davidcutrano

Well, before I even started reading this book, I got unsolicited opinions from everyone who knew I had it on my "to read" list! Then once I started reading it, I realized that no one I spoke to included it in any "gray" area of reading - they either really liked it, or really hated it. I spent the last two weeks of this month working my way through it, and I am one of those who liked it. Yes, it was long, and there were times when I did keep reading, but I had no real idea of what was actually happening. But it kept me engaged enough to finish it, and I'm glad. If nothing else, because it re-convinced me that someday I would love to visit Istanbul and Budapest. But also because I don't have a lot of knowledge or background about vampires and their legends. For instance, I had no idea that Dracula was a real person! This book provided me with a lot of information about that, while also filling me in on a lot of history that was more or less skipped over in my schooling. The story is about a group of people interested in the legends and actions of Dracula. It is quite convoluted, and I would not be able to give you any kind of coherent summary of the plot, so I suggest reading that elsewhere, such as on Amazon. The book interweaves time periods and characters, and the primary characters all have interesting relationships not just to each other, but to history itself. For the most part, I was able to keep up, but a few times, I got lost in an awful lot of minute detail that didn't seem necessary. One thing that struck me was that I kept hearing about the book, and how "creepy" it was, or how it gave some people nightmares, because of the vampire stories, etc. I was slightly worried about that aspect, since I am a chicken at heart, and scary things scare me most at night. For whatever reason, though it was terribly creepy and frightening when I was reading it, none of that stuck with me once I would put the book down. (Maybe because I spent most of my time reading it in an abandoned prison?) I can't really say whether or not I would recommend it to friends or family. It does seem to be a book that causes strong feelings, though, so be aware if you decide to read it - you'll hear everyone's opinions about it, sooner or later!

2023-02-06 00:08