![]() Book name: The Star of Kazan Author: Eva Ibbotson Genre: Childrens book, Mystery , Historical Fiction Goodreads: Link Storygraph: Link Reading the title of the book, I imagined it to be a Fantasy book given its title as well as the cover image which invokes a sense of magic and mystery. The book in fact a historical fiction/ mystery novel which is set in early 20th Century in Vienna which was a part of the Austro Hungarian and German empire at the time. However given the evocative description of the neighbourhoods in Vienna, the Spanish Riding school, brooding castles in the German countryside and food delicacies, it could very well pass for a fantasy novel as well! The novel reads more like a mystery novel with elements of suspense, adventure and even a bit of horror which makes for an interesting read. I like how the story takes unexpected turns, while at the same all the little details and hints fit together and has a satisfactory payoff at the end. The character development is really good with some really memorable character. I particularly liked the worrying professors and the antics they got upto! The novel is also set in a historical context and makes references to historical figures and famous locations in Vienna and is written in a very evocative way. It's clear from the writing that the author is drawing on her own childhood exepriences growing up in Vienna which gives it a very authentic feeling to it. The book is also very interesting in that even though its written in 1999, it has the feel of a 'classic' novel and one can easily mistake the book as having been written much earlier. Another interesting point was even though the book is meant for children, it does touch on some interesting themes. One in particular was the attitude towards servants and the expected patterns of behaviour which I haven't seen covered in that way in any other novel. Recommendation Overall, while I felt that in some places the novel could have been a bit shorter if it didn't go into a few sub plots which didn't seem to fit too well into the main story, I found the characters and storytelling to be very well done and if you like a good mystery set in a historic period, this might be a novel for you.
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AuthorAvid reader of Historical fiction, High fantasy novels, Comics & Graphic Novels. Passionate about teaching & the future of education in general. Categories
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December 2023
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