I am really thankful to The Estella Society for hosting a read-along of The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. It's a book that I remembered really liking but, because of its size, I was hesitant to pick it back up for a reread. So, did it live up to my sparse but positive memories? Briefly, yes.
If you still haven't read it but are curious, this book is a weaving of the stories of three generations and their experiences while researching the ultimate fate of Vlad Tepes, aka Vlad the Impaler, aka Dracula. As they discover each other's stories through journals, letters and narrative, a full picture develops of a legacy of evil that might be impossible to destroy.
Despite one or two places where the history felt too much like a lesson, this was still a very compelling tale and the sense of peril was palpable. I enjoyed the black and white, good versus evil nature of the story and the characters. It was easy to know where one stood with each character, whom to trust and which to avoid at all costs. This is something that seems to have been lost in modern vampire mythology, with recent tales of romantic and far-too-human (and sparkly) holders of the eternal curse. More believable is a vampire who is self-serving and cruel, one who toys with people of interest to him like a cat with a mouse. He is also powerful and manipulative and he uses knowledge and history to his advantage. This is what you would expect from a creature who has lived for centuries, hiding and murdering and getting away with it all time and time again.
With awe and horror,
K
I did not get to pick this book up for the read-along, but I still hope to read it before the year's end.
ReplyDeleteIt's a good one! And you have a good excuse, running your own read-alongs. ;)
DeleteI really wish I had gotten my act together to read this during this year's challenge, but I'm putting it on my list for next year! Great review!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely a good one for the season! I hope you get to it next year.
Deletethis is an amazing book, the audio is superb, with all the differences of accents
ReplyDeleteThat would be really interesting! I'll definitely consider audio for my next reread!
DeleteAs I was listening to a video review of Dracula this morning it struck me how true to that original story she was. By telling this one in epistolary format, by including the old lore complete with garlic and crucifixes, she really paid homage to Stoker's novel. I admire that.
ReplyDeleteIt's been a long time since I did a Dracula reread. Maybe it's time again ...
DeleteOooh, putting this one on my TBR!
ReplyDeleteFantastic. :)
DeleteI finally finished this massive tome for the read along. I read this book several years ago and I found myself swept up in the ambiance once again. I love all the foreign places, and musty, hidden libraries, and the chase through much of the book.
ReplyDeleteWhile I wanted a few more things at the end - like how did Vlad become Dracula, etc - I still enjoyed this book and hold it up as one of the best vampire books of modern literature.
Ah yes, I also wish there was more about how he became a vampire. Though, wishing for anything that makes this book longer might not be a good idea. ;)
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