Teresa M. (truthsayer) reviewed on 3/27/2011 + 21 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

I agree with what other reviewers say both negative and positive about this book; however, I loved it for several reasons. I fell in love with the characters and wanted/needed to know what happened to them. I enjoyed the in depth descriptions of Europe. Some parts of the story are heartbreaking but others are heart warming. It is about the best and worst of human beings through out history. I have read quite a few books about fictional vampires as well as the one by Bram Stokes. This is not a paranormal romance in the least. For one, it is written far better than most paranormal romances. While there are vampires, I disagree that it is a story about vampires. It seems to be more about relationships, scholarship, and how relationships create history. While the hsitorians in the novel aren't exactly like Indiana Jones, I did feel a similar sense of intellectual as well as real world adventure. Real world adventure often comes as the result of intellectual findings. There are also interesting comparisons between Christianity and Muslim religions. For example, what happened in Constantinople/Istanbul in the Crusades. There is also commentary on tolerance and compassion between people of different belief systems in order to fight a greater evil. Intense or frightening scenes are slow to build but are so beautifully done that I felt as if I was there. Sex and profanity is very minimal. The title "The Historian" is a paradox but I will not explain why. The history of Dracula's life and the mystery of his afterlife reads like a detective novel. My favorite part of the novel was the loving compassionate relationship between the father and the daughter. If their relationship had not been so lovingly drawn through conversation, letters, and travel, I probably would have put it aside. It still took me 3 months to read the book. Kostova uses letters, journals and maps to explain the past. Some of the best parts of the story is what she leaves unsaid for the reader to imagine. The book reminds me somewhat of Geraldine Brooks' "The People of the Book." I highly recommend "The Historian" however it does take a very patient mature reader who does not mind that the book doesn't come to its point quickly. I would love to see this book done as a movie.

Back to all reviews by this member
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details