Like another reviewer, I was surprised by the number of reviews complaining about this book's size. I found the book a compelling journey, and one that had me completely enthralled. The arid, almost academic way it was written in parts made it even more chilling - it felt as if it were real, as if one could retrace their journey and find exactly the things they found (so much so that I found I could not read it when I was alone in the house).

The magic of this book was in the detail, in the way Kostova subtly unwound the plot. I read it last year, and even now it still resonates. I have recommended it to my bookclub, nearly all of whom have now read it, and found it deliciously disturbing. To answer the critics who have given it a 2, if you're going to compare it to the horror genre, it will not fit as easily as you might like. But then why should it - it's not a horror, but rather a gothic, literary quest. And one well worth taking part in.