Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
4.5 stars. I really, really enjoyed this book. I don't know that I've ever read anything set in Bulgaria, but I'm so glad I read this one.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Scrappymags 3-word review: I got bored.
Shortest summary ever: Alexandra arrives in Bulgaria to engage in touristy fun travel before starting a job teaching English. She wanders into the city, aids a woman who almost falls and winds up with someone’s cremation ashes. This leads her to befriend her cabbie – Bobby, who speaks remarkable English, and they embark on a back and forth across the country adventure searching for the people who lost the ashes, falling into a strange mystery along the way.
What’s good under the hood: First you should know this is my favorite genre – historical fiction mysteries. Give me these any day and I’ll roll in them like a happy beagle in a pile of good smelling garbage (maybe that’s just my beagle?). Expectations high. I loved the descriptions of Bulgaria. I’m not opposed to longer, narrative descriptions when done well (Just don’t go all Michener on my ass). I even looked up the locales on the map, so that’s a plus in the “piqued my interest” category. I enjoyed looking at pics of Bulgaria and obtaining the “feel” Alexandra must have felt for the country. Beautiful. Kostova is wonderfully talented at this writing and I 5-starred her previous novel The Historian because I thought it was a perfect balance of accurate, vivid description and engaging mystery. The Shadow Land fell short of that expectation. The mystery aspect was clunky and lacking interest (from me). I stopped caring (not a good sign). The story flips point of view and setting (time and place) so multiple narratives are presented. The ashes of Stoyan Lazarov turn into the most interesting part – his story. What he endured, and that historical fiction is what I love and Kostova does well, but the awkward, muddled mystery aspect with Alexandra and Bobby’s adventure turned me off.
What’s bad or made me mad: 1. The premise from the start isn’t believable. A single female, 20’s is
going to befriend a cabbie and then take off with him in a country where she knows no one (including how to speak the language) to return ashes? That’s the beginning. I can suspend disbelief, so I accepted this early on.
2. However, the sub-storyline of how Alexandra lost her brother didn’t make much sense (not a spoiler!!!) It explains what she’s doing in Bulgaria, but an explanation isn’t needed, and the development of that story didn’t happen for me. I wanted to answer the question, “Why am I hearing about this dead brother?” and never felt a satisfactory answer. It didn’t parallel anything. Wasn’t a metaphor, that I could detect, so I felt that sub-story wasn’t needed. Maybe a red herring? Regardless, I felt it unnecessary. 3. The back-and-forth across the country. Oy. I wound up feeling like “ENOUGH.” Going back to places they already were. I wanted to flip ahead. I was bored. Really bored.
Recommend to:
* Those who love historical fiction/mystery like me SHOULD give this a go. Honestly, I often love books others despise and vice versa, so you’ll have to give it a go to see for yourself.
* Anyone interested in Bulgarian tourism. Seriously – if you are like me and love to hear descriptions of places, etc. and then find yourself Googling them. This is for you.
Do Not Recommend to:
* Anyone who wants a “quick and easy” book. This ain’t the one, hon.
* Anyone who isn’t interested in a generally sad book. Not cheery.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. Still love you, just not this book.
Shortest summary ever: Alexandra arrives in Bulgaria to engage in touristy fun travel before starting a job teaching English. She wanders into the city, aids a woman who almost falls and winds up with someone’s cremation ashes. This leads her to befriend her cabbie – Bobby, who speaks remarkable English, and they embark on a back and forth across the country adventure searching for the people who lost the ashes, falling into a strange mystery along the way.
What’s good under the hood: First you should know this is my favorite genre – historical fiction mysteries. Give me these any day and I’ll roll in them like a happy beagle in a pile of good smelling garbage (maybe that’s just my beagle?). Expectations high. I loved the descriptions of Bulgaria. I’m not opposed to longer, narrative descriptions when done well (Just don’t go all Michener on my ass). I even looked up the locales on the map, so that’s a plus in the “piqued my interest” category. I enjoyed looking at pics of Bulgaria and obtaining the “feel” Alexandra must have felt for the country. Beautiful. Kostova is wonderfully talented at this writing and I 5-starred her previous novel The Historian because I thought it was a perfect balance of accurate, vivid description and engaging mystery. The Shadow Land fell short of that expectation. The mystery aspect was clunky and lacking interest (from me). I stopped caring (not a good sign). The story flips point of view and setting (time and place) so multiple narratives are presented. The ashes of Stoyan Lazarov turn into the most interesting part – his story. What he endured, and that historical fiction is what I love and Kostova does well, but the awkward, muddled mystery aspect with Alexandra and Bobby’s adventure turned me off.
What’s bad or made me mad: 1. The premise from the start isn’t believable. A single female, 20’s is
going to befriend a cabbie and then take off with him in a country where she knows no one (including how to speak the language) to return ashes? That’s the beginning. I can suspend disbelief, so I accepted this early on.
2. However, the sub-storyline of how Alexandra lost her brother didn’t make much sense (not a spoiler!!!) It explains what she’s doing in Bulgaria, but an explanation isn’t needed, and the development of that story didn’t happen for me. I wanted to answer the question, “Why am I hearing about this dead brother?” and never felt a satisfactory answer. It didn’t parallel anything. Wasn’t a metaphor, that I could detect, so I felt that sub-story wasn’t needed. Maybe a red herring? Regardless, I felt it unnecessary. 3. The back-and-forth across the country. Oy. I wound up feeling like “ENOUGH.” Going back to places they already were. I wanted to flip ahead. I was bored. Really bored.
Recommend to:
* Those who love historical fiction/mystery like me SHOULD give this a go. Honestly, I often love books others despise and vice versa, so you’ll have to give it a go to see for yourself.
* Anyone interested in Bulgarian tourism. Seriously – if you are like me and love to hear descriptions of places, etc. and then find yourself Googling them. This is for you.
Do Not Recommend to:
* Anyone who wants a “quick and easy” book. This ain’t the one, hon.
* Anyone who isn’t interested in a generally sad book. Not cheery.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. Still love you, just not this book.
Why does no one answer their phone!? That was the most frustrating thing about this book. I enjoyed reading a part of history that is rarely spoken of, but the modern part of the story was too meandering.
Reseña de nuestro blog: https://thebookslayers.home.blog
En este libro seguimos a Alexandra Boyd, una joven estadounidense que viaja a Bulgaria para trabajar como profesora. Pero nada más llegar, al ir a coger un taxi para ir a su hotel, se cruza con una mujer y un hombre. Tras ayudarlos, descubre que por error se ha quedado con una de sus bolsas, donde descubre las cenizas de un tal Stoyan Lazarov.
En su intento de encontrar a la familia del difunto, conoce a Bobby, un taxista que la acompaña y aconseja en esta aventura. Poco a poco, mientras recorren juntos los pueblos de Bulgaria y nos muestran sus costumbres, empiezan a descubrir la historia de Stoyan Lazarov. Y es que sus restos y todo lo que descubren sobre él, está estrechamente relacionado con la actualidad del país.
Alexandra y Bobby se ven recorriendo Bulgaria para encontrar cuanto antes a la familia de Stoyan mientras alguien les persigue, quizás con la meta de matarles.
Me han gustado tanto la historia como los personajes, sobre todo Bobby, que tenía algo que me hacía reír mucho y con el que enseguida me encariñé. Pero hay una cosa que no me quedó clara. Al principio del libro, nos enteramos de como el hermano de Alexandra desapareció hace muchos años y no se volvió a saber nada de él. Y durante todo el libro me daba la impresión de que iban a reencontrarse en Bulgaria, pero al final no pasó nada. Me dejó un poco desorientada que le dieran tanta importancia para luego no introducirlo en la historia.
En general ha sido un libro muy interesante, que mezcla la ficción de la historia con la realidad de los sitios y costumbres del país. Le tengo un cariño especial a Bulgaria, así que me hizo mucha ilusión leer un libro que lo tuviera de protagonista.
-Ali
En este libro seguimos a Alexandra Boyd, una joven estadounidense que viaja a Bulgaria para trabajar como profesora. Pero nada más llegar, al ir a coger un taxi para ir a su hotel, se cruza con una mujer y un hombre. Tras ayudarlos, descubre que por error se ha quedado con una de sus bolsas, donde descubre las cenizas de un tal Stoyan Lazarov.
En su intento de encontrar a la familia del difunto, conoce a Bobby, un taxista que la acompaña y aconseja en esta aventura. Poco a poco, mientras recorren juntos los pueblos de Bulgaria y nos muestran sus costumbres, empiezan a descubrir la historia de Stoyan Lazarov. Y es que sus restos y todo lo que descubren sobre él, está estrechamente relacionado con la actualidad del país.
Alexandra y Bobby se ven recorriendo Bulgaria para encontrar cuanto antes a la familia de Stoyan mientras alguien les persigue, quizás con la meta de matarles.
Me han gustado tanto la historia como los personajes, sobre todo Bobby, que tenía algo que me hacía reír mucho y con el que enseguida me encariñé. Pero hay una cosa que no me quedó clara. Al principio del libro, nos enteramos de como el hermano de Alexandra desapareció hace muchos años y no se volvió a saber nada de él. Y durante todo el libro me daba la impresión de que iban a reencontrarse en Bulgaria, pero al final no pasó nada. Me dejó un poco desorientada que le dieran tanta importancia para luego no introducirlo en la historia.
En general ha sido un libro muy interesante, que mezcla la ficción de la historia con la realidad de los sitios y costumbres del país. Le tengo un cariño especial a Bulgaria, así que me hizo mucha ilusión leer un libro que lo tuviera de protagonista.
-Ali
This moving historical fiction novel illuminates a place and time with which I’m largely unfamiliar: Bulgaria of 2008 and the years immediately following WWII.
In 2008 Alexandra Boyd arrives in Bulgaria and mistakenly ends up with a case holding someone’s ashes. She and her taxi driver Bobby travel across Bulgaria to locate the family whose case and family remains she accidentally took. Along the way she learns the story of Stoyan, a magnificent violinist who died two years before, and his family, and she and Bobby must escape the mysterious person(s) following and threatening them.
Told from a number of perspectives, tenses, and mediums, Elizabeth Kostova’s Shadow Land offers a unique glimpse into Bulgaria’s tumultuous political history and an emotional consideration—indirectly—of storytelling, human decency, and connection. The relationship between Alexandra and her taxi driver Bobby is particularly lovely as they forge a bond based on someone’s secrets and eventually, their own.
But this cross-Bulgaria novel has some pacing issues for me. The book opens a little slowly, and while I enjoy the parts about Alexandra’s past, specifically the revelations regarding her brother, I wonder if those could have been more smoothly integrated into the story, perhaps through dialogue with Bobby. Also, the monastery incident felt a little odd to me overall, especially as I was reading it.
As more secrets about Stoyan are revealed, the book picks up pace and I became more invested in the story. The passages which focus intimately on Stoyan’s past, as told through his voice, are particularly heartrending. Less moving for me are the 2008 passages which use a distanced narrative voice to describe Alexandra.
There are parts of Shadow Land that I loved but on the whole my experience was a little unbalanced. I’m grateful for the chance to have read this stirring novel.
Thanks to Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.
In 2008 Alexandra Boyd arrives in Bulgaria and mistakenly ends up with a case holding someone’s ashes. She and her taxi driver Bobby travel across Bulgaria to locate the family whose case and family remains she accidentally took. Along the way she learns the story of Stoyan, a magnificent violinist who died two years before, and his family, and she and Bobby must escape the mysterious person(s) following and threatening them.
Told from a number of perspectives, tenses, and mediums, Elizabeth Kostova’s Shadow Land offers a unique glimpse into Bulgaria’s tumultuous political history and an emotional consideration—indirectly—of storytelling, human decency, and connection. The relationship between Alexandra and her taxi driver Bobby is particularly lovely as they forge a bond based on someone’s secrets and eventually, their own.
But this cross-Bulgaria novel has some pacing issues for me. The book opens a little slowly, and while I enjoy the parts about Alexandra’s past, specifically the revelations regarding her brother, I wonder if those could have been more smoothly integrated into the story, perhaps through dialogue with Bobby. Also, the monastery incident felt a little odd to me overall, especially as I was reading it.
As more secrets about Stoyan are revealed, the book picks up pace and I became more invested in the story. The passages which focus intimately on Stoyan’s past, as told through his voice, are particularly heartrending. Less moving for me are the 2008 passages which use a distanced narrative voice to describe Alexandra.
There are parts of Shadow Land that I loved but on the whole my experience was a little unbalanced. I’m grateful for the chance to have read this stirring novel.
Thanks to Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.
The first half gets two stars, the second half gets three. Kostova’s Historian is one of my favorite books but this one lacked a cohesive plot and interesting characters.
I have had Elizabeth Kostova’s debut novel The Historian sitting on my To Read shelf for some time so while I recognized her name when her upcoming The Shadow Land came up in my possible preview pile, I hadn’t actually read her work before. The Shadow Land also fell into my recent inclination towards historic fiction that explores the nations of Europe in the aftermath of World War II so I jumped to preview it. Though it proved for me to be slow reading, the depiction of life behind the Iron Curtain in the 1950s is a harsh one that the area struggles to deal with even in the decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Alexandra Boyd decided she needed a change so she signed up to teach English in Bulgaria but before she can even reach her hostel and start to settle in, things begin to go wrong. Assisting a middle-aged man and his elderly parents into a taxi, Alexandra soon discovers that one of their bags has gotten mixed in with her own. Containing the ashes of someone obviously dear to them, she sets about trying to find them again so she can return the urn and apologize for the mix-up. Her taxi driver, Asparuh who tells her to call him Bobby, offers to help her in her efforts to track the family down. Receiving an address from the police, Alexandra insists on returning the remains personally. As she and Bobby follow a trail of breadcrumbs, it becomes clear there’s more to the story of the man in the urn and his family than they realized.
For the full review, please visit my blog:
http://wp.me/pUEx4-Nh
Alexandra Boyd decided she needed a change so she signed up to teach English in Bulgaria but before she can even reach her hostel and start to settle in, things begin to go wrong. Assisting a middle-aged man and his elderly parents into a taxi, Alexandra soon discovers that one of their bags has gotten mixed in with her own. Containing the ashes of someone obviously dear to them, she sets about trying to find them again so she can return the urn and apologize for the mix-up. Her taxi driver, Asparuh who tells her to call him Bobby, offers to help her in her efforts to track the family down. Receiving an address from the police, Alexandra insists on returning the remains personally. As she and Bobby follow a trail of breadcrumbs, it becomes clear there’s more to the story of the man in the urn and his family than they realized.
For the full review, please visit my blog:
http://wp.me/pUEx4-Nh