This was a very intriguing novel. For the first 200 pages or
so, I couldn’t figure out where the story was going, but when I finally paused
and took a moment to think things through, I was able to make a few predictions.
I’m happy to admit, none of my predictions were correct; that always makes for
a wonderful book, in my opinion. I especially enjoyed the way Kostova wrote the
story: switching back and forth between perspectives and time-periods so that
each person (except Robert, of course) could tell his or her own story. I was
able to follow along with Kate as she gave her account of life with Robert, I
could understand Mary as she gave her version, I could pity Beatrice as she
told her story through letters (which I particularly loved), and best of all, I
could fall in love with Andrew as he went on a complicated journey to solve the
mystery of a patient who wouldn’t tell his own story. Robert was a character I
both loved and hated at the same time. It seemed he had everything anyone could
want in life, and he threw it away to love a woman gone for over 100 years. I
loved him because he threw everything away to give honor and redeem this woman
who lost the things she truly loved 100 years before. The romance in this novel
was completely unexpected. I thought Kate and Andrew would be together, and I
was wrong (which I am totally okay with because I don’t like being right in my
predictions; I always welcome a surprise or a twist in the end). I’m so happy
with the development between Mary and Andrew in the end, because Andrew, I
believe, is a most wonderful man: passionate, smart, true, noble, and he fights
for those who are unable or unwilling to fight for themselves. He really, truly
is a wonderful character, and this story is a wonderful story of heartbreak,
passion, loss, and love.
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