Elizabeth Kostova: The Historian

This was a recommendation form a very well and widely-read friend and it was one of the best such recommendations that I have ever had. You would not know it from the title but it is a re-working/a re-visiting/a development of the Dracula story. Now this books/character has alwasy been apassionate favourite of mine. In virtually any iteration or form I have found it riveting, sexy, thrilling, poignant, powerful. In the best versions it is all of these (like the recent BBC version) but this is equally powerful -and original.

There is tremendous narrative drive and although a long book, it is utterly gripping. There is a wonderful evoking of the area and different times and now, living where I do, I may very well thoroughly revisit it (ie re-read).

It is one of those rare books that is a superb piece of fiction and yet also a wonderful ‘beach read’ as much for its immediate appeal and the aforementioend narative drive. the old cliche of something being a page-turner is more than true here.