Book Reviews of 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 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 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!

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.

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.

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 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.

Really couldn't get into reading it.

Vivid history and carefully crafted writing come together to tell a terrific story, a more scholarly approach to the familiar vampire legend that still manages to be entertaining, and sinister enough to read with the lights on. The tone may be low key and matter of fact, but the tale it conveys is so subtly chilling, so almost plausible, that it kept me glued to the pages. It helps if you love history, and aren't easily bored by facts piled high, but a this is definitely a book worth the effort of reading it.

It took me a while to get through it, but it was well worth it. Great book!

Wonerful book! The kind of book that I had to turn my light back on at night because I couldn't go to sleep because I wanted to know what happened next. I highly recommend this book.

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 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. It was a great mix of history and fiction. It grabs you from the first page and keeps you up to the wee hours of the night because you just can't stop reading.

Gripping - I couldn't put it down.

I liked it! Very well researched and detailed. Very much a page turner for me. Some people don't like the endless letters but it fits well cause in academia you ALWAYS prefer primary sources :) The ending maybe fell a bit flat.

I have just recently finished reading this book, and I absolutely loved it. The storyline is very interesting in itself, but the descriptions of various European cities was excellent. Again, I learned alot reading this book, and I think that's what I really love about reading.

I enjoyed this book very much. Well researched and well written. A scholarly take on the Dracula legend with suspense and a little romance thrown in.

I thought this was a great book, it did have some tedious points but it was full of history, you do have to be into the the history of Dracula (not necessarily the true ending to his story) to want to read the book. Actually very entertaining.

Good. Different kind of vampire book. This kept my attention.

A good book on an interesting subject (vapires) - kind of like a "Davinci Code" type story, maybe a little long in parts, but I liked it.

well written but not a page turner, ending is weak

This book was a pretty big diversification for me - I read plenty of historical fiction, but rarely do I step outside of England with this reading. I was really pulled in by the story and liked the chance to learn more about history that I’m less familiar with.

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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.

The desciptive narrative of the story is intriguing. The characters (for the most part) are well developed. My only complaint is that the climax was to short and not as thrilling as I'd like.

This book is a very absorbing account of the history of Dracula. Requires a little suspension of belief, but quite enjoyable. I happened to read it around Halloween which added to the whole experience.

very good read about Dracula's genealogy. Not scary.

Fast paced and interesting, with exquisite detail and dark, haunting descriptions. A must for anyone interested in a creative, original and well-written mystery/historical book.

This is the story of a young woman plunged into a labyrinth where the secrets of her family's past connect to an inconceivable evil-the dark 15th century reign of Vlad the Impaler.

I loved this novel! It is a great adventure through the world of vampires and vampire hunters.

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