review :: The Enchantress of Florence

The Enchantress of Florence

Salman Rushdie

This was a surprisingly slow read for me. I did not love this book, nor did I hate it. It was okay. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had started reading the book in a different setting and mindset. When I started The Enchantress of Florence, it was on a long plane ride home to San Diego, and I was tired. I read too much too fast. In the end, I had a difficult time keeping track of the characters, events, and time lines.

Rushdie has an interesting writing style--he writes to divert, but the reader cannot simply sit back, read, and be diverted. The reader must be present and fully engaged. Full of fantasy, myth, and magic, The Enchantress of Florence is a lovely story, and intricately woven.

The intersection of cultures of the East and West in the 16th century made for a great historical backdrop, and the book was full of historical characters: Niccolò Machiavelli, the great Medici dynasty, even Vlad Dracula made an appearance! However, I did not find myself drawn in to the settings like I hoped. 

Overall, I found the story imaginative and clever, intriguing enough for me to read more of Rushdie, although not as good as I anticipated.

review :: The Historian

The Historian

Elizabeth Kostova

Intriguing. Compelling. Intricate. All three words describe The Historian. Elizabeth Kostova has created a fascinating blend of fact and fantasy, weaving the (true) historical roots of the living, breathing Vlad Dracula and the mythical persistent existence of the vampire legend.

There were some telling indications that this was a debut novel. I thought there were a few character flaws where some of the characters made some choices or actions that didn't quite seem to match up with who they really were. For example, the main female character, Helen, is a stiff, aloof, austere Eastern European. It seemed her warming up to Paul (the main male character), her receipt of his affections, and the return of her own was a bit abrupt for her reserved personality.

That aside, the complexity of the story was impressive. This is good storytelling, and it goes deep, layer after layer. I was interested to see how Kostova would draft a modern vampire story, and she did it well. It is not quite terrifying and graphic like Dracula, but nor is it trite, and there are definite moments to make one hold their breath.

Kostova packed this full-length novel with an amazing trail of history and travel across Eastern Europe, and she pulls it off without being too academic.

Overall, a great read, especially for anyone who finds the Dracula legend interesting. There were moments in the writing that I felt a real kinship with Kostova; I think our styles are similar, and that makes me want to read more of her. I'll definitely be picking up a copy of The Swan Thieves at some point in the near future.