I loved Kostova's second novel, The Swan Thieves--something about the voice sucked me in immediately, and I just adored it. Because of that, I was excited to finally sit down and settle in for The Historian...but unfortunately, I ended up having nearly the opposite experience. Kostova's prose is lovely, but the truth is that I'm not sure I've ever read a book with less tension, and I mostly finished it because of my love for Kostova's other novel. The characters, story, and concept were all engaging in and of themselves, but it really was the slow build, the lack of tension, and the structure that killed the book for me. The reader pretty much knew what would happen, and what the book would cover, right from the beginning, and although there were some mysteries to be solved, they were more of the normal-life-drama sort than the horror/suspense sort. The Swan Thieves was a long, non-horror book, but the suspense and the voice carried it along so that it didn't feel nearly as long as it was. Here, however, the focus on an epistolary style, various voices that the reader didn't quite have time or reason to get attached to--despite the length!--and a devotion to giving the reader every detail even when it came to an academic conference of all things...well, the truth is that I rarely sat down with the book without becoming bored within a few chapters, and there were points in the second half where I finally just had to give in and skim, because I'd come so far and loved Kostova's other novel so much that I did want to say I'd finished it...but I also had no attachment to the book or story. And particularly since the characters seemed to 'just happen to run into' people they needed to know in order for the plot to progress, and coincidences mounted upon coincidences...well, I was just thoroughly unimpressed. The book was well-written for what it was, just in terms of sentence/paragraph-level prose vs. structure and style, but I fear that's about all I can say, which amounts to damning praise.

In the end, I have to say that the structure Kostova used for the novel just kind of ruined it for me, and the style she adopted too often left me feeling like I was reading a run-of-the-mill diary or travelogue vs. what I'd hoped would be a powerful story. I've often loved epistolary fiction, but in this case, I feel like Kostova did her concept an incredible disservice by choosing to go about telling the story in the fashion she did. I'm only glad this wasn't my first read from her, or I'd likely never even have considered picking up another.

I'm afraid I cannot recommend this book. I know some folks who adore it, but even after a lengthy book discussion, I still can't quite figure out the attraction beyond its attention to history and geographical/European cities' details...but all in all, I just keep coming back to the fact that I never really felt any narrative tension, attachment to character, or surprise at what came to pass. ( )

I must admit I was disappointed with the story. Perhaps because I've been overexposed to Vampires, thanks Buffy et al. Dracula actually made an appearance on Buffy. And the audiobook I was listening to had these corny accents for some of the characters, I was making fun of it. But the plot is good and the theme of historians and historical research is pretty consistent through the whole book. To misquote Dr Johnson worth reading Perhaps but not going to read. Whatever that means. ( )

Huvudpersonen hittar en bunt gömda gamla brev som avslöjar att hennes far, som var historiker, forskade kring den medeltida härskare och dennes skräckvälde som ligger till grund för legenden om Drakula. Dottern återupptar faderns farliga efterforskningar.

Don't bother, read Dracula instead. Much shorter, better written, definitely spookier. ( )

Su nombre despierta terror en el corazón de los hombres. A lo largo de siglos, se le ha considerado un mito. Ahora, alguien se atreve a buscarlo a través de los rincones más oscuros de Europa y Asia y buceando en lo más remotos pasajes de la historia.
Durante años, Paul fue incapaz de contarle a su hija la verdad sobre la obsesión que ha guiado su vida. Ahora, entre sus papeles, ella descubre una historia que comenzó con la extraña desaparición del mentor de Paul, el profesor Rossi. Tras las huellas de su querido maestro, Paul recorrió antiguas bibliotecas de Estambul, monasterios en ruinas en Rumania, remotas aldeas en Bulgaria... Cuanto más se acercaba a Rossi, más se aproximaba también a un misterio que había aterrorizado incluso a los poderosos sultanes otomanos, y que aún hace temblar a los campesinos de Europa del Este. Un misterio que ha dejado un rastro sangriento en manuscritos, viejos libros y canciones susurradas al oído. Para Paul y su hija llegar al final dela búsqueda puede significar un destino mucho peor que la muerte. Porque a cada paso que dan, se convencen más de que él les está esperando. Y en sus corazones, retumba una pregunta angustiosa... ¿Es posible que la tumba de Vlad el Emperador esconda algo más que el cuerpo de un asesino legendario?