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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
Wow. I liked this one even more than the Historian. Ya know how you have those moments in your life where you seem to hear about something and then that's all you can hear about? That's how Stalin and his infamy and the spread of the evil have been for me...including this book.
But the best thing about her books, without question, is the endings. And I don't just mean where they leave you in the story. I mean, the whole last fourth or fifth of the book is so packed with revelations and twists and surprises that I cannot wait to finish! Of course, at the same time I am devastated when they end because they are so good!
Going to immediately find Swan Thieves, as I didn't know about it before!
But the best thing about her books, without question, is the endings. And I don't just mean where they leave you in the story. I mean, the whole last fourth or fifth of the book is so packed with revelations and twists and surprises that I cannot wait to finish! Of course, at the same time I am devastated when they end because they are so good!
Going to immediately find Swan Thieves, as I didn't know about it before!
I loved The Shadow Land. I think it might be one of my favourite books this year. I won an ARC of Elizabeth Kostova's latest novel from Goodreads, and I am so glad I did. Everything about the story drew me in. The misplaced ashes, of course, were a unique way to begin the story. Alexandra's determination was special. She was an amazing person. She was emotional, and had purpose. I loved how she felt about Bobby, about Neven, Stoyan, Jack, her parents. The trauma and guilt of Alexandra's childhood shaped her life, her goals, and led her to this place. Bulgaria. A country I do not know much about, but now I'd like to learn more. The Bulgarian perspective is not one I've read when it comes to World War II and what happened after the war. It was hard, scary and sad. People blaming other people, being punished for not doing anything wrong, or not agreeing with the new government. It seems like it was difficult to just live life. Alexandra learns about this country, about where she has decided to live for no greater reason than the memory of her brother.
As beautiful as the writing is and as interesting as the country is, it's the plot that moves the story forward. The urn and the mystery that unravels is unique and unexpected. Alexandra is just trying to return someone's precious property and she gets sucked into this incredible tale, along with an unsuspecting taxi driver, who has secrets of his own. I really enjoyed the duality of the plot, Alexandra's story, moving along with Stoyan's. Stoyan's story was simple, but extremely emotional, Alexandra's story was also emotional, but more complex.
I love a good ending and the end of The Shadow Land was wonderful. I loved how the stories met, how they came full circle. I loved the discoveries, the drama, the unexpected. The tension was fantastic, I was scared for Irina and Lenka. I really enjoyed the quieter chapters after the climax. I like that we got a hint as to what the future might hold for the main characters. I loved the friendships that developed through this story, across generations.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Shadow Land, loving it more than I thought I would. It was brilliant and beautiful. It captured the imagination. It didn't let me go until the end.
As beautiful as the writing is and as interesting as the country is, it's the plot that moves the story forward. The urn and the mystery that unravels is unique and unexpected. Alexandra is just trying to return someone's precious property and she gets sucked into this incredible tale, along with an unsuspecting taxi driver, who has secrets of his own. I really enjoyed the duality of the plot, Alexandra's story, moving along with Stoyan's. Stoyan's story was simple, but extremely emotional, Alexandra's story was also emotional, but more complex.
I love a good ending and the end of The Shadow Land was wonderful. I loved how the stories met, how they came full circle. I loved the discoveries, the drama, the unexpected. The tension was fantastic, I was scared for Irina and Lenka. I really enjoyed the quieter chapters after the climax. I like that we got a hint as to what the future might hold for the main characters. I loved the friendships that developed through this story, across generations.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Shadow Land, loving it more than I thought I would. It was brilliant and beautiful. It captured the imagination. It didn't let me go until the end.
As I am fond of Kostova’s writing style in The Historian, I knew it’d be likely I’d also enjoy reading this novel. At first I was drawn into the story because the plot line was so mysterious and then I explained it out loud to somebody. It’s very unrealistic. A young woman travels to Eastern Europe, doesn’t know the language, but suddenly trusts the first people she encounters? Highly unlikely; however, to delve into the story this is a detail that has to be accepted. Once I got past this, I was able to be truly captivated by Bulgaria and its history. Having Stoyan’s story interwoven into the chapters and being told in first person was a necessity to capture the right emotions. As I started to piece together the mystery, it was heartbreaking. I liked the slightly magical moments Kostova fabricated in her characters’ dreams. They were never directly addressed as they were better off left unexplained. Besides the unrealistic start, the only other reason I do not give this five stars is because of Alexandra’s back story with her brother. I understand that her brother is representing the unforgivingness of the mountains and the empathy that Alexandra is able to build with other characters, yet Jack’s story disappears throughout most of the novel just to pop up again when Alexandra cries. I feel this really did not contribute much at all to the real plot. I already know a couple people I’ll recommend this novel to but it’s definitely not for those who need to have all details explained in the end.
This is the third book that I have read by Elizabeth Kostova, all have been completely different but the one thing that connects them for me is the great writing. The Shadow Land is set in Bulgaria and I was fascinated to learn a little of that country's culture, politics and history. The story itself is interesting and is rich in interpersonal relationships and colour. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
adventurous
dark
hopeful
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book really hit its stride with Stoyan's prison camp narrative. Those sections could have been a novel unto themselves.
Kostova is a wonderful writer. I loved The Historian and loved the prose and the gravity of her writing in The Shadow Land, as well. However, the pace just plodded along for me. I found myself checking for how many pages I had left multiple times. It could have been 100 pages shorter and still workable. One of the threads that I think could have either been lengthened or cut was about Alexandra's brother, Jack, We got an extended flashback to her life with him and then it just ends. Her parents fall out of the picture and then it's just Alexandra alone in Bulgaria on the adventure of a lifetime. The attention paid to that part of her life felt uneven given the attention it didn't receive. I don't know. I am torn on this book. I want to love it, but I also needed it to move much faster. The writing felt like we were moving toward something bigger, but then we never did.
DNF. I absolutely loved Swan Thieves but I just could not get into this book. After a hundred pages it just became too tedious to even finish.
Half ok, half great novel explores a difficult time in Bulgaria's history. Alexandra is an American abroad who takes a job teaching in Bulgaria because her late brother loved the idea of the country. She is not over her brother's death, which she feels responsible for. Which will you know because it brought up often.
So, by an accident of coincidence, she ends up in the possession of an urn containing the remains of a Bulgarian violinist. With the help of a (no joke) taxi driver/ex-detective/activist/poet, she tracks down the violinists relatives and in the process finds out about his life and the difficulties of living in Communist Bulgaria. Also, people are after her and the multi-talented cabbie because of said urn.
It's fascinating how Kostova's writing could be so dull and stilted in the contemporary part of the book and so vibrant in the historical part. It's as if she was really only interested in the past but decided, for some reason, that audiences needed some sort of gateway to it. Anyway the book is twice as long as it should be and would have been much better if it just focused on the violinist's ordeal and not the people who are carting around his ashes
So, by an accident of coincidence, she ends up in the possession of an urn containing the remains of a Bulgarian violinist. With the help of a (no joke) taxi driver/ex-detective/activist/poet, she tracks down the violinists relatives and in the process finds out about his life and the difficulties of living in Communist Bulgaria. Also, people are after her and the multi-talented cabbie because of said urn.
It's fascinating how Kostova's writing could be so dull and stilted in the contemporary part of the book and so vibrant in the historical part. It's as if she was really only interested in the past but decided, for some reason, that audiences needed some sort of gateway to it. Anyway the book is twice as long as it should be and would have been much better if it just focused on the violinist's ordeal and not the people who are carting around his ashes
Long stretches of pages that felt disconnected throughout but it all pulls together to create a wonderful story so detailed you'd expect it to be a biography.