Search - The Historian

I enjoyed this book very much. I notice the reviews where people felt it was a slow read. Although it is a Vampire story, it is more of a historical novel. I love both types of books.If you just want o fnd out "what happens" you may feel impatient. This book is a travelogue, a mystery and a fascinating history of Eastern Europe. This is not a fluff book. I hope you'll give it a try.

I slogged through half of this and realized I wasn't enjoying it and had no desire to finish it. It's beautifully written, but it's just so SSSSLLLLLLOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWW. It took me a month to get through the half I did read, which is really unusual for me. Maybe somebody else will like it more.

I was hesitant at first to read this book but once I sat down and gave it a chance I was hooked. My husband was reading it while I was and of course he got through it quicker than myself so I was constantly asking him questions lol. But being the good husband he is he never answered any of them and let me read on with the story falling into place in front of me. I enjoyed this story very much even with it being a slight history lesson. I recommend this book for any vampire lover, love story lover and historian. Enjoy!

I put this one down about half way through. I was really into it at first, but it didn't pick up and I was bored and impatient.
I love vampire stories and the writing is pretty, but the pacing was just painfully slow.
I know that many liked this one, so I should give it another chance.
Did I mention that the story was slow? It was slow.

Argh! This was a painful read. I kept hoping I'd run into someone who'd finished it already and they could tel me how it ended so I wouldn't have to keep plowing through it myself. The creative and suspenseful telling will force you to finish it, but it moves along so slooooooowly. It's like a movie that you're watching at home and don't bother to pause when you get up for more drinks or a restroom break.

Really couldn't get into reading it.

One of my favorite books, the best I've read in a long, long time. Very intricate, eloquent story exploring the lore of Dracula.

Beautifully written, an absolute treat to read. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, but felt the epilogue was not only unnecessary but actually distracting. The historic detail was fabulous and the characters (particularly the ones in Turkey) were well drawn and interesting.

I decided I had to read this after reading so many reviews that range from one extreme to the other. I'm definitely pro-Historian, but can understand why some people might not like it. I liked the mix of scholarly research, history and suspense. I like books that get me interested in parts of the world that I've never paid much attention to before. Thumbs up!

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 letigimate 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 it's 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.

I LOVED this book. I'm so glad i found this book. The charectors are excellent and richly developed. The history is amazing, the way she just narrates the places where the charectors are at is fantastic! I loved EVERYTHING about this book. The way it jumped back in forth in time, I mean everything. I have read countless books this probably ranks up there in my top 5. Anyone who loves history, and dracula must read this book!

I really wanted to like this book since I love historical fiction. It was a best seller and figured it should be at least interesting. I thought it was a difficult read because it was so slow. I usually put down books if they don't get me by the first 100 pages but I did keep slogging through it. I kept on trying for about two weeks but just couldn't get into it. It's interesting now to look at the reviews on PBS - guess I wasn't alone.

If you liked DaVinci Code, you'll like this one. It's full of mystery and puzzle and travel -- and a few vampires for good measure. Very good.

I loved everything about this book. This is one the best books I've ever read, it might just be THE best. The story is obsessively absorbing; the writing taut yet descriptive, and the delicious details from the author's research bring this book so completely to life that I felt I was literally there with the characters every step of the way. I'm in love and I will keep reading and re-reading this book until it falls apart in my hands, that's how good it is!

The Historian was an interesting new twist to the Dracula legend. As a piece of historical-fiction, the book ties together the folklore surround vampires and Dracula, while also looking at the history of the Byzantines, the Ottomans, and Vlad the Impaler. Kostova's descriptions of Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey are so vivid that it is impossible to read them and not want to visit. At the same time, the descriptions add so much length to an already long and sometimes confusing storyline that they can sometimes be distracting. The book was too long, but if you are interested in vampire stories or historical fictionâ€"better yet, if you are interested in bothâ€"this is a book is a worthwhile read

LOVED this book! I'm not huge into horror/Dracula/etc, but this book was so well researched and written that I couldn't put it down. Only a few small portions were gruesome, and they definitely didn't detract from the essense of the book which is fabulous. A love story, an adventure story, a family story, plenty of history and culture - highly recommended.

An excellent story, if you like the theme. It is very genre noir, but was exciting and easy to read!

I loved it!

This book seemed to be about half description, but it was so beautifully written that it was slow but never boring. In fact, it made me want to visit many of the places myself. I'm not a lover of vampire stories, but thought this one was well done. Didn't lose any sleep because I couldn't put it down, but I did really enjoy it.

On the best seller list for months. This is a story of the everlasting life of Dracula and his vampires. It is a dark and mysterious story.

An interesting take on a classic story. The vampire story unwraps slowly in this intricate book. Enjoyable read.