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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There's some great 4 or 5 star reviews been written about it here, with which I agree a lot. So there's nothing much for me to add to that.
This book was like a wonderful road trip in a way. It really took me travelling (and I'm this close to booking a ticket to Sofia...) and was one of those great reading experiences. A great long, rich and colourful book.
A little bit of a spoiler topic wise:
Alexandra may not be my favorite character, but she doesn't have to be. I do think, however, that she is a very well written character. Some of her "obsessions" are somewhat annoying, but she kept being interesting.
This book was like a wonderful road trip in a way. It really took me travelling (and I'm this close to booking a ticket to Sofia...) and was one of those great reading experiences. A great long, rich and colourful book.
A little bit of a spoiler topic wise:
Spoiler
Also, I did my thesis about Gulag literature, so I know a thing or two about this topic. And I must say that those parts of the book were done with an excellent sensitivity and intuition.Alexandra may not be my favorite character, but she doesn't have to be. I do think, however, that she is a very well written character. Some of her "obsessions" are somewhat annoying, but she kept being interesting.
Spoiler
And the very end... well, not my favorite part of the book, but you can't have everything. ;-)
emotional
medium-paced
Could have been shorter and was a bit predictable. Interesting to learn something about the history of Bulgaria.
My little Slavic heart wanted to like this but nope. The overarching story of Bulgaria's communist past and the horrors of the labour camps was fine if not run of the mill....however, the modern protagonist is an insufferable moron and the wild goose chase of a plot is unbelievable and tiresome.
Each time I picked up this book, I was instantly transported into a remarkable Eastern European world of mystery, danger, and strong interpersonal allegiances. Time flew by and I did NOT want this book to end, ever. It is well-researched, artfully crafted, and brilliantly constructed -- the work of a truly gifted writer.
In terms of plot summary, it's the story of an American woman, still filled with grief and guilt, even though it's been years since the death of her brother. Alexandra resolves to start over by leaving the United States to teach English in Bulgaria. But upon arrival an accidental encounter with strangers and a lost urn filled with ashes sweep her into a page-turning mystery that takes nearly 500 pages to resolve. Along the way, events slowly unravel the story of a gifted musician who gets caught up in the shadow camps where Bulgarian communists brutally punished Stalin-era dissidents alongside thousands of innocents.
But this extremely well-written book is so much richer in its exploration of profound human experiences. It shows how quickly connections can form between strangers. How deep loyalty can run in families. It's about the ways people are able to withstand despair and hopelessness, simply by drawing on their own considerable internal resources. And most of all, how powerful love can be - in all its forms. I found reading this book a truly exceptional experience.
In terms of plot summary, it's the story of an American woman, still filled with grief and guilt, even though it's been years since the death of her brother. Alexandra resolves to start over by leaving the United States to teach English in Bulgaria. But upon arrival an accidental encounter with strangers and a lost urn filled with ashes sweep her into a page-turning mystery that takes nearly 500 pages to resolve. Along the way, events slowly unravel the story of a gifted musician who gets caught up in the shadow camps where Bulgarian communists brutally punished Stalin-era dissidents alongside thousands of innocents.
But this extremely well-written book is so much richer in its exploration of profound human experiences. It shows how quickly connections can form between strangers. How deep loyalty can run in families. It's about the ways people are able to withstand despair and hopelessness, simply by drawing on their own considerable internal resources. And most of all, how powerful love can be - in all its forms. I found reading this book a truly exceptional experience.
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This one had me worried part way thtrough. Kostovas beautiful prose kept me reading. And Im glad.I did. Up until about 3/4 of the way through I felt like the stakes were not high enough to make this story work.
There was a little confusion (on my part) as to whether the story was taking place in the modern era or in 1949. I was expecting not to like this one (and The Historian is one of my favorite books). But
But the stakes are rasied to a level that was actually pretty satisfying.
Read for the prose alone.
I learned a lot about the history of Bulgaria — Kostova does a good job buidling her world.
And the intrigue at the end makes this well worth finishing.
There was a little confusion (on my part) as to whether the story was taking place in the modern era or in 1949. I was expecting not to like this one (and The Historian is one of my favorite books). But
But the stakes are rasied to a level that was actually pretty satisfying.
Read for the prose alone.
I learned a lot about the history of Bulgaria — Kostova does a good job buidling her world.
And the intrigue at the end makes this well worth finishing.
Every now and then, a reader is lucky enough to find just the right book for the right time in her life, and for reasons beyond even me, The Shadow Land was recently that book for me. An elegantly told tale about a young woman's quest for peace of mind after the death of her brother, The Shadow Land takes place in Bulgaria and follows Alexandra as she is swept into the lives of a Bulgarian family that is also in mourning.
With just enough political intrigue to keep the pages turning, Kostova flashes between the past and present to build a lovely novel about loss and grief and finding our way back into the arms of love again.
Highly recommended.
With just enough political intrigue to keep the pages turning, Kostova flashes between the past and present to build a lovely novel about loss and grief and finding our way back into the arms of love again.
Highly recommended.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I have loved Kostova's books since I picked up a copy of [b:The Historian|10692|The Historian|Elizabeth Kostova|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1338298031s/10692.jpg|3061272] in a bookstore in Hong Kong more than ten years ago. I also liked [b:The Swan Thieves|5983057|The Swan Thieves|Elizabeth Kostova|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1256542427s/5983057.jpg|6156487], so when I saw that she had published a new book, I preordered the Kindle version without even reading the description. I didn't know what to expect when I started reading The Shadow Land, but I finished reading it days ago and I'm still mulling it over, which to me is a sign of a great book. I'm not going to recap the story as there are other who have done that better than I would.
One of the things I loved most about The Historian was the deep sense of place I felt while reading it, and The Shadow Land has that same quality. I didn't realize until after reading it that Kostova is married to a Bulgarian and has lived there for years, but her depiction of the people and the country is beautifully nuanced. I didn't know much about Bulgarian history, or about 1950s Eastern Europe, most of my historical fiction favorites are set no later than World War II. I found the details about the Bulgarian (and by extension, Soviet) work camps fascinating, I had no idea that such things occurred after World War II.
One of the things I loved most about The Historian was the deep sense of place I felt while reading it, and The Shadow Land has that same quality. I didn't realize until after reading it that Kostova is married to a Bulgarian and has lived there for years, but her depiction of the people and the country is beautifully nuanced. I didn't know much about Bulgarian history, or about 1950s Eastern Europe, most of my historical fiction favorites are set no later than World War II. I found the details about the Bulgarian (and by extension, Soviet) work camps fascinating, I had no idea that such things occurred after World War II.