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, … 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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got a little bogged down with the logistical details of journeying between destination points and the characters weariness from said trekking from city to city but the characters and plot-line kept me interested.
I might have awarded this book 5 stars but for the sensation that the author rushed the material in the last chapters to bring the book to a conclusion as close to the magic 400 page length as possible.
a good mystery, well written
This author is a wonderful teller of stories. All of her books are amazing reads. I was delighted to find one I had not yet read. The twists and turns of this story kept me up at night reading way past my lights out time.
I loved this book, it had history and mystery. It was totally engrossing, I had a hard time putting it down then I missed it when I finished.
I loved this book
OK but I liked The Historian far better.
I really enjoyed reading about Bulgaria pre World Wars! Was nicely tied up at the end.
Alexandra goes to Bulgaria. A place her brother and her talked about as kids. She ends up with an urn from a family she helped. Now she is trying to get the urn back and figure out the mystery behind the urn. A very good read.
Having read all of Elizabeth Kostova’s books, I was looking forward to The Shadow Land, and it does not disappoint!
Alexandra, a young American woman, comes to Bulgaria to teach English and to get away from the lingering pain over the death of her brother several years before. On her very first day, Alexandra finds herself helping an elderly couple with their bags and taxi, only to realize later than she has inadvertently kept one of their bags…that has an urn with ashes in it! So begins a quest to determine who the family was that she helped and return the ashes to them. In the process she meets Bobby, a taxi driver who is much more than he seems, and as they learn more about the occupant of the urn and his family, they seem to be followed by malign forces. But why? Who would care about ashes in an urn? What secrets is someone afraid to have exposed?
To Alexandra and her brother, Bulgaria was a pretty green spot on a map. But in her quest to return the urn, Bulgaria and its history become so much more to Alexandra.
At first the lengths to which Alexandra goes to return the urn did not make sense to me. But the writing is wonderful, and the characters all very interesting, and at the end everything becomes clear. Definitely a good read!
Well researched and written book about Bulgaria. The story takes place in modern times with flashbacks revealing clues to the mystery. I found this book to be very interesting as I had very little knowledge of the Eastern bloc countries and communism. The story took us around Bulgaria with good descriptions of the country.
Acutal Rating 3.70
The Shadow Land is a very interesting and complex book that follows Alexandra when she accidentally keeps a couples bag that contains a box filled with ashes. Alexandra tries everything to locate the couple with the help of the kind Bobby, who is a taxi driver. The deeper they dig to find the couple, the more strange things start to happen.
I liked that Elizabeth Kostova does an amazing job describing Bulgaria and all its beautiful architecture. I almost felt like I was actually in Bulgaria. This book is very descriptive and I was completely intrigued in the mystery surrounding the ashes. I liked Alexandra and Bobby and they made a great team. I also liked getting a background on Alexandra’s life and what brought her to Bulgaria. The Shadow Land was very enjoyable.
I will say that this book was very long and sometimes I zoned out of the reading. I had to keep reminding myself what was happening when the pov switched to other characters and their background. But I still think this book was very interesting and I look forward to reading more books by Elizabeth Kostova.
Slightly rough writing in places, but the interleaving of an engrossing suspense story in the modern parts of the book and the development of a deeply moving narrative in the WWII through Soviet era in Bulgaria really held my interest.
Really enjoyed well writen book. New territory for an interesting read with drama and suspense.
Love the descriptions of the culture and countryside
original storyline but I found it difficult to stay interested. Dragged in parts.
The characters are wonderful and it’s location is very interesting.