A review by hgranger
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
1.0
Surprisingly dull and incredibly slow moving considering the high body count and vast amount of ground and history this book covers -- not to mention despite the subject matter.
The ending offers a glimmer of hope, only to have it ripped away by an incongruous circumstance. ("Wasting illness" - really?? Because a semi-happy ending is just so passé?)
The book also contains one of my literary pet-peeves: logical inconsistencies. For example: just because a person is undead, that doesn't make their clothing indestructible by wear, tear, and time. I.e. If you're going to write about how your protagonist's clothes are soiled and shabby after a week of hotels and airplanes, then don't expect me to believe that Vlad's boots and fancy cloak, etc have held up for 500 years....
I could go into another pet-peeve which is protagonists being obtuse: "He drank a drink called 'amnesia'. I wonder why he says he can't remember anything..." Or I could bore someone to (un)death by explaining in excruciating detail how I felt about the additional plot of communists (!) chasing immortality for their evil leaders!! Maybe in a letter? I feel like I also need to point out that I LOVE libraries. And Kostova tried pretty hard to kill my love for books and libraries by talking it to death.
I think, I'll just go look for my vampire kit and stab the book with it. Maybe at least for the book it will stick.....
Changed it to a one star rating after thinking about it for a few hours after finishing the book. Elena ("Helen") and her amazing mother and aunt just weren't enough to justify slogging through 676 pages of...I don't even know how to describe this. Research? Pondering? Very detailed letters? One random make-out session didn't make this book interesting either, FYI. (Hint: chemistry - does wonders for characters who get in bed together!)
The ending offers a glimmer of hope, only to have it ripped away by an incongruous circumstance. ("Wasting illness" - really?? Because a semi-happy ending is just so passé?)
The book also contains one of my literary pet-peeves: logical inconsistencies. For example: just because a person is undead, that doesn't make their clothing indestructible by wear, tear, and time. I.e. If you're going to write about how your protagonist's clothes are soiled and shabby after a week of hotels and airplanes, then don't expect me to believe that Vlad's boots and fancy cloak, etc have held up for 500 years....
I could go into another pet-peeve which is protagonists being obtuse: "He drank a drink called 'amnesia'. I wonder why he says he can't remember anything..." Or I could bore someone to (un)death by explaining in excruciating detail how I felt about the additional plot of communists (!) chasing immortality for their evil leaders!! Maybe in a letter? I feel like I also need to point out that I LOVE libraries. And Kostova tried pretty hard to kill my love for books and libraries by talking it to death.
I think, I'll just go look for my vampire kit and stab the book with it. Maybe at least for the book it will stick.....
Changed it to a one star rating after thinking about it for a few hours after finishing the book. Elena ("Helen") and her amazing mother and aunt just weren't enough to justify slogging through 676 pages of...I don't even know how to describe this. Research? Pondering? Very detailed letters? One random make-out session didn't make this book interesting either, FYI. (Hint: chemistry - does wonders for characters who get in bed together!)