The Historian: The captivating international bestseller and Richard and Judy Book Club pick
Jun 2010 · Hachette UK
4.5star
71 reviewsreport
Ebook
720
Pages
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About this ebook
THE SUMPTUOUS INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER.
'A smart retelling of the Dracula story' New Yorker
'Quite extraordinary....Kostova is a natural storyteller....She has refashioned the vampire myth into a compelling contemporary novel, a late-night page-turner' - San Francisco Chronicle
Breathtakingly suspenseful and beautifully written, The Historian is the story of a young woman plunged into a labyrinth where the secrets of her family's past connect to an inconceivable evil: the dark fifteenth-century reign of Vlad the Impaler and a time-defying pact that may have kept his awful work alive through the ages. The search for the truth becomes an adventure of monumental proportions, taking us from monasteries and dusty libraries to the capitals of Eastern Europe-in a feat of storytelling so rich, so hypnotic, so exciting that it has enthralled readers around the world.
'Filled with fascinating details of archaic vampire lore, the splendours of the Ottoman Empire and the beauty of the Romanian countryside' - Times Literary Supplement
'A smart retelling of the Dracula story' New Yorker
'Quite extraordinary....Kostova is a natural storyteller....She has refashioned the vampire myth into a compelling contemporary novel, a late-night page-turner' - San Francisco Chronicle
Breathtakingly suspenseful and beautifully written, The Historian is the story of a young woman plunged into a labyrinth where the secrets of her family's past connect to an inconceivable evil: the dark fifteenth-century reign of Vlad the Impaler and a time-defying pact that may have kept his awful work alive through the ages. The search for the truth becomes an adventure of monumental proportions, taking us from monasteries and dusty libraries to the capitals of Eastern Europe-in a feat of storytelling so rich, so hypnotic, so exciting that it has enthralled readers around the world.
'Filled with fascinating details of archaic vampire lore, the splendours of the Ottoman Empire and the beauty of the Romanian countryside' - Times Literary Supplement
Ratings and reviews
4.5
71 reviews
Liani Nowell
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September 22, 2016
I have always been obsessed with the life and history of the terrible yet great Vlad Tepes! The way this novel was put together with the views from the different generations was incredible! The personal story interwoven was rich and personal. The history and detail of the landscapes of Wallacia and Budapest was accurate and wonderfully painted! Top 5 book for sure!
3 people found this review helpful
Paul Bates
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February 27, 2025
Frustratingly promises something but fails to deliver. Although it might have at the very end but I gave up with 100 pages to go. Which I think says it all.
Shakira Flores Heatley
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September 5, 2020
Enjoyed the book, but her description sections go on forever, and on this 4th read, it became really obvious that the writing is quite clunky and doesn't flow very well. Great story, but not an easy read.
1 person found this review helpful
About the author
Elizabeth Kostova graduated from Yale and holds an MFA from the University of Michigan, where she won the Hopwood Award for the Novel-in-Progress.
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