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melissabee 's review for:
The Shadow Land
by Elizabeth Kostova
I liked this book quite a lot, and was on my way to giving it a higher rating, until the dog died. And yes, that's a spoiler and I don't care. It's done in the cheapest way possible, to solve a dramatic problem in the book in a way that spares all the human characters, and no one in the book even seems to care that the dog died, even after taking him with them, feeding him, etc. Refrigerator dog. Sloppy plot line.
Otherwise, this book is a slow and rewarding build. Atmospheric to a fault- sometimes reads like a guidebook to Bulgaria- but beautiful and does make you feel "there." I didn't find the initial premise unbelievable- I spent a lot of time traveling alone in my 20s, and strange things happened all the time, both good and bad, and strangers went amazingly out of their way for me more than once. Besides, we learn eventually that Bobby has additional motivations. Stoyan's story is the most powerful part, naturally, and I thought the fragmented way it was presented was masterful.
But the end is a rushed, overly dramatic confrontation- this was the part that struck me as improbable. The villains would probably have had more effective and subtle ways of going about things. And it all feels pretty abrupt. And the dog dies.
Otherwise, this book is a slow and rewarding build. Atmospheric to a fault- sometimes reads like a guidebook to Bulgaria- but beautiful and does make you feel "there." I didn't find the initial premise unbelievable- I spent a lot of time traveling alone in my 20s, and strange things happened all the time, both good and bad, and strangers went amazingly out of their way for me more than once. Besides, we learn eventually that Bobby has additional motivations. Stoyan's story is the most powerful part, naturally, and I thought the fragmented way it was presented was masterful.
But the end is a rushed, overly dramatic confrontation- this was the part that struck me as improbable. The villains would probably have had more effective and subtle ways of going about things. And it all feels pretty abrupt. And the dog dies.