House of Bathory

Name: House of Bathory
Brand: Brilliance Audio
Availability: InStock
Author: Linda Lafferty
ISBN: 9781480538573

Author: Linda Lafferty

Narrator: Kathleen Gati

Unabridged: 12 hr 5 min

Format: Digital Audiobook (DRM Protected)

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Published: 01/14/2014

Categories: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction

Synopsis

In the early 1600s, Elizabeth Báthory, the infamous Blood Countess, ruled Čachtice Castle in the hinterlands of Slovakia. During bizarre nightly rites, she tortured and killed the young women she had taken on as servants. A devil, a demon, the terror of Royal Hungary—she bathed in their blood to preserve her own youth.400 years later, echoes of the Countess’s legendary brutality reach Aspen, Colorado. Betsy Path, a psychoanalyst of uncommon intuition, has a breakthrough with sullen teenager Daisy Hart. Together, they are haunted by the past, as they struggle to understand its imprint upon the present. Betsy and her troubled but perceptive patient learn the truth: the curse of the House of Bathory lives still and has the power to do evil even now.The story, brimming with palace intrigue, memorable characters intimately realized, and a wealth of evocative detail, travels back and forth between the familiar, modern world and a seventeenth-century Eastern Europe brought startlingly to life.Inspired by the actual crimes of Elizabeth Báthory, The House of Bathory is another thrilling historical fiction from Linda Lafferty (The Bloodletter’s Daughter and The Drowning Guard). The novel carries readers along with suspense and the sweep of historical events both repellent and fascinating.

About Linda Lafferty

The daughter of a naval commander, Linda Lafferty attended fourteen different schools growing up, ultimately graduating from the University of Colorado with a master’s degree and a PhD in education. Her peripatetic childhood nourished a lifelong love of travel, and she studied abroad in England, France, Mexico, and Spain. Her uncle introduced her to the sport of polo when she was just ten years old, and she enjoys playing to this day. She also competed on the Lancaster University Riding Team in England in stadium jumping, cross country, and dressage. A veteran school educator, Lafferty taught at Aspen High School for years as a second language teacher. She lives in Colorado.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Shandra on September 10, 2016

Buddy read with Athena. Actual rating 3.5 stars. I'm rounding up (see review below to understand why I chose to). I spent most of the book oscillating between: and: It was GLORIOUS!!!! The ending just made me: This is going to be a very difficult review for me to write, so please bare with......more

Goodreads review by SVETLANA on June 28, 2023

The book attracted me as I wanted to know more about the historical figure of Elizabeth Báthory, the infamous Blood Countess that killed more than 600 young girls in her Čachtice Castle in the hinterlands of Slovakia. Her story is very fascinating and full of horror. She is considered the first real......more

Goodreads review by Andrea on January 10, 2014

I received a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. House of Bathory is a tale of incestual and sadistic horror, framed by a modern story that mirrors the twisted history until the two are so intertwined it’s impossible to tell where one stops and the other begins. The history in this n......more

Goodreads review by Stephanie (Bookfever) on July 17, 2014

House of Bathory was absolutely an amazing read. I flew through it in no time because my eyes were glued to the screen of my Kindle. It was that good! I didn't know what I expected starting it but it turned out even better than I had hoped. I've always been intrigued by the story of Elizabeth Bathory......more

Goodreads review by Suneha on March 24, 2015

2.5 Stars It had such great potential but the author didn't make it work. I expected the countess to be cruel and wicked, which she was, but she was not as wicked or as chilling or horrifying as I expected a serial killer to be. I'm disappointed at her bland portrayal. Daisy was sweet and all but she......more

Quotes

“House of Bathory is a truly remarkable work of historical fiction, which thoroughly captivated me from the first page to the last.” —Historical Novels Review