The Blood Countess (Paperback)

by Andrei Codrescu (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
A folk belief that on bitter cold nights the stars come down to mate with wolves. An adolescent boy, sexually aroused by an "iron maiden" torture device. The smell of paprika and boiled chicken served with Tokay wine. These and other vivid images of Hungary in the 16th century, and Hungary today, swirl together amid scenes of luxury and barbarity and talk of Martin Luther's Christianity and post-Communist ideals in this gloriously gruesome novel inspired by the life of Countess Elizabeth Bathory. They say she killed 650 virgin girls in order to rejuvenate herself with their blood.

From Publishers Weekly
NPR commentator and filmmaker Codrescu's first novel alternates between a pathological 16th-century Hungarian countess and her present-day descendant, a journalist seeking to come to grips with contemporary Europe.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 453 pages
• Publisher: Dell (July 2, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440221919
• ISBN-13: 978-0440221913
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #215,629 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Historical Detail and an Interesting Story, June 27, 2000

By A Customer

As a graduate student in the area of Medieval and Renaissance Europe, I always go into historical novels with a bit of skepticism but also hopeful optimism. Codrescu's account of 17th century Hungary and the historical character of Countess Bathory met my optimistic hopes. The brutality, suspicion and general hardship of the time was obviously well-researched, as was the totalitarian power of the noble class which provoked peasant revolts like the one described in the book. The characters were possibly not developed enough, particularly the modern-day Count Bathory-Kereshtur about whom I would have liked to know more. But the complex psychological motivations of Elizabeth Bathory were developed quite well and in a chilling and descriptive manner. The descriptions of violent acts were perhaps a bit graphic, but relevant within the historical context for the period and place in which they occur. Overall a book definitely worth reading, but not for the squeamish.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Certain people should not read this book. . ., August 11, 2001

By	Ginny Blake "sevn" (Arkansas) - See all my reviews

And that would be anybody who appreciates artistry in literature. What could have been a profound philosophical delving into the desire for immortality and youth is, in Codrescu's unstable, showy prose, mere superficial shrieking, subsumed to the nuances of titillation and the flexing of the (rather useless) plot muscles.

Characterizations are so "clever," so unsubtle, as to make this reader roll her eyes; the writing is garish and unconsidered. Over half the book follows Elizabeth from age eight to age thirteen; then it's as if he suddenly remembered what the book was supposed to have been about, and we dash through the 650 virgins, with nary a philosophical tangent on the meaning of it all. Characters and plot points are left unused, even after we've been dragged along by their supposed importance, and this is, of course, supremely annoying. Not once in the entire book is the reader invited to ponder anything weightier than "How long is this chapter, anyway?"

Codrescu is a second-rate writer. Don't waste your time on this; read Mary Shelley instead.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Exciting, yet somewhat slow plot, July 30, 1999

By A Customer

I'm half Hungarian, and have been to Hungary many times. I'm 13, and I thought that this book was something I shouldn't have read! I feel that some of the sexuality was not necessary, but in a way, it explained some of Countess Bathory's actions. It was hard to finish the book (I read it in 3 days) because I felt disgusted and frustrated that Countess Bathory herself was not tortured as she had done to innocent girls. I threw the book at my wall a couple of times in disgust. This is a very disturbing book, and I don't recommend it to someone my age!