Torrefaction

I managed at last to slog my way to the end of The Historian, aided by an audiobook version that employed one good, engaging reader (the fellow doing "Paul"), and one reader who...well, she brought the dullness of the primary narrator fully to life. I think she's actually a good reader, but hadn't much of interest to work with.

Overall, I liked the book pretty well. I enjoy travelogues and memoirs, and I don't mind long stretches where not much happens, as long as they're portrayed engagingly. The book's primary narrative is the one told in the letters by Paul (the father of the primary narrator), and I found his voice and story entertaining and reasonably suspenseful. The framing stuff, featuring his daughter, is mostly tedious, because there is literally nothing interesting about her, despite her interesting forbears.

( Here Be SPOILERS!!!!! )