This book is like a very fine whiskey- meant to be taken in sips, not all at once! I am a very fast reader, but even so, it took me 5 days of reading to finish this book, not because it is huge ( it is only 496 pages), but because there is SO much to take in, discover and learn. While fiction, the book does an excellent job of sharing the many facets if Bulgaria as a country ruled by the Turks, then by a King, and then taken over by Communism, and fighting to find it's way back to a time of light and lack of fear. Kostova's writing is hypnotic- you get LOST in the descriptions, savoring the small moments, so that time seems to fly, and you realize you will not be finishing the book quickly. But by taking the reading slowly, you get to experience it ALL- the history, the characters, the secrets, the country, and you come away with a book that stays with you long after it has ended. This is one to read on the veranda with coffee long into the morning, as the Spring air reminds you of our own history!

I received an Advance Reading Copy of this book from Netgalley.com in return for an honest review. I requested this book because I thoroughly enjoyed a previous novel (The Historian) written by this author--Elizabeth Kostova. Kostova writes with a brilliant artistry. Her words are poetic and well thought out. She paints vivid scenes with her descriptive phrases. This book, however, was slow going. I made it all the way to Chapter 24 and nothing (so far as I could tell) happened. She easily could have cut this book in half and the story would not have suffered. It was painful to read about the two main characters and how they drove from place to place looking for an elusive family in order to return an urn filled with cremated remains. As they drove from place to place and city to city, the fact that they were always a step or two behind got old. I have never been to Bulgaria and the book did nothing to entice me to travel there. Next time out, maybe Kostova will concentrate more on the story instead of the unimportant details that slowed down the progress.

From having read Kosovo's book, "The Historian," I had great expectations for "The Shadow Land." The main character, Alexandra, teaches English in Bulgaria. She becomes involved in a hunt for the owner of a wooden box which she discovers contains ashes. Bulgaria is a country dear to Kosovo's heart and she makes a great deal of references to the beauty and past history of the country. The book goes on for a great length and I wonder if it would have kept my interest if I had more of an understanding of where Kosovo was coming from which I finally realized at the end of the book in the Author's Note. A tedious read.

Alexandra Boyd arrives in Bulgaria to teach and while helping an elderly couple into a taxi, she later realizes she has one of their bags. Determined to return the bag to its rightful owner she sets out on a journey of unexpected mystery, danger, history, and healing.

THIS is my kind of book! Okay, it isn't fantasy or sci-fi but the elements I love in those stories are here. Adventure, new horizons, philosophies, some things to learn and think about. Those are all present in this book. I am sad that it has ended and think I may have to read it again sometime with Audible version. The text-to-speech was great but with this taking place in Bulgaria, I needed someone to pronounce words better than the British female robot. Which usually works quite well for me, but there were some names that when I was reading with my eyes too, I could see they were not pronounced anywhere NEAR right.

The main character is well developed, the secondaries not as deeply but the story wasn't about them so that was okay by me. With the person so developed and the world so real I felt I was watching a movie. In fact, this would make a marvelous movie, there is just so much depth here!

The time of the book moves back and forth from about WWII and now. The political themes presented seem very poignant, and apropos warnings to our current system and how delicate it is.

But my favorite part of the book, though the saddest, was how music played a part in the day to day survival of the musician. I don't want to expound on this as it would be a spoiler. Needless to say, it gave me the unavoidable courage to face the cold of my studio and play the piano for as long as my fingers could move, and then left me with a fire to get back in there as soon and as often as I can as Spring brings warmer weather.

Oh, how I wish there were a book two. I don't know how it could be done as none of the situations or people remain in the right places for that. But I did want to see what happens now that the main character has made friends with the musician's son. What could they give each other? Will they become more than friends? And what about the taxi driver? Is there happiness in his future? What a cool guy he was! Like I said, I am left wanting more and that may have to happen by re-reading with audio.

By the way, I was given this version for review by NetGalley dot com. Please, if you get the chance to read this, do. I hope you love it as I did.

I received this ARC from netgalley.com in exchange for a review.

Set in 1760's London. When country girl Anna's mother died, her father sends her to the city to live with her well-to-do aunt and uncle to be introduced to a prospective husband. Although she receives an engagement offer from an up and coming lawyer, her heart has fallen in love with a poor silk weaver.

The Silk Weaver and/or The Hidden Thread deeply delves into the trade of 1760's silk weaving including the politics around it. Many historical locations and people are involved in the story, I could imagine the sights and smells as Anna was experiencing them.

Good story and I would recommend this book.

4☆

I have read both of Elizabeth Kostova's previous novels and enjoyed them. The most common criticism's I've read are that they develop too slowly with not enough action. For me, they do develop slowly but, in this case, that's a positive thing. I sometimes can be an inpatient reader. It's not that I need all action. For the most part though, I don't do well with books that describe the side of a mountain for ten pages. (I'm looking at you, Lord of the Flies.) However, give me a book where the character development and descriptions are deep and rich and I will gladly read a book with what one might call a slower building plot. For if I can get attached to the characters, I will stick with them till the end. Fans of Kostova's previous books, "The Historian," and, "The Swan Thieves," will savor this one like I did. She again masterfully blends history and fiction, with characters who will be on my mind for a long time.

You can also find my review on my Pinterest book board and my goodreads page which are linked in my profile.

When I was 28, I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). About a year later, at a routine check-up, my lung X-ray showed a cloudiness that concerned my rheumatologist. He immediately referred me to a pulmonologist, fearing that I’d developed lymphoma from my RA treatments. After a series of tests, eventually I had to undergo a lung biopsy. [Skip to the end – not cancer, but sarcoidosis.] As I recovered from the procedure, I read a book I had recently picked up in the sales bin at a local bookstore – The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova. I devoured the book in about a day and a half. I loved her take on the Dracula mythology, which happens to be one of my favorite mythological topics. When I was sent an ARC of her newest novel, The Shadow Land [due out April 11, 2017], by Random House, I could not wait to tear into the text.

I will just jump right into this review: I felt the quality of this book fell short of what I’d hoped for, especially after my excitement to have another novel by the author of The Historian. The story is not bad, but it is also not great. The writing certainly is not bad, but it also is not the subtle and tugging language I had expected. I found nothing specific to dislike, but also very little to recommend the book as one people should dedicate time out of their lives to read.

One notable exception: Kostova’s description of music in general, and the playing of a violin in particular, was nearly enough to bring the fictional notes alive in my ears – these several passages were among my favorites in the text, and among the best written in all of the novel.

The most intense scenes in the novel (flashbacks, for the record), often difficult for the writer to craft, were the best written and most powerful sections of the novel. Again, confusion for me as reader, that the more “mundane” moments were not written with equal clarity and beauty. I want a consistent, lovely experience as I read. [That’s the ideal.] A terrible or mediocre experience, acceptable for consistency’s sake. The medley of quality in this text detracted from my experience of the novel – but I will reiterate again, the highs were very good. (Reminding me of The Historian, which was so well written and uniform.)

I did also enjoy the development of characters in this novel, especially the very elderly from the countryside of Bulgaria. They had an honest and genuine feel as characters, nothing contrived. The main two characters, however, sometimes felt forced, as opposed to behaving how they naturally might in any given situation. In fact, the flashbacks and stories throughout the novel resonated much better than the current turns of events in the text.

The ending of the novel also caught my attention – a twist, unexpected but not unbelievable or trite. Very well handled, leaving the reader on a high note as the story slowly comes to a close.

The novel is an odd mix – I like the characters, but never really develop concern for them. The novel is not flat, but also fails to draw the reader into the story in the way a truly great novel does. The suspense of the situation is managed well, but never reaches a level of interactive suspense for the reader. There’s just something missing, a connective dynamic with the text that simply never establishes itself, though most everything about the novel is quite good.

All in all, I would have to say this – The Shadow Land is an enjoyable book, and I would not dissuade anyone from reading it. But The Historian was a far better representation of the author’s ability, and I would recommend that book much more heartily than her new one.

Note: I received a free digital copy of this book from Ballantine Publishing via NetGalley.

<u>The Shadow Land</u> is my first read from this author and I enjoyed it. The lush language, the sweeping imagery, and distinct characterization were highlights of Kostova's smooth, confident style. It was clear that the author loves Bulgaria and wove its past expertly through the fictional prose while adding a little bit of mysticism and magic. It was an enchanting, lovely read with these in mind.

However, there were some aspects that were not as enjoyable. Unfortunately the book is very easy to put down. I did not find myself being sucked in because of the slow pace. That's not to say that I don't enjoy a slow paced read, it's that this book in particular meanders (which is shown in its length) plot-wise and could have been fixed in editing. Others seem to have liked the protagonist but I found her to be stale and indecisive. The romance angle was also strange to me and seemed quite forced.

All in all, the writing was beautiful. The scenery was engrossing and the history it touched on was fascinating. Three out of five.

This pains me to write this, but I am 70% in to The Shadow Land and I am not finishing it. I had such high hopes going in as I absolutely loved The Historian but try as I might, I can not get into this story at all. I was initially intrigued when I read the premise – an American tourist kindly helps a family load their taxi as they are departing their hotel and through an accidental mix up finds herself with one of their bags containing an urn of ashes. She sets off to return the urn to them and in the process unravels the secrets of the man’s identity while being pursued and threatened by unknown people who seem to want the ashes for themselves. The story started off fairly well, the writing is lush and Kostova’s gorgeous descriptions made me feel like I was alongside Alexandra taking in the sights of Bulgaria. I had hoped that the slow build up in the plot was leading to something intriguing and mysterious. However, the story is moving at a snail’s pace and even now at 70% in, not much is happening other than traveling by taxi to various destinations with no luck in the search of the mystery family. I am still not sure why these ashes are so important or what has become of the family that Alexandra encountered at the beginning of the story but I am not invested enough in the plot line to keep going. 2 stars since I am not finishing it. Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

The actual rating for this book was 3 1/2 stars.
First I have to thank Netgalley for giving me the chance to review this book that is not coming out till a couple of months from now. One of the main issues I had with this book started as soon as I began to read it , the catalyst that launches the plot of this book is not believable at all and every part that follows from there on is tainted by this lack of cohesion at the begging of the book. That aside, the book gets better from then on but it is not a fast paced book, there are lot of mentions about the setting (Bulgaria and Vienna) which I liked (I have a soft spot for Eastern Europe as a setting in any book) , but there are also moments between the 2 main characters that deal with post war politics and the history of communism in the lower countries which can get a little bit boring . The conclusion is satisfactory because it ties all the loose ends in the story , I just wished it had a strong beginning so I could bump its rating , but alas it did not . Hopefully some of these issues will be fixed in the final edition.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for the ARC of "The Shadow Land" by Elizabeth Kostova for my honest review. The genres for this novel are Historical Fiction, General Fiction(Adult) and Literary Fiction. I like the way Elizabeth Kostova describes the landscapes of Bulgaria, and contrasts between the beauty of mountains and water , and the devastating destruction of buildings and land through various historical regimes in history. I am impressed that the author is so comfortable writing about Bulgaria where she lives, and has done much research into the history of the country.
Alexandra Boyd, an American is in Bulgaria, to escape the guilt of her brother's accidental death. Alexandra helps an elderly couple and their son coming out of a hotel, and in the process finds that she has mistakenly taken some of their luggage. Alexandra notices that in their luggage is a beautifully ornate and decorated wooden box. Upon opening it, she notices that there are ashes and realizes that this is an urn.Her taxi-cab driver Aspurah Iliev,"Bobby" notices her distress and tries to help her find the family.
Alexandra goes to the police and discovers that the ashes belong to the diseased Stoyan Lazarov.a once prominent violinist. The police give her an address where the family might be.
Alexandra and Bobby start on a dangerous adventure seeking out the family to return the ashes. There are warnings,threats, and dead people. The characters are complex and complicated.
It seems that Stoyan Lazarov has had an interesting and tortured life, and the author writes a timeline in the past and present and shows how the different regimes in power are reflected. Someone wants that urn and is willing to kill for it. The author writes about good and evil, despair and hope.
I enjoyed this intriguing and descriptive novel, and would recommend this. Elizabeth Kostova writes and describes her country beautifully.

The Shadow Lands is a novel that you won’t easily forget. The reader follows Alexandra Boyd and her Bulgarian cabbie friend as they drive around Bulgaria, trying to find the people who belonged to the urn that Alexandra accidentally took. As they search for Stoyan Lazarov’s family, she learns about his tragic background and discovers that some secrets are very dangerous and people will do anything to keep them from being discovered.

******************************************************

I couldn’t get enough of this book. The way it was written, the cover, where the book was set, the storylines, the perfect blending of past and present and the right amount of mystery was what kept me reading until late in the night. I couldn’t put it down, it was that good!!

Alexandra was such a tragic figure in the beginning of the book. The loss of her brother was huge and the toll it took on her and her family was very tragic. But I also thought she was a little too trusting. I mean, after meeting the Lazarov family and accidentally taking the urn, she starts to galavant around the country with Bobby. All I could think about was that she was going to become another statistic at some point in the book. So glad that didn’t happen.

I actually really liked Bobby even though he did come across as a very secretive man. He was the first friend that Alexandra had and he was good to her. He was a bit condescending about American’s though (but I think most of the world is….lol).

What I really liked was when the book flashed back to Stoyan Lazarov and told his story. It was fascinating look at how the communists dealt with perceived criminals (real and those in the wrong place at the wrong time like Stoyan). I had chills reading about that because of the similarities to Hitler’s concentrations camps in World War 2. Stalin was just as bad as Hitler. Just as bad :(.

To my recollection, I haven’t read a book that is set entirely in Bulgaria. I was fascinated by the customs, by its history (both good and bad) and just the atmosphere the book had while I was reading it. Again, something I couldn’t get enough of and I think, once my kids are grown, that I might have to take a trip there.

The end of the book was pretty good. The storylines were married beautifully together and the book ended with a what I thought was a HEA.

How many stars will I give The Shadow Land: 4

Why: A great, immersive book that took me from present day Bulgaria to the past and back effortlessly. I couldn’t read enough of this book. I do wish that a small glossary was included with the meanings of the Bulgarian words. My Kindle’s dictionary did not recognize the words (and didn’t have an option for Bulgarian)….lol. Also, I was left wondering about Alexandra’s scar. It was mentioned quite often and I don’t remember seeing and explanation about how and why she got it.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Late Teen

Why: Mild violence.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Well, that was lovely.

As soon as I started this novel, I knew I was going to love it. The way Elizabeth Kostova's flawless writing paints an image in your mind is absolutely remarkable. Honestly, I enjoyed nearly every moment of this book. I enjoyed the history, the rare but exhilarating thriller scenes, the constant mystery, and even the slow-burning romance. Ah, this was quite an enjoyable read.

Some people might compare this novel to The Historian, but not me. To put it simply, I didn't enjoy that novel as much, which is why I'm really glad I gave this book a chance - even though I didn't have the greatest success with her novels prior. And who knows? Maybe I'll even go back and re-read The Historian because of how amazing this story was. Honestly - I'm still in awe.

Another thing I might add is, that even though this was beautiful - it's certainly not for everyone. If you don't enjoy books with "little action" and a "slow burn" then, this isn't for you. But even still, I dare you to give it a chance. It might just be one of my favorite Historical Fiction novel I've read recently.

But now...I just have to wait for the release date, so I can have the physical copy of the book!

Lastly, thank you to Ballantine Books for giving me the opportunity to review this.

I received a free electronic copy of this historical novel from Netgalley, Elizabeth Kostova, and Ballentine Books in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all, for sharing your hard work with me.

I had to keep reminding myself of the years this tale covers - all after the end of World War Two, in Bulgaria. These were atrocities one wants to put to the blame of Hitler and the Nazi troops - but no. Revolution - years and years of revolution and the effect of same on the general populace. It was a book I had a hard time putting down. And the first thing I did when I finished The Shadow Land was order copies of Kostova's other novels. This is an author I will follow. This was a book that will live in my brain for a long time to come.

Alexandra Boyd arrives in Sofia, Bulgaria in 2008 to accept a teaching position. She feels that a change of scenery would help her heal and forgive herself for her big brother’s accidental death years earlier.
Upon realizing that the taxi has dropped her off at the wrong hotel, Alexandra accidently takes a piece of luggage that contains an urn with the ashes of someone. A taxi driver and a stray dog join her in her quest to return the sentimental contents.
Thus begins the journey of Alexandra thru a beautifully described Bulgaria. The color and energy given to paint the settings and people help the reader envision a country they’ve never toured. Elizabeth Kostova does an excellent job of creating the stage.
The weakness comes in the plot. Part of the letdown is due to the book’s description of suspense and danger. Actually, neither of these exists. The plot as I see it is a subtle yet heartbreaking description of what it was like to live in a country struggling from a political takeover.
I’m reluctant to give this book three stars because I have so much respect for Elizabeth Kostova. Her writing ability and talent is beautiful; I enjoyed her earlier book, The Historian, very much. But this read never really captured me. I think if someone went in with the understanding that this is a human drama piece and not suspense and danger, that preface may help.
(I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you to Ballentine Books and NetGalley for making it available.)

Alexandra Boyd is a woman in her mid-20's from the Blue Ridge Mountains who is still struggling, a decade later, to put the death of her brother and her guilt, behind her. She has traveled to Sofia, Bulgaria, a place her dreamed of to teach English and to try and overcome her loss.Just as she arrives, she runs into an elderly couple and a young man who she feels an instant connection with. She suddenly finds that she has accidentally taken one of their bags containing the ashes of Stoyan Lazarov. With the help and friendship of an unlikely taxi driver who goes by the name Bobby, we follow Alexandra as she tries to find the family to return the ashes. Along the way, we uncover with her the story of an extraordinary man and life, full of love, music and hardship. We follow Stoyan and learn how love and music truly saved him. It is a beautiful story filled with hope, despite the darkness of portions of his life.

There was a ,lot to admire and enjoy about this sweeping novel set in Bulgaria, from pre WWII to the present. I really enjoyed the setting as this is an area of Europe little known to me (I learned that the author is married to a Bulgarian and has lived there for years). I was immeidiatley caught up in the dual storylines - the present day drama involving a young American visitor Alexandra and a taxi driver Bobby and the story of SToyan Lazaro a violinist from Sofia and his family and friends - and the ways these stories intersect. Kostovs, who many will remember from her huge hit The Historian, draws believable and compelling characters and settings. I was enchanted by her descriptions of the Bulgarian landscapes and the complex characters she developed. I also learned a lot about the history of Bulgaria in the 20rh century which was tragic in many ways. I especially liked the dynamics of the relationship she developed between Bobby and Alexandra and the dog they '"adopt" along the way who seems as real as any of the human characters in this novel.
The reselling of the horrors of Bulgarian labor camps was quite disturbing and individualized through Stoyan's struggles.
This is a very well written, compelling novel that will most certainly enlighten you about post WWII history you probably knew little of and a people who are honest, forthright and welcoming.

I received Shadow Land from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. In spite my repeated efforts trying to get into this story, I just couldn't. I kept reading page after page and felt I never got anywhere. I found it boring and it just couldn't grab my attention. It is not often that I give up on a book, but I had to abandon this after about a third into it.