You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
Historical non-fiction and fiction are two of my go-to genres, and this book’s plot was so promising that I was excited to start it. But I can’t even finish it.
Not only is the wild goose chase that Alexandra and Bobby inexplicably undertake eye-roll inducing, but — as several other reviewers pointed out — the novel is way too wordy. At times it felt like the writer was more interested in developing pretty sentences than telling a compelling story, and the whole thing came off as pretentious. I tried to power through, but after Bobby’s “big reveal” at his aunt’s house, I gave up. It was just way too corny. (I officially called it quits about 10 pages into part two.)
I hear that the book gets better once it focuses on the musician’s story, but I’m shelving it, anyway — and I almost never abandon books I’ve started. The plot was so promising; unfortunately, the writing is poorly executed and I’m not interested in finishing the novel.
Not only is the wild goose chase that Alexandra and Bobby inexplicably undertake eye-roll inducing, but — as several other reviewers pointed out — the novel is way too wordy. At times it felt like the writer was more interested in developing pretty sentences than telling a compelling story, and the whole thing came off as pretentious. I tried to power through, but after Bobby’s “big reveal” at his aunt’s house, I gave up. It was just way too corny. (I officially called it quits about 10 pages into part two.)
I hear that the book gets better once it focuses on the musician’s story, but I’m shelving it, anyway — and I almost never abandon books I’ve started. The plot was so promising; unfortunately, the writing is poorly executed and I’m not interested in finishing the novel.
What is beautiful about this book are the descriptions of Bulgarian cities and landscapes, and learning something of recent Bulgarian history. Also, the character of Stoyan Lazarov: he is beautiful and real and very human.
But I did not enjoy reading this, and found almost everything else underdeveloped or hollow. The pacing unfolds painstakingly and then ends in a jumbled rush all at once. The motivations of the contemporary characters and their connections to each other make no sense at all. The jumping back and forth in time and place is confusing and feels disjointed, like the author wrote several stories separately and then tried to blend them into one novel with some too-convenient serendipities.
Not really recommended, although the descriptions of Sofia and mountain town Gorno make me want to visit Bulgaria one day and see the cities and countryside myself.
But I did not enjoy reading this, and found almost everything else underdeveloped or hollow. The pacing unfolds painstakingly and then ends in a jumbled rush all at once. The motivations of the contemporary characters and their connections to each other make no sense at all. The jumping back and forth in time and place is confusing and feels disjointed, like the author wrote several stories separately and then tried to blend them into one novel with some too-convenient serendipities.
Not really recommended, although the descriptions of Sofia and mountain town Gorno make me want to visit Bulgaria one day and see the cities and countryside myself.
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I liked this story, and appreciate the author's efforts to personalise some parts of recent history that are so removed from my own experiences, as this is the best way for me to truly learn about historical events.
I did feel that some parts of the plot were a tad convoluted and for me they telegraphed the ending ~twists~ fairly clearly. I note this mainly as a person who almost never picks an ending's twist.
I did feel that some parts of the plot were a tad convoluted and for me they telegraphed the ending ~twists~ fairly clearly. I note this mainly as a person who almost never picks an ending's twist.
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Kept having the thought that this novel started out as one thing and morphed into something else. Lots of loss and sadness. Unfulfilled dreams and death. Throw in some bad guys chasing you trying to get their hands on an urn because—why? I won’t reveal the answer here but it just didn’t feel momentous enough to warrant all the driving around and “suspense.” Enjoyed “The Historian” much more than this one.
Luche con esta historia.
Sobre descriptiva y repetitiva, la monotonía de la historia no me permitió conectar con esta o disfrutarla.
Creo que la historia pudo ser mejor con menos palabras y menos sentimentalismo.
Sobre descriptiva y repetitiva, la monotonía de la historia no me permitió conectar con esta o disfrutarla.
Creo que la historia pudo ser mejor con menos palabras y menos sentimentalismo.