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    The Shadow Land
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    The Shadow Land
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    The Shadow Land
    Audiobook18 hours

    The Shadow Land

    Written by Elizabeth Kostova

    Narrated by Barbara Caruso, Fred Berman, Barrie Kreinik and George Guidall

    5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    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, 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.

    Advance praise for The Shadow Land

    "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

    "The Shadow Land is thrilling, and not just as a gripping tale. It's also thrilling to watch such a talented writer cast her spell. The central character actually begins this deft novel in an urn, only to emerge as one of the most memorable characters I've encountered in a long time."-Richard Russo, author of Everybody's Fool

    "Transporting . . . draws us into Bulgarian history and character revelation like an elegant, mysterious labyrinth. Page-turning, evocative, and richly imagined."-Dominic Smith, author of The Last Painting of Sara de Vos

    Praise for Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian

    "Quite extraordinary . . . Kostova is a natural storyteller. . . . She has refashioned the vampire myth into a compelling contemporary novel, a late-night page-turner."-San Francisco Chronicle

    "Hypnotic . . . a thrill ride through history."-The Denver Post

    "Part thriller, part history, part romance . . . Kostova has a keen sense of storytelling and she has a marvelous story to tell."-Baltimore Sun

    Praise for The Swan Thieves

    "Exquisite."-The Boston Globe

    "Engrossing."-O: The Oprah Magazine

    "Stunning . . . A beautifully written tale of art, love and an obsession triggered by both."-Associated Press
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateApr 11, 2017
    ISBN9780735286740
    Unavailable
    The Shadow Land
    Author

    Elizabeth Kostova

    MARY SHELLEY was born in London in 1797, daughter of William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft, famous radical writers of the day. In 1814 she met and soon fell in love with the then-unknown Percy Bysshe Shelley. In December 1816, after Shelley's first wife committed suicide, Mary and Percy married. They lived in Italy from 1818 until 1822, when Shelley drowned, whereupon Mary returned to London to live as a professional writer of novels, stories, and essays until her death in 1851. GUILLERMO DEL TORO is a Mexican director, producer, screenwriter, novelist, and designer. He both cofounded the Guadalajara International Film Festival and formed his own production company—the Tequila Gang. However, he is most recognized for his Academy Award-winning film, Pan’s Labyrinth, and the Hellboy film franchise. He has received Nebula and Hugo awards, was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award, and is an avid collector and student of arcane memorabilia and weird fiction. ELIZABETH KOSTOVA is the author of the bestselling novel The Historian. She graduated from Yale and holds an MFA from the University of Michigan.

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    Reviews for The Shadow Land

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    • 5/5
      I loved this book. The characters were so real in both their beauty and imperfections. The story made me smile and cry and was constantly on my mind when I didn’t have time to read a chapter(or 5). Thank you for this wonderful book and for shedding light on a country and a part of history that I knew almost nothing about.
      As a professional violinist, it was also a major bonus to read descriptions of classical music, musicians, and composers, that were either perfectly researched or written by a fellow musician. Brava!