The Historian (Heather Potter)

The Historian, Elizabeth Kostova, 676 pages

My brother gave me the book to read
Summary:
It begins rather dull with a obedient 16 year old girl who excels in her academics, doesn't have much of a social life, yet enjoys the solitude. Her social life is nearly non-existent and her father is constantly gone on long trips. While he's away she goes into his library, where she normally does her homework while he's away, and reaches for a book on the top shelf. This is where she first bumps into the mystery that unravels in the book. The letter she discovers is addressed to the unfortunate successor. Within this letter and further research she discovers where her father really goes in his spare time and how her mother truly died. It is a dark story that has flash backs to fifteenth century Europe during the reign Vlad Tepes, the man who the story of Dracula is based off of. Many lies unravel throughout the book and secrets she discovers.
The audience is for those who enjoy an exciting tale with a taste of history and the feel of ancient world of conspiracies. If you can hold out through a long book with many climax's than this is for you.
Kostova's style varies throughout each chapter. That's what makes it so interesting and fun to read. She enjoys throwing the reader off on bizarre hunts for answers. It is also quite similar to Libba Bray's (A Great and Terrible Beauty, Rebel Angels, etc.) style of writing; it has the same tone and feeling. She's a bit more descriptive.
Passages:"Human history is full of evil deeds, and maybe we ought to think of them with tears, not fascination." (35) History repeats itself, its sad to see that we might never learn from the evil of others and as people we might just live on like this forever."Those eyes, with their combined mildness and wariness, had something of the animal in them, too. His teeth were yellow and crooked, and one of them, in the front, was covered in gold. But they were all there, and his face was startling when he smiled, as if a wild animal had suddenly formed a human expression. It was a wonderful face, a face that in its youth must have had an unusual radiance.."I love her description! She really brings a character to life when first describing them. She never over does herself. She will give a vivid physical description while filling the reader in on the characters personality slowly.
My Relationship:I just grabbed the book because it was long, I heard it was decent, and I had nothing else I felt interested in reading at the time. I'm glad I read it despite what it was about. Though I enjoyed it, I was hesitant on writing about it for school. The pages sometimes seem to last forever but they never lack an interesting detail. It's very interesting.