3.5*

Years back I had read Kostova's famous first novel - The Historian - a Dracula spin-off of sorts. I had greatly enjoyed it, even though, compared to the OTT breathtaking storytelling of the original, it moved at a leisurely pace. What has remained with me through this time are not details of plot but, rather, impressions of poetic descriptions, lovingly evocative of the mysteries of the Eastern European setting. 

This characteristic resurfaces in Kostova's latest offering, "The Shadow Land". It starts with a young American woman, Alexandra Boyd, arriving in Bulgaria, ostensibly to take up a teaching post. In reality, she has a personal reason for settling in this country - she wishes to fulfil a childhood wish of her brother, who had gone missing on a mountain trip and never returned. Through a series of coincidences, she ends up carrying an urn containing the ashes of one Stoyan Lazarov and spends the rest of the novel trying to give it back to his family, teaming up with a taxi-driver who turns out to be a poet and political activist. Eventually we learn that Lazarov was a gifted violinist and an unlikely dissident under Communist rule. And that his harrowing story could have echoes in the present...

Devoid of the Gothic and supernatural aspects which had given "The Historian" a particular twist, this novel gets off to a slow start, and (at least for me), it never really became a page-turner, even though it is, in its own way, a political thriller. At first I also felt that it was rather over-written - we get a description of the clothes of every new character and facts about Bulgaria are given to us in a style which is redolent of a tourist guide. It is, however, a novel which grows on you and I liked it much better as it progressed. I felt that it was at its best in the "historical" chapters containing Lazarov's. As a musician myself, I particularly appreciated the way musical works were described - it's never easy to convey the effects music has on its performers and listeners but Kostova manages to express the wonder and the healing power of music. This alone is enough to make the novel worth reading.

The language in this book is beautiful, mesmerising and detailed. If you wish to get lost in the wonder of Bulgaria, then this is the closest you'll get to the experience of being there without actually going. It made me want to pack bag and head off into the unknown, to feel that sense of trepidation and excitement that only happens when you go to a place you've never been before and don't speak the language. 

But...that's where the talent lies in this book. The words are perfectly crafted and evocative, but they have no real meaning as a function of the overall narrative. Unless you consider again the value of the language, so much of it is unnecessary. The plot never finds itself, it has wandered so far from the path that the reader feels adrift. Those intrepid ones who stick it out till the end are far from rewarded, it further stretched the boundaries of belief. 


ARC via Netgalley

Overall I enjoyed the book, but there were some things that I wasn't craxy about.  I found the way the narrative switched from third to first person a little jarring, it was hard to get a good rhythm.  I liked the characters and the setting.  I knew nothing about Bulgaria before so it was a refreshing change of pace.  A little slow at times, but overall it was an intriguing read.

This was an intense yet beautifully written story that completely immerses the reader into the culture and history of Bulgaria, a country healing from the oppression of Communism.

It all begins with a simple mistake that occurs out of a small act of kindness. To rectify the mistake, our main character, Alexandra embarks on a journey across the country with her newfound companion, Bobby. They find themselves right in the middle of a mystery that involves the tragic story of a young musician and Communist labor camp survivor, Stoyan Lazarov. It was a sad but fascinating tale since I was not aware that these horrific camps had even existed. 

This isn’t a face paced story but one that needs to be savored. The characters and settings come to life with the lush descriptions and skilled writing. You can tell the author did extensive research both on Bulgaria and on the music that Stoyan plays and speaks of throughout the story. All the writing pertaining to the music was a joy to read. My only disappointment was with the end – it felt a little forced. But I thoroughly enjoyed this unusual adventure across Bulgaria and felt like I learned about an important piece of history. 4.5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy and the opportunity to read and review this book.

I received a copy of The Shadow Land from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

2.5

I really wanted to like this one but I struggled with it from almost the beginning. I love historical fiction and I especially love it when there are parallel past and present stories being told. I should have known, however, that it might not work for me as reviews of Elizabeth Kostova’s other novels run the gamut from superb to long and boring.

Unfortunately, in this case, The Shadow Land is slow and very wordy. Her writing, when it is not overly descriptive and repetitive, is lovely but there are so many instances where an editor could have gone in and easily slimmed things down. I think the biggest issue for me is the modern day portion of the story. It is so monotonous and exasperating at times. The past story is more interesting but I found navigating through the present narrative turned me off the book.

The present account follows Alexandra Boyd who has come to Sofia, Bulgaria, for a position teaching English. After an interesting chance meeting with an elderly man and woman and the younger man accompanying them, she gets a taxi to take her to her hostel. On the way, she discovers she has accidentally picked up one of their bags and, when she opens it, she discovers an urn full of ashes inside. The only clue she has is an engraving: Stoyan Lazarov. She asks the taxi driver to take her to the police but instead of leaving the bag and urn with them, she decides to take them with her and try to find the owners. The taxi driver, a man named Bobby, agrees to drive her to the monastery that the younger man had mentioned they planned to visit. The trio is not there and they do not appear to have been there and this begins Alexandra’s countryside tour of Bulgaria with a complete stranger.

This is where I started to tune out. I found her need to scour the Bulgarian countryside for the owners of the urn to be an odd choice (supposedly partially motivated by her guilt over her brother’s disappearance when they were kids). Sure, she feels bad about picking up the bag but she’s never been to this country before and she doesn’t even speak the language. Bobby is oddly accommodating in her need to traipse around Bulgaria. They begin at an address provided by a policeman as a possible starting point for them to find information on the trio. After they visit that address, they ping all over the countryside, visiting various people who relate the sad tale of Stoyan Lazarov, a violinist. Lazarov’s tale is harsh, illustrating the horrors and violence of the past and the political unrest of the time - the effects of which are still felt in the modern story.

But it just drags. There was a time I devoured big, fat historical novels but maybe I’ve grown impatient with overly wordy writing. I felt like there was a lot that could have been removed and it would not have affected the plot. Another thing that really bugs me is the tenses. The book starts with Alexandra’s third person POV. Then the book rolls back to over a decade ago when her brother disappeared and, all of sudden, it is in Alexandra’s first person POV. With the past sections concerning Stoyan Lazarov, they are related in third person and at some point switch to Lazarov’s first person POV. It’s very confusing and inconsistent.

I also think I was maybe mislead, or read too much into, the book description. It made me believe it would be on the suspenseful side but there was no suspense, just some major doses of corruption. The Shadow Land is definitely a miss for me which is disappointing as I was really looking forward to getting lost in this story, instead I just wanted to get away from it.

4.5/5  This is a beautifully written story about a journey to return a lost item to those who lost it, with lots of twists and turns along the way. There were times when I think the pacing could have been tightened up a bit to create better tension, but ultimately I enjoyed all of the characters and stops they made along their epic adventure.

'll start my saying I was a huge fan of the Historian. Kostova's writing has so much depth, full of so much description and substance. I'll admit the synopsis draw me in because it didn't give me enough details. I truly feel I went into this not knowing at all what this novel was going to be about however I feel it reads well that way. 
Be prepared to learn lots about Bulgaria's dark history as Alexandra's journeys to makes amends with her beloved brother's death and to hopefully heal here emotional scars.
This is a lengthy novel but definitely worth it. 
Thank you to Text Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a wonderful mystery that was surprisingly dense in history.  I felt a true sense of awe in the depth and breadth of historical subplot.  There are many who understand little of what happened when the Iron Curtain descended on Eastern Europe.  This novel is a touching and beautiful tribute to the not so distant past that still haunts former communist countries.

I'm a very big fan of Kostova and have been eagerly awaiting her next book for ages. As usual, it was incredibly well researched and beautifully written. I do think it took a little too long for the plot to pick up, but once it did, it was well worth the wait. I thought the ending could have been fleshed out a little more, but overall it was great. The descriptions of the scenery were beautiful and the characters were very likable.

*I received this book from NetGalley/Ballantine Books in exchange for an honest review*

It was alright, but I still do not think I have ever read a book that went absolutely nowhere in so many pages as this one did.

For those who don’t already know, The Shadow Land follows Alexandra Boyd, a woman recently out of college (I think) and Bobby, a taxi driver, as they traipse around Bulgaria trying to find the owner of an urn that Alexandra (accidentally) stole. Okay, sounds like an interesting premise. But then there’s the actual execution of this premise. And man, was this book DRY. I really expected more from the author of such a fantastic novel as The Historian. The characters were incredibly boring for the most part, and the plot was almost nonexistent in the beginning 150 or so pages to the point where I felt as though the author was dragging me, dead-weight, through the book.

But then, Stoyan’s narrative kicked in. The three stars that I gave this book are 100% because of these parts of the book, since the various flashbacks to Stoyan’s life as well as the plots revolving around him are the only components of this book worth reading. In fact, I almost put the book down before I started reading about Stoyan, and I realize now that I would have been incredibly sorry if I had done so. His story was well-written, suspenseful, and most of all, imaginative. Whenever Stoyan’s story picked up, I stopped checking the percent-completed signature at the bottom of my screen and paid attention. And then, the modern-day storyline started to come together too! 

But ideally, I would not have wanted to wait 400/500 pages into The Shadow Land to start appreciating it. So if you want to take your chances with this book, go ahead. Stoyan will reward you. But little else, if anything, about this book will.

I read The Historian and loved this book, so when the opportunity arose to read and review her newest book I was excited. I have to say it did not disappoint. It captured my interest from the first page even though it really was nothing like her previous book. The characters were well developed and the plot kept you guessing until the end. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read a book from an author who has become one of my favorites.

Loved this book! I've been waiting so long for Kostova to come out with another novel; This is worth the wait!

A wonderful trip through Bulgaria, beautifully written but I wouldn't call it a thriller. More a story of loss and repentance, traveling through a different land.

When Alexandra came to Bulgaria to work in school and before that to do some sightseeing she didn’t expect that her stay there will be so exciting, dangerous and important. She picked up someone else’s bag by mistake while she was helping them to get into a taxi. At least she was thinking it was mistake… when she discovers ashes of deceased Stoyan her goal becomes to return ashes to grieving family. She didn’t know it will bring her in to such a danger. When Bobby, a taxi driver, decides to help her an adventure begins.
During their travel we find out so much about Stoyan’s past and his family, his work and his time in labor camp what is most relevant part of his life for future events. I have found some parts of storytelling, especially of Baba Yana, quite boring and irrelevant, but later on, when story comes to prison and events after that book becomes more interesting and I couldn’t wait what will happen next. The author has found the opportunity to blend elements from the Bulgarian history, and it was done remarkably well. It provides an opportunity to reader to learn something new and create own picture about the time that it was not easy for anyone.
Characters are well-developed and we find out so much about them from their relationship and connections with other characters. I can’t say I could predict ending and Neven’s relationship with Stoyan, that part surprised me a big time because I was thinking that he is Stoyan’s son all the time.
Very nice book, as I expected. 4/5

I only got about 1/3 of the way through this book. The writing was good and the characters were interesting, but the pace of the story dragged on at a snail's pace. I really wanted to love this story as I don't know much about Bulgaria, but I kept putting this book down to read something else. I think it's time to admit this is just not for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this to review. 

A young American woman arrives in Sofia to start a job teaching English. Her first encounter is with an elderly couple and younger man who she helps into a taxi. When they have gone she finds that she has one of their bags and that inside is an urn filled with ashes. Horrified, she recalls the brief conversation - they spoke of going to a monastery - and hails a taxi. The taxi driver, Bobby, turns out to be very helpful and over the next few days drives her to several places in Bulgaria in an attempt to reunite the ashes with presumably grieving relatives. But very soon they find they are being followed and are in danger. 

There are many things to admire about this book. The descriptions of the Bulgarian countryside are excellent and give real sense of the country.  The book tackles the difficult subject of Bulgaria's communist past and how this is impacting on the present. However I had several reservations about it. This is at heart the story of one man, Stoyan Lazaro, a talented violinist who' was persecuted by the communist government. It is framed by the present day story of Alexandra and Bobby and for me, Stoyan never really came to life. His story unfolds as Alexandra gradually follows clues, meeting people on the way who tell her about Stoyan's life and finally finding a testament he left. This meant that we were kept at a distance from Stoyan's experiences. The telling of his story through people he knew is a bit clunky in places and I felt it would have been better to narrate the story in a more traditional way through Stoyan's point of view. This would have led to a much shorter novel but one which was more tightly focused. 

I am sure there are many readers who will love this book and allow themselves to be immersed in its highly descriptive prose but it didn't work for me.

I had high expectations for this book and it mostly met them. The beginning required a little patience and the end was very abrupt. The middle was absolutely glorious though!
Alexandra Boyd travels to Sofia, Bulgaria with the intention of teaching English in the city her deceased brother dreamed of visiting. Within minutes of setting foot in the city, Alexandra is swept into an adventure that spans the length of Bulgaria and reveals secrets that have been closely guarded for decades.
With the help of her taxi driver, turned close friend, Bobby, Alexandra attempts to return the urn containing Stoyan Lazarov's ashes to his family.
I was completely drawn into the split timeline of the  story. I was just as invested in Alexandra's story as I was in Stoyan Lazarov's. The dangers of living in the political turbulence of the communist and post communist governments of Bulgaria were very compelling.
Elizabeth Kostova creates deep and engaging characters. The situations they find themselves in push them to the brink. I genuinely liked Alexandra, Bobby, and all the supporting cast of characters. Part of what made the ending abrupt an a little unsatisfying was that I was left wanting to know more - I wanted to feel like there was some closure to the story

I feel that Elizabeth Kostova's books are not to be missed, and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read this one. This book is rich with history and portrays Bulgaria as a splendid setting for both the current and historical storylines. 

In this story, a young woman, Alexandra, inadvertently takes a bag that belongs to an elderly couple. She is very dismayed to discover that it contains a box with the ashes of their loved one. As she tries to find them to return the box, she experiences a journey that takes her not only into Bulgarian communities, but also into the lavish history and political unrest of the area. This is a mission that will change Alexandra forever. 

Alexandra's journey, both physically and emotionally, was one I thoroughly enjoyed, and I loved the historical information that was given about Bulgaria. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy of the book in return for an honest review.

At first I was a bit disappointed in the book. After reading the Historian, I was ready for the same tale of suspense, intrigue and mystery. However, as I kept reading, I discovered that I became very interested in finishing this book.

The story takes place in modern day Bulgaria. A young woman in her early twenties who is still grieving over the death of her brother from 10 years ago, travels to Bulgaria. Once there she accidentally finds herself with someone else's bag. This begins a detailed search for the people who it belongs to. If you accept this book as a journey of a young woman who is slowly finding her way out of her grief and not a story of suspense and intrigue, then you will enjoy it. It is about communist Bulgaria, the suffering of innocent people who happen to find themselves in the wrong place, and the ties of family.

I am glad I continued this book. I received a complimentary e-book from Netgalley.com

Great attention to detail (though not exhaustively so) makes the scenes in this book come alive.  I feel like I've had a glimpse of places to which I will never be able to travel in reality.  

The interactions between characters are believable and the dialogue flows nicely.  I find the plot drags a little, but would attribute that only to the fact that the main characters are traveling so much and there are many small trips within their larger journey.