I began this book last Christmas to read on a plane. The first thing that bothered me was that I realized the plot was going to be dished out in very small doses thanks to Paul's terrible fear of remembering the past events as he struggles over what feels like years to tell his daughter the story. When I got to the point in which the library copy of Bram Stoker's Dracula reaches to a height of ridiculous importance and value I became exasperated. A common book was treated as if it were some rare and exotic piece of lost literature. I put the book down and decided to read it when next I became desparate. I was having a hard time sleeping recently and have gotten almost all the way through the rest of the book in the last few nights. It becomes apparent with each page that Kostova has not done much research into her subject. Her telling of the historical background is almost one-sided against the Prince. Also, the way in which her characters encounter one another sometimes borders on the absurd. It is as though she has spent so much time describing unnecessary things she hasn't pages enough to write more plausable action. The fact this book became a best seller is further evidence I should finally sit down and write a book of my own!