anticlimactic and I was somewhat disappointed by it, until I read the epilogue, great book!

P. W. (Pdub) wrote on 10/21/2007...

2 member(s) found this review helpful.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the academic feel and the historical, and the sense of travel. The story unfolds via some historical flashbacks and letters as the characters search for answers (NOT giving anything away here). Definitely a fun read.

Maria R. wrote on 6/26/2006...

2 member(s) found this review helpful.

Excellent book. Story about Vlad Tepes aka Vlad The Impaler aka Dracula. Story starts about a book with a wood-cut in the middle with the shape of a dragon.The bearer of the book is hypnotized on the origins of the book and never gets a moment of peace after that.
Highly Recommended!!!!

Bethany F. (folkmusic) wrote on 8/8/2009...

1 member(s) found this review helpful.

one of my favorite books. This is a juicy tale that is very well written!

Amy B. (BaileysBooks) wrote on 8/13/2008...

1 member(s) found this review helpful.

To my dear and unfortunate successor...
I found this book endlessly fascinating. My husband gave up on it.

I don't mind books that get a little long winded when it comes to detail, and this book reads like a good Dracula mystery just as much as it does a European travelogue. The action and suspense is spaced between pages of seemingly mundane detail of buildings, landscapes, and other observations. I was not distracted by it in the least. Others, however (husband included) simply could not get past it.

I found this book to be imaginative, creepy, and suspenseful. It was a creative new look at a very common subject and I thought Kostova did a very good job of bringing a sense of legitimate mystery and fear back into a character that is so easily made into a cliche.

Once I started this book, I was unable to put it down and was sad to see it end, yet this book won't be for everyone. I think its writing style will appeal to just as many people as it will turn away. For me, there was something about the story itself, the plight of the characters, the endless researching of ancient bone-colored books, the ever present threat of Dracula himself, that had me hooked from the very beginning.

From my perspective, this is an absolute must-read. But it's impossible to say what types of readers will agree with me.

Dawn H. wrote on 10/26/2006...

1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Great read!


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