The Historian

There have been a few dumb books that I have read in my life and this ranks up there with the dumbest. Listening just made it funnier with the eerie violin music and Dracula's Hollywood voice. I was glad that I had the abridged version and didn't plow through 700 pages. Kostova made a good attempt, but where was she going with this theme? It was so convienent to have all those letters left behind by all the main characters. Probably will make a gory movie.

stuck thru to the end, b/c i have long commute and no other CD arriving for a while. kept waiting for some historic details or some new dracula angle to emerge or some reason to be interested in the characters but it never happened. it's like a child's simplified board book version of dracula.

I wanted to love this book. It really started out interesting and it was a nice change from most vampire novels. But the middle, D R A G G E D on forever! The two story idea would have worked, really could have worked, if it hadn't been so boring. It wasn't a horrible story, it just could use to lose some weight.

This is actually the second time I've read this book. For a first novel, it is outstanding. I was completely engrossed in the story. I really love history and the whole Dracula lore. I thought it was a great mix of both. It added a lot of suspense that made me read it with the lights on. I think I r......more

5 Stars—Favorite. Book. Ever. I read this for the first time back in college. I found it in Bargain Books at Barnes and Noble and once I opened it, I was hooked. What was most intriguing was the “Note to the Reader” section . . . I sat there literally arguing with myself about whether or not this was......more

Tentatively, my hand crept towards the mouse. What dark and unholy specter could be contained in other people's reviews of Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian? I was filled with passive-voiced dread as the link was clicked by me. I was horrified to read: xdragonlady's review: "My main problem with the b......more

Am I destined for some kind of literary hell if I say I wish Dan Brown would rewrite this story with the spark and intensity of the Da Vinci Code? I think I read some review here on GoodReads that called this a book to be conquered. You know, one where after a time you feel so invested that you MUST......more

This book is impossible to resist. It has fairly leapt to the top shelf, where it's nestled down deep with my all time favourites. I confess to being initially reluctant to delve into this story, I mean who really needs another campy, vampire tale? Lucky for me I put these feelings aside long enough......more