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The Historian

By Elizabeth Kostova, Dennis Boutsikaris (Reader), Jim Ward (Reader), Martin Jarvis (Reader), Rosalyn Landor (Reader), Robin Atkin Downes (Reader), Joanne Whalley (Reader)

(51)

| Audio CD | 9781600242786

Book Description

If your pulse flutters at the thought of castle ruins and descents into crypts by moonlight, you will savor every creepy page of Elizabeth Kostova's long but beautifully structured thriller The Historian.The story opens in Amsterdam in 1972, when a teenage girl discovers a medieval book and a cache of yellowed letters in her diplomat father's library. The pages of the book are empty except for a woodcut of a dragon. The letters are addressed to: "My dear and unfortunate successor." When the girl confronts her father, he reluctantly confesses an unsettling story: his involvement, twenty years earlier, in a search for his graduate school mentor, who disappeared from his office only moments after confiding to Paul his certainty that Dracula--Vlad the Impaler, an inventively cruel ruler of Wallachia in the mid-15th century--was still alive. The story turns out to concern our narrator directly because Paul's collaborator in the search was a fellow student named Helen Rossi (the unacknowledged daughter of his mentor) and our narrator's long-dead mother, about whom she knows almost nothing. And then her father, leaving just a note, disappears also.As well as numerous settings, both in and out of the East Bloc, Kostova has three basic story lines to keep straight--one from 1930, when Professor Bartolomew Rossi begins his dangerous research into Dracula, one from 1950, when Professor Rossi's student Paul takes up the scent, and the main narrative from 1972. The criss-crossing story lines mirror the political advances, retreats, triumphs, and losses that shaped Dracula's beleaguered homeland--sometimes with the Byzantines on top, sometimes the Ottomans, sometimes the rag-tag local tribes, or the Orthodox church, and sometimes a fresh conqueror like the Soviet Union.Although the book is appropriately suspenseful and a delight to read--even the minor characters are distinctive and vividly seen--its most powerful moments are those that describe real horrors. Our narrator recalls that after reading descriptions of Vlad burning young boys or impaling "a large family," she tried to forget the words: "For all his attention to my historical education, my father had neglected to tell me this: history's terrible moments were real. I understand now, decades later, that he could never have told me. Only history itself can convince you of such a truth." The reader, although given a satisfying ending, gets a strong enough dose of European history to temper the usual comforts of the closing words. --Regina Marler

13 Reviews

Was I surprised!
An interesting take on Dracula's story which I thought would be a total waste of time but loved the page turning suspense and to find out it was not the typical story at all!!

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― Nini said on Nov 17, 2009 about the Others edition | Add your feedback

In 1972 Amsterdam, a sheltered, motherless teenager stumbles across an ancient book imprinted with a dragon and stuffed with 40-year-old, mysteriously addressed letters. Gradually, her father reveals the link between the book and various attempts to discover the tomb of the brutal warrior/ruler Vlad ... (continue)

In 1972 Amsterdam, a sheltered, motherless teenager stumbles across an ancient book imprinted with a dragon and stuffed with 40-year-old, mysteriously addressed letters. Gradually, her father reveals the link between the book and various attempts to discover the tomb of the brutal warrior/ruler Vlad Tepes, better known as Dracula. Those who choose to become part of the search generally end up paying with their careers and their lives. Despite these dire warnings, the nameless young woman finds herself compelled to discover who Dracula truly was...and whether he still exists today.

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― Lucca Ita said on May 19, 2009 about the Others edition | Add your feedback

Utter Disappointment!

I was not thrilled with this book. I had heard so many good things about it. I tried once before to read it and thought maybe it just wasn't the time but the second time around was a chore as well. Maybe I am spoiled by the action/vampire books I have been reading. The plot was slow, the descrip ... (continue)

I was not thrilled with this book. I had heard so many good things about it. I tried once before to read it and thought maybe it just wasn't the time but the second time around was a chore as well. Maybe I am spoiled by the action/vampire books I have been reading. The plot was slow, the descriptions interminable, and the ending was a letdown. Would not recommend to anyone.

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― Bibliophile said on Mar 26, 2009 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

A bit well,eh?

This book was a bit overrated when I bought it. A friend told me it was really good and we usually have similar tastes, but this was completely forgettable.

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― michelleamanda said on Dec 29, 2008 about the Others edition | Add your feedback

Given way too much detail then it really needs. The beginning was fairly interesting, but when I get to the middle of it, it turns out pretty dreadful with all the historical fact and details.

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― Ringo Kam said on Sep 28, 2008 about the Others edition | Add your feedback

I usually do not like vampire stories, but this is a completely different kind. The historical and scholarly aspect is fascinating. Pick up this book if you are in the mood for something smart.

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― MoirneStark said on May 31, 2008 about the Others edition | Add your feedback

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Book Details

Rating:
(51)
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English Books
Audio CD
ISBN-10: 1600242782
ISBN-13: 9781600242786
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Pub date: Jun 03, 2008
Also available as: Mass Market Paperback, Paperback, Hardcover, Audio Cassette and Others
In other languages: other languages Deutsche Bücher, Libros en Español