Make Your Way 6, Schulbuch mit Audio-CD und CD-ROM

Reviewer: Martin, Cambridge Mass. This is a wonderfully rich novel. Like Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” and Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein”, “The Historian” uses journals, letters and first person narratives of her characters to tell a tale of suspense and intrigue. The scariest scenes are effective not because of the details that she puts in, but those things that she leaves out: I found myself glancing nervously over my shoulder while reading this book. Much of this book is based on painstaking histori- cal research, and the historical Vlad the Impaler is even more terrifying and evil than the fictional Dracula. The author manages to combine both versions into a well thought out, entertaining novel. The vivid descriptions in the novel create a picture of the different countries that her characters visit, from America to Turkey, Romania and a number of other Eastern European countries. Even her minor characters are vividly portrayed. If you want a quick read about vampires being chased by Buffy the vampire-slayer, there are plenty of books in the shops. But if you want something really well-written and full of suspense, read The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. It is well worth every moment. ***** Reviewer: Nathan, Edinburgh, Scotland This is the worst book I have ever read. I didn’t think much of The Da Vinci Code but The Histo- rian was even worse because it’s so long and poorly written. It’s supposed to be a thriller about Dracula but the author doesn’t know how to build suspense or tell a story. I knew every time another death was about to occur, and frankly I didn’t understand (or care) whether the main characters were still alive. This book seems to be a ridiculously long travelogue with predictable, spooky deaths in between. I thought that the flashbacks were really confusing and half the time I didn’t know who the narrator was. I thought that using letters and reported speech was a very bad way of telling the story. And when I discovered what happened at the end I was just glad I had skipped to the last chapter and hadn’t plodded through the whole book! * Writing a) Read these reviews of “The Historian”, a recent novel by Elizabeth Kostova. 34 b) Complete these notes about the reviews. Martin Nathan Type of book a tale of suspense and intrigue Technique flashbacks, didn’t know who the narrator was Effect on the reviewer ridiculously long, murders were... Reviewer’s opinion wonderfully rich novel • Which review is better organised? • Find two examples of the reviewer supporting his opinion with detail from the book. • Which review tells you more about the reviewer than about the book? c) Good writing uses a range of vocabulary to add variety and interest. Look at the first review and underline the adjectives and adverbs. d) Write a review of a popular novel in English or in German that you have read recently. Using the outline from p. 61 make some notes first and remember to say why you did or didn’t like the book and to give reasons for your opinion. Write about 200 words . 75 3 Extensive unit 3: I love books Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv