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House Of Bathory (2014)

by Linda Lafferty(Favorite Author)

3.52 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

1477808647 (ISBN13: 9781477808641)

languge

English

genre

Horror

publisher

Lake Union Publishing

review 1: I first heard about Elizabeth Bathory on Tumblr. I was immediately horrified but intrigued. When this came up as a suggested read on my Amazon account, I thought why not? This was probably the best book to ease me into the horror that is Elizabeth/Erzsebet Bathory. I found that bouncing between the two time periods helped “ease” the discomfort of reading of the different tortures. I’d think one would be more interesting than the other and only want to read that period but then quickly get involved in the other. It was my first book by this author and I really enjoyed her writing style. I look forward to reading more from her and maybe even a non-fiction about Bathory.
review 2: As I have noted before Vampires are "in." Actually Vampires are so "in" that I... more am sure that they are now "out". Now Erzsebet Bathory, the Countess Bathory isn't a vampire. She was a true seventeenth century Hungarian noblewoman who was tried and convicted of the murder of countless peasant girls, for the purpose of staying young by bathing in their blood. Since her legend is often credited with starting many of the clichés that are central to the vampire mythos I am not at all surprised to see her story told. House of Bathory by Linda Lafferty uses the story of the bloody countess as one of its central pillars. That narrative, of The Countess, her evil cohorts, and the servants who lived in fear, and the few who stood up to defy her and eventually cause her fall, are told in this book in alternating chapters. This seventeenth century tale is gripping, but I found the other narrative threads better, and more suspenseful. Those are the stories of Elizabeth Path, a modern day analyst living in Colorado, and her mother, Grace an historian specializing in Eastern Europe and planning on writing a book about the aforementioned Countess. The mother goes missing however, in Slovakia, and Elizabeth along with her ex-husband decide to search for her. They are joined by a patient of Elizabeth's, a teen girl named Daisy who is a Goth, and seems to be obsessed with Elizabeth and her treatment. Things get even more complex with the addition of the Countess's modern relatives, a detective from Scotland Yard, and Daisy's psycho sister, Morgan.Now I found the modern storyline more interesting than the old one. The old one is tense, well-researched and written, but lacks a certain drama because we know the inevitable outcome. Ms. Lafferty shows some skill in keeping it interesting despite this. The modern storyline is very strong, and consists of a dizzying pile of plot twists. Often in thrillers having too many coincidences robs a narrative of its believability, but Elizabeth, like her father before her, who died under suspicious circumstances in Eastern Europe ,is a Jungian therapist, and they both were enthralled by the doctor’s The Red Book. Ms. Lafferty uses the Jungian theory of synchronicity aptly, allowing her to ring change after coincidental change upon the plot while implying that it might all be a matter of mythical archetypes. It's a bold move, and one that pays off, enabling Ms. Lafferty to ratchet up the tension to a nearly unbearable degree. One of my only complaints with this book is the title. I seldom like to play Monday morning quarterback while reviewing a book, but if I could make a single suggestion to Ms. Lafferty it would be to jettison the title. House of Bathory seems so ponderous for such a taut and tense novel. I would have gone with The Red Book, but I am really just nitpicking here. It's a really good novel despite the name, and I suggest that you read it.Review by: Mark Palm less

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Reviews (see all)

email0053

This was an overall mediocre book. The plot was adequate but not exceptional and I wasn't too satisfied with the climax; however, I thoroughly enjoyed the supernatural aspect of the story and the sadistic horror of the Countess's virgin bloodbaths & torturing of innocent girls.I have to say I was far more engrossed in 1600s Čachtice Castle, rather than Betsy Path's adventures with Daisy. I found myself reluctantly forcing my way through each chapter in the present and happily returning to the world of Janos, Zuzana, and Countess Bathory.

PrincessYmani

I was on a titillating historical fiction bender this summer. I loved Linda Lafferty’s other novel The Bloodletter’s Daughter, so I was excited for this one. A fictional account of the very real Countess Bathory (who bathed in the blood of virgins to prolong her youthfulness, wikipedia it), the book jumps between a modern day plot and a plot set in the 1600s. Super good, exciting twists and turns, Linda Lafferty is good at what she does.

tatev1990

Dark, evil and consuming. Hard to read at times but harder to put down.

Eri

Excellent! A page turner right to the end

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