The Historian

[Zenjamin]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Historian
http://www.amazon.com/Historian-Elizabeth-Kostova/dp/0316011770


Has anyone read this book?
It was on the #1 bestsellers list for awhile and they are making a movie out of it.

Apparently she spent 10 years writing and researching this book.
Obviously there will be some historical inaccuracies (like Vlad Treps not being alive today) But how enlightening it would be to the average lay person? How much accurate info on the old ottoman empire. ect... is given?

Im interested in what you guys think. There is a possibility that "The Historian" could do for history what "Indiana Jones" did for archaeology.
Give us abit more public spotlight and make us seem more cool, but at the same time increasing misunderstanding?



I don't know. Just give your general opinions.

[galteeman]

I read it and only got half way through. Longwinded and badly written IMO. Also there isn't much to interest a person interested in history, not in the first half anyway.

[Rosicrucian]

It's a good book. Definitely worth reading once. The prose is beautiful in parts, almost lyrical. It is not exactly an edge-of-the-seat thriller, but it's got a charm of its own... of old worlds and dusty libraries, with a generous helping of nice descriptions of Hungarian and Romanian countrysides, plenty of Turkey, and enough suspense to keep you going. It's highly informative on eastern Europe, though there are bound to be historical inaccuraices, seeing as this is primarily a piece of fiction. If you're into Dracula and vampires or such legends, then you should definitely grab it. I'm not at all a vampire person, but I love Bram Stoker's Dracula, so for me it was an easy pick.

[galteeman]

different strokes for different folks eh Ros?

[Bucephalus]

The Historian is on my list, and I'll get to it hopefully soon. Bram Stoker's Dracula has always been one of my favorite books (and is easily my favorite epistolary novel). My wife has already read The Historian (and loved it), and now it sits on my bookshelf, taunting me... :)

[Universeman]

I read this because it was in the bargain section at the local bookstore, and believe me, it belonged there. The book started out very interesting, but quickly lost the plot about a third of the way in; I found the endless travelogue to get a bit tiring after a while, and the dialogue and characters are interchangable with each other. The final plot twist was ridiculous, and made little sense when you consider the legend of Dracula.

I highly recommend that you pass this by, and get started on any other books that might be on your list.

[princessX]

I thought The Historian was a really good and worthwhile read. I think the name of the book is maybe a bit misleading (it was bought for me) and I must admit when I discovered it was going to be about vampires I was a bit put-off. But all in all I actually really enjoyed it. I didn't know it was going to be made into a film!!!

[Chookie]

I couldn't finish it. I think galteman got it spot-on.

[Thaddeus]

I really enjoyed it, even though the end was a tad weak. The imagery and texture (for lack of a better word) of the work really appealed to me. I think my favorite part was SPOILER ALERT HIGHLIGHT TO READ! the Faustian bargain Vlad offers to the one historian who “finds” him. I would’ve taken that deal in a second.