The Historian

Oh my god was I ever in for a surprise. This book is beyond good, it is beyond anything I have read in ages. All hail Elizabeth Kostova, she has made Dracula truly terrifying, and more importantly, historically significant, yet again.

The Historian - Wikipedia

There have always been two different ways to approach the Dracula legend: Yes Virginia, there really was a Dracula. But the legend, particularly the literary legend, long ago eclipsed the history. Few people know that Dracula was a warrior, that he led successful fights against Ottoman invasions, that he was religious, or that he served as both a hero and ferocious enemy of his own people. Kostova makes the comparison to Josef Stalin, which is entirely appropriate.

The legend has always been more appealing and as the vampire cult has grown over the years and pervaded pretty much all aspects of popular culture Buffy, anyone? No one stays awake in those classes. She knows he was dangerous because he was real, because a man once committed the acts that are credited to a monster. This is something that often eludes people. Written by Miles Doleac. The Historian is special to me because it was filmed at my alma mater, never mind that I absolutely loved the film. It has all the qualities of a huge blockbuster, but more than that the film itself gives the audience a personal touch.

Once you hit play, you instantly recognize snippets and snatches of people you know, and emotions that have been evoked when you've faced struggle in your own life. I am the type of viewer that loves to watch a movie multiple times, and catch little different details each time.

This movie did not disappoint. I suggest not only renting the movie and enjoying it for yourself, but also owning a part of what will become Mississippi history. Explore popular and recently added TV series available to stream now with Prime Video. Start your free trial. Find showtimes, watch trailers, browse photos, track your Watchlist and rate your favorite movies and TV shows on your phone or tablet!

Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Full Cast and Crew. A troubled, young history professor tries to escape his past by taking a job at a new university, where he struggles with an entrenched and equally-troubled department chair, rampant What is Emily Mortimer Watching? All that time sitting has been rough on The Historian. It now looks as old and worn as one of the ancient documents fondled so lovingly by the characters who populate the novel. The story unfolds in three different time periods.

The central thread is set in the s and is narrated by the unnamed daughter of a historian-turned-diplomat named Paul. The daughter stumbles upon an old book that, like the VHS tape in The Ring , brings nothing but trouble to the reader. Paul eventually leaves his daughter to embark on some unfinished business; the daughter, needless to say, pursues him. The second timeline is set in the s. These portions are comprised of letters written by Paul to his daughter. They detail his pursuit — along with a companion named Helen — of both Dracula, and his mentor, Professor Bartholomew Rossi, who has gone missing.

Finally, there is a briefer arc set in the s, made up by letters written by Rossi himself. The plot contrivances and temporal leaps are not inherently difficult to follow. However, the aesthetics of The Historian lead to confusion. I didn't have any problem with the Rossi letters set in the s. The Paul letters, on the other hand, are given only quotation marks. This means quotation marks.

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A lot of quotation marks. Both are told in first person, with little use of proper nouns. This not only causes uncertainty, but annoyance. I had to keep rereading sentences to separate narration from dialogue. At one point, the Paul letters decide to get a little meta, so that there is a letter within a letter. You know what that means, right? Quotation marks on top of quotation marks. Just quotation marks all the way down!

One of the interesting things about The Historian is its languorous pacing. Those first couple hundred pages were more like a European travel guide than a historical thriller. Paul and his daughter travel around, seeing cool sights, eating various biscuits, and having long conversations. Despite the lack of inertia, these pages were my favorite.

Kostova also has a Tolkien-esque thing for food and drink. The reader is treated to many vicarious meals as the characters hopscotch around the globe. Even as the plot gradually tightens, there is never much action. Sure, there are bursts of movement. Mostly, though, The Historian takes on a predictable pattern. They learn a clue, make their plans, and then head to the next destination.

One is tempted to say that The Historian attempts to do for historians what Indiana Jones did for archaeologists. The historians in this novel really act a lot like real historians, except on meth. Paul and Helen visit archives, peruse old-timey documents, and attempt to decipher the past.

This is rather typical for a researcher, save for the part about being stalked by the undead. Neat tourist locales and sumptuous repasts cannot entirely hide the fact that everything else is thin gruel. The characters are props, not people. Nobody has any personality, or depth, or even a quirk. His only reaction is to groan, or to stifle a groan. Jeez, Paul, grow up! Paul sets out to find Rossi, his mentor, because…Why? To drive the story. The book tells us how to feel, instead of convinces us with rich characterizations.

A brief rant about epistolary novels. Am I really supposed to believe that a character would write a letter hundreds of pages long? Or that this letter would be structured as a novel, replete with withheld information, reams of dialogue, internal monologues, telling details, and cliffhangers? The characters are not helped by the leaden dialogue. Just about everything spoken is exposition. This is a summertime read, so I grade it on that curve. This should be over-the-top goofy.

There should be grand guignol violence. There should be sex, or at least half a million double entendres. There should be a realization that this material is fundamentally lowbrow, then go even lower but with class. Instead, Kostova handles this with portentous seriousness. View all 5 comments. This is my favorite book of ALL time from any genre! At its core this is a book about Drakulya, about his history and his impact on those that knew him and those that have hunted the truth about him for centuries.

The novel opens with an unnamed female voice informing the reader in the year that she's about to tell the story of what happened to her thirty years before. The story is mostly about her father Paul, a historian turned diplomat, and his search for Dracula, Vlad the Impaler. This n This is my favorite book of ALL time from any genre! This narrator, raised alone by her father after her mother's death, finds a book in her father's study when she was The book has no text, but at its center, is a woodcut image of a dragon carrying a banner with the single word Drakulya.

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In addition, she finds letters dated from , and we get to read them and thus become part of the fabulous journey to find out where the letters came from and what they mean. Kostova had me at mysterious book and Dracula. Soon Paul is searching a library in Istanbul when he finds a map that suggests that Vlad's grave is not where conventional historical wisdom says it is, but he can't tell from the map where it might actually be.

An encounter with an evil and mysterious stranger makes him decide that it's a research topic that he should drop. He doesn't drop it and he takes us on an atmospheric and historical jaunt all over Europe. Of course Dracula being Dracula he and his undead minions will stop at nothing to protect their secrets, including the location of Vlad the Impaler's grave. For me this book reads like a travelogue, a paean to history, and a love story, with the horror of unspeakable evil and the race to save loved ones the glue that binds it all together. View all 13 comments. Wow, was I ever disappointed in this one!

I initially read the dust jacket on one of my many excursions to the book store and was very excited. It had been a long time since I read a really good scary story with vampires. The dust jacket alluded to sleepless nights filled with suspense and horror. I eagerly bought my very own copy and returned home to crawl into bed and begin reading this tale of terror. Okay, so sometimes books have to start slow. You've got to get the setting right, introduce Wow, was I ever disappointed in this one! You've got to get the setting right, introduce the characters, outline the plot While the research is necessary especially for a story involving an actual historical figure , it is NOT, I repeat: NOT, a requirement to include every scrap of research as part of the novel itself.

Neckrophilia

Oh, how angry I got when the story finally started getting good, Ms. Kostova would interject a page dissertation on the history of the church in the times of Vlad the Impaler! It did nothing to further the plot, and only served to make me feel like I was back in college studying for an exam. Where are the sleepless nights I was promised? When do we get introduced to Dracula?????? Don't worry, he's somewhere in those pages, but if you blink you might miss him! The research goes so far as to include a number of "fake" source documents.

Had these "documents" been merely mentioned and perhaps summarized, I would be all for it. Heck, I AM an archaeologist and historian, remember? One even takes an entire chapter. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about well-researched books. In fact, a well-researched and planned book only brings credibility to your story. However, The Historian proved to be nothing more than an over-zealous researcher's attempt to create a story from a subject that she is obviously passionate about. The voluminous research is a real turn-off. I don't want to read a vampire story and have to sit through a hundred "mountainous countryside" descriptions.

Get on with the story. Unfortunately, she never does. View all 9 comments. What a wonderfully well researched book for historical fictions fans. Elizabeth Kostova sure knows storytelling and did a terrific job interweaving the search for Dracula The Impaler and Eastern European history. The author takes you through ancient castles, churches, and libraries looking through documents for clues to the whereabouts of the historical Dracula.

The book is entrancing, but a bit slow at times when progressing through over 22 CD's. My biggest complaint is I didn't care for the q What a wonderfully well researched book for historical fictions fans. My biggest complaint is I didn't care for the quickly wrapped-up ending.

Otherwise, I enjoyed the mix of historical fiction and light horror. View all 26 comments. It has been some time since I read this, so my recollections may not be that accurate. I tend to make these decisions do I like or not like a book? But I figured that any book that merited my little used "pissed me off" category, deserved an explanation. Kostova sets her book partly in the 70s, partly in history, and she tries to write in a flowery language, like the great masters of novel from the 19th century- but to me, she really just comes It has been some time since I read this, so my recollections may not be that accurate.

Kostova sets her book partly in the 70s, partly in history, and she tries to write in a flowery language, like the great masters of novel from the 19th century- but to me, she really just comes off sounding pretentious, overwrought and juvenile. Yes, her character is supposed to be young, but the writing can be elegant, even with a young and immature subject.

In addition, everyone in the whole story speaks with the same voice. Many times I had to backtrack because I'd lost the thread of who was speaking. Then, she writes about Vlad, Dracula, attempting to add new lore to the story, but never really gives us any surprises.

At the most "suspenseful" moments, I often found myself feeling irritatingly amused at the author's attempt to create tension. One moment she is in fear of her life, and the next, she's what? And I don't recall that Kostova mixes her scenes well. She creates tension, but then breaks it too soon, or holds back from stretching it out, or drops into the completely mundane, instead of just pulling back a little.

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Even her main character doesn't seem to be driven by anything except one-upmanship, the desire to solve this mystery that her father couldn't, not for anyone's sake except proving that she's a better historian? Lastly, the stories of Dracula are supposed to be horrific, but also reluctantly romantic. She rarely rises above twittering, and it was never at any junction a book that I devoured. Mostly I just got through it, only to discover at the very end, when everything is supposedly wrapped up, with no foreshadowing, she tacks on a "oh by the way, he could still be alive! To comment specifically, I'd probably have to reread, or at least review, the book, which I'm not willing to do when there are still so many thousands of brilliantly written stories out there that I haven't discovered yet.

View all 14 comments. What I really enjoyed about this book was the strong, vivid descriptions of the gothic architecture and all these sights around the world. I also enjoyed the folklore and mystery surrounding Vlad III of Wallachia which subsequently gave rise to the Dracula story. However, all that did was try to make up for a very thin and shallow plot that didn't really interest me as much. I'd recommend it more for updating your TripAdvisor as opposed to reading it for the fiction.

View all 6 comments. Fourth time for me to read this gothic novel about Dracula both the historical figure and the vampire and those hunting him, and boy does it still amaze me! This novel is so well written and so riveting that I can well turn a blind eye to its flaws and just let myself be blown Fourth time for me to read this gothic novel about Dracula both the historical figure and the vampire and those hunting him, and boy does it still amaze me! This novel is so well written and so riveting that I can well turn a blind eye to its flaws and just let myself be blown away again and again.

Kostova has penned here the perfect armchair traveling book——also known as travelogue——taking us from the States to England, the Netherlands, Greece, France, Turkey, Romania, Hungary, etc. And last but not the least, Kostova's prose is absolutely beautiful——at times old-fashioned verging on the purple but in a good way ; at others downright effective and straight to the point. Again, perfect balance equals perfect rhythm. Equals a perfect story. You won't be disappointed. You're in for a treat! This book reminded me of the DaVinci code in some ways, but was much more interesting and better written.

All of the research and historical documents were fascinating.

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Not because I'm interested in vampires, but because I served my mission in Romania and was interested in Vlad himself. Evil and terrible as he was, the Romanians actually a This book reminded me of the DaVinci code in some ways, but was much more interesting and better written. Evil and terrible as he was, the Romanians actually are very proud of him because he saved their country from the Turks.

They do not like it at all that he is construed to be Dracula. His father was called Vlad Dracul, which is where that name comes from. Dracul is the Romanian word for the dragon. The Historian goes with the belief that he is definitely a Vampire, and that he is still alive. Or "undead" as it were. There are three different stories weaved together into one about three people who are trying to find Dracula: The narrator, who is telling her story from her viewpoint as a 16 year old girl in , her father, whose story is told through letters to his daughter as well as conversations about his experiences in and finally, Professor Rossi, who was the father's advisor in college.

Rossi's story is also told through letters and conversations and occurred in Every once in a while it is difficult to figure out which story you are reading as they jump around so much, but after the first few chapters you start to get a feel for it and it seemed really ingenious the way she chose to combine the three stories. I loved reading so much about the history of Eastern Europe during the rule of the Ottomans as well as during Communist times. The author is obviously an excellent researcher and really knew her stuff.

I was slightly annoyed by the fact that the Romanian language wasn't always written accurately I guess she didn't research that quite enough. It was almost always missing diacritical markings, except for in place names. Her Hungarian seemed to have all the diacritical markings in it, and I am unsure of the Bulgarian, since she used our alphabet rather than cyrillic. So I was just bugged by that, although I know most people wouldn't even care!

It also bothered me that we never know the name of the narrator. Her father never refers to her by name, and neither does anyone else it seems. We know she was named for "Helen's mother" but "Helen's mother" is another character whose name we never actually hear. I don't know why this bothered me so much, but it did. I guess we get to make up her name, and since we know it was Romanian, I choose Anca.

The epilogue was a little unsettling, and the final resolution of the story seems comical when I think about it now, but it was completely fitting and totally acceptable in the framework of the story. I did have to chuckle every time I read the phrase "evil librarian. Kostova has a lovely, almost Victorian style of writing. The book also scared me out of my wits at times. Loved it, despite all my above annoyances. View all 11 comments.

Recommended to Shovelmonkey1 by: I read this at work and one of the builders in the break room looked over the top of his copy of the Daily Star and asked if this was some sort of "how to" book he understood that I was an archaeologist and thus interpreted The Historian to be some sort of quick guide to well, being a historian. And I sighed my deepest sigh yet, as another tiny particle of my soul curled up, died and flaked off and floated away into the ether. Obviously if I was a vampire I wouldn't have to worry about the Hmmm. Obviously if I was a vampire I wouldn't have to worry about the condition of my soul because that would be long gone, along with worries about iron supplements and dental hygiene.

Maybe not a bad thing in the long run. So Vlad Tepes, Prince, Impaler and legendary ruler of Wallachia, not to mention possible embodiment of Bram Stoker's villainous Count Dracula is a living breathing actual person who has taken to sending out teasers in the form of esoteric historic folios in order to lure unto himself a librarian, historian or archivist for nefarious purposes related to archiving. As every goodreader knows, book collecting is an addiction and so imagine having over years in which to collect and hoard piles of papery goodness?

Vlad is not averse to snacking on his bibliophilic staff either and this got me to thinking The conclusions I have drawn are based largely upon my perceptions of what each job actually entails. Generally a little plump, well-fed, uses only the finest ingredients and are subtly flavoured after years of rubbing things in butter, slurping down sherry, red wine, bouille bases with herbs and shallots.

Lets face it these people are basically self basting here. The only potential downside might be the long term exposure to garlic. Perfectly honed in their well muscled meaty suits and filled with more vitamins and minerals than you can shake a stick at plus with the added bonus of always having their blood pumping extra loudly due to all the exertion so they're easy to find. Exposed neck area for easy biting. Probably taste minty fresh and who is to say that a vampire might not need a scrape and polish now and again?

However, I quite clearly digress. The Historian moves like a river, the edges first and last section swirl and spin and blood sucker you into a promising plot, however the centre has a sluggish meander where the waters get a little muddied. The story follows three generations of the same family and little by little their own history is shown to be interwoven with that of Vlad the Impalers. The narrative travels between Amsterdam, America, Oxford, France, Istanbul, Bulgaria and Romania so there are pleny of colourful scenery changes as the plot unfolds. I did enjoy this, all digression and prevarication aside and Elizabeth Kostova can write and is clearly an excellent historian in her own right, which is what pushed me on to the end without feeling the need to drive a stake through my own heart.

Well written, interesting perspective on Vlad the Impaler.