The Shadow Land Book Reviews

AUTHOR
Elizabeth Kostova
SCORE
4
TOTAL RATINGS
308

The Shadow Land by Elizabeth Kostova Book Summary

From the #1 bestselling author of The Historian comes a mesmerizing novel that spans the past and the present—and unearths the troubled history of a gorgeous but haunted country.

A young American woman, Alexandra Boyd, has traveled to Sofia, Bulgaria, hoping that life abroad will salve the wounds left by the loss of her beloved brother. Soon after arriving in this elegant East European city, however, she helps an elderly couple into a taxi—and realizes too late that she has accidentally kept one of their bags. Inside she finds an ornately carved wooden box engraved with a name: Stoyan Lazarov. Raising the hinged lid, she discovers that she is holding an urn filled with human ashes.

As Alexandra sets out to locate the family and return this precious item, she will first have to uncover the secrets of a talented musician who was shattered by political oppression—and she will find out all too quickly that this knowledge is fraught with its own danger.

Elizabeth Kostova’s new novel is a tale of immense scope that delves into the horrors of a century and traverses the culture and landscape of this mysterious country. Suspenseful and beautifully written, it explores the power of stories, the pull of the past, and the hope and meaning that can sometimes be found in the aftermath of loss.

Praise for The Shadow Land

“A compelling and complex mystery, strong storytelling, and lyrical writing combine for an engrossing read.”—Publishers Weekly

“In The Shadow Land, Elizabeth Kostova, a master storyteller, brings vividly to life an unfamiliar country—Bulgaria—and a painful history that feels particularly relevant now. You won’t want to put down this remarkable book.”—Claire Messud, author of The Woman Upstairs

“In this brilliant work, what appears at first a minor mystery quickly becomes emblematic of a whole country’s hidden history. Lyrical and compelling, The Shadow Land proves a profound meditation on how evil is inflicted, endured, and, through courage and compassion, defeated. Elizabeth Kostova’s third novel clearly establishes her as one of America’s finest writers.”—Ron Rash, author of The Risen

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Book Name The Shadow Land
Genre Literary Fiction
Published
Language English
E-Book Size 3.68 MB

The Shadow Land (Elizabeth Kostova) Book Reviews 2024

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Not as good as her first two books. I really liked The Historian and The Swan Thieves, but I was disappointed by this latest work. Perhaps because, given its modern setting and lack of supernatural, I found it so hard to suspend disbelief. Common sense decisions seem beyond the capacity of the fainting heroine, despite her sensible, outdoorsy upbringing by teacher/professor parents. As an American girl who was that age living and working in a foreign country (with other American and Canadian young women), her decisions within hours of arrival, not speaking the language or understanding the culture, are very unrealistic. I kept wanting to scream at her to make better choices, but that would have led to less of the wild goose chase that was the structure to the exposition of the plot and backstory. She seems a perpetual Blanche duBois, relying on the kindness of complete strangers, ransacking houses with them, staying in homes, traveling across the country with only a few hours acquaintance. For parents who have lost one child, hers are blithely indifferent to losing sight of the remaining one, who only lets them know that she has arrived by email, with no follow up to see if she is safe, settling into a new city, country, culture. At no time does the heroine rely on the support structures that would be most natural, her English Institute or the embassy. All the action was simply didn’t ring true for me, without the excuse of the supernatural elements of her first novel.

More than Captivating. This book grips you first like a hug; then the arms tighten ; by the fifth chapter you’ve been tied to your chair. Every time I was called away from reading I was worried?! What’s happening while I’m not there? This was a treat for my imaginative eyes, mind ,& heart. The next time I read it I’ll go slower.

The Shadow Land. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. She allowed me to see Bulgaria, a country I have never visited. Her writing is a good camera for the reader. The plot was intriguing if a little contrived. she abled me to relate to all of the characters and the pain that most of them experienced. Now this country is much more than a blue/grey space on the map.

The Shadow Land. Beautifully written and full of elegant descriptions so your imagination can fill in pictures of what you are reading. The Gulag type camps were heart rending to read about. This novel reads more like a European journey from the 1960’s than the 2000’s, and much of the plot was too slow overall. It reads like a novel that was written many years before and published after subsequent work has been successful.

Please proofread!. Shame on the publishers for releasing this unedited version. We haven't been waiting for years for something new from her for you to treat her work this way! The sample was great!!! On my way to the bookstore now.

Excellent!!. Recently discovered this author. Outstanding story. Looking forward to reading more of her works.

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Summary of The Shadow Land by Elizabeth Kostova

The The Shadow Land book written by Elizabeth Kostova was published on 11 April 2017, Tuesday in the Literary Fiction category. A total of 308 readers of the book gave the book 4 points out of 5.

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