Helen Brown enjoys The Winter Ghosts, a haunting new tale from Kate Mosse. Mosse is still working on the third book in that trilogy and while she takes a break she has produced this extra novel to tide fans over. Mosse gives us graveyards, castles, ruins, mysterious locked towers.
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- The Winter Ghosts, by Kate Mosse – review
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Over the course of one night, Fabrissa and Freddie share their stories.
The Winter Ghosts - IMDb
By the time dawn breaks, Freddie will have unearthed a tragic mystery that goes back through the centuries, and discovered his own role in the life of this old remote town. By turns thrilling, poignant, and haunting, this is a story of two lives touched by war and transformed by courage. By the author of the New York Times -bestselling Labyrinth , a story of two lives touched by war and transformed by courage. In the winter of , still seeking some kind of resolution to the horrors of World War I, Freddie is traveling through the beautiful but forbidding French Pyrenees.
Dazed, he stumbles through the woods, emerging in a tiny village, where he finds an inn to wait out the blizzard.
The Winter Ghosts, by Kate Mosse – review
By the time dawn breaks, Freddie will have unearthed a tragic, centuries-old mystery, and discovered his own role in the life of this remote town. She lives in England and France. Buy the Audiobook Download: Apple Audible downpour eMusic audiobooks. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I thought this would might made a good short story, but it was padded out to novel length.
The beginning quarter of the book was largely unnecessary to the overall story, and rather tedious. I was thinking of abandoning it when the story really began as far as I was concerned. Unfortunately, the main story seemed full of plot holes, or plot devices pushed too far. I just thought "That makes two of us! It was especially annoying because she tried to use this trick at least twice, which is at least once too often for my taste. If you have a torch you cannot see that a cavern is "Like a cathedral" because you do not have enough light to be able to see that well.
Similarly, you cannot describe the cave in any detail because you can only see the small part illuminated by your torch. She has done this twice to my knowledge in this book and in Labyrinth and it drives me crazy. View all 4 comments. Oct 15, Blair rated it really liked it Shelves: This was a thoroughly enjoyable little story with plenty of atmosphere and intrigue. I've only read one other book by Kate Mosse - the readable but somewhat heavy-handed Sepulchre - and The Winter Ghosts was far better. Like Sepulchre , it reads rather like a YA novel, and I wasn't at all surprised to learn it's an expanded version of a previously published short story.
But the characters are likeable, the plot grips, and Freddie's meeting with the mysterious Fabrissa and his subsequent discoveri This was a thoroughly enjoyable little story with plenty of atmosphere and intrigue. But the characters are likeable, the plot grips, and Freddie's meeting with the mysterious Fabrissa and his subsequent discoveries are beautifully handled. I found it all very absorbing and was delighted by the ghostly experience at the heart of the story. I must mention Brian Gallagher's gorgeous illustrations, too - they truly complemented the narrative and really brought the settings to life for me.
This is a quick read, but a lovely one - it would be perfect to while away a winter's evening preferably read in front of a roaring fire while a thunderstorm rumbles away outside. Dec 28, Graham rated it it was amazing Shelves: An exquisite ghost story, well told, highly emotive, short and to the point. This one has a beautiful backdrop to it in southern France, a land of snow-clad mountains and icy forests. I'm not ashamed to admit it had me bawling at the end. The various plot strands are neatly woven: I've An exquisite ghost story, well told, highly emotive, short and to the point.
It's a beautiful and strongly poignant piece of writing. View all 3 comments. Feb 16, Laura rated it really liked it Shelves: We are who we are, because of those we choose to love and because of those who love us.
A nice and cozy little read perfect for a winter evening. It has a few ghosts but concentrates on life, on a wounded soul and the way to heal it and, above all else, on the need to love and be loved in turn. This is the expanded story that was originally released as The Cave, a 97 page short story for World Book Day Illustrations by Brian Gallaher. He walked like a man recently returned to the world. Every step was careful, deliberate. Every step to be relished. Jan 01, Paul rated it really liked it.
This is not a hefty tome like Kate Mosse's previous novels; in reality it is a novella and I read it in two sittings. As I haven't read her previous works I didn't have any preconceptions about this.
Past and present are woven together well and the ghost story is redolent of M R James. The themes of love and loss are central and the setting is post WW1. Freddie is mourning his older brother who died in the war; the exploration of male grief is very interesting and poignant. A bit of historical knowledge about the Cathars doesn't go amiss Oct 10, Elizabeth Sulzby rated it really liked it Shelves: I found this brief novel about the Cathars' persecution in the 14th Century of France to be much more elegant and rewarding than The Labyrinth.
I think Mosse uses the time shifting from the early 20th Century to the 14th century much more skillful and convincing. As with the Labyrinth, the caves allowed whole communities to hide from persecution and death--to a point. The main character has to resolve issues in his modern life with his grief for his brother who was killed in WWI, with his relati I found this brief novel about the Cathars' persecution in the 14th Century of France to be much more elegant and rewarding than The Labyrinth.
The main character has to resolve issues in his modern life with his grief for his brother who was killed in WWI, with his relations with his parents, and with whether or not he will begin to live "life in the moment. The Winter Ghosts is indeed a ghost story but not in the scary sense--more a focus on extra-sensory perception. Mosse is co-founder of the Orange Prize, a prolific author, and supporter of the arts. Ognuno di noi, oltre alla normalissima paura della morte, teme soprattutto di essere dimenticato.
Teme che, dopo il nostro passaggio, quello che rimanga di noi siano solo ossa, ombra e polvere. La completa immersione nel proprio passato comporta un indebolimento psicologico di se stessi: Jul 14, Paula Cappa rated it really liked it. The descriptions absolutely came to life on the page. This story of ghosts, love and romance, and the supernaturalism of the past leaking into the present is a fascinating one. Freddie is a charming and sympathetic character, deeply introspective, who stayed with me long after I closed the book.
This is not a scary ghost story, more melancholy and cerebral. I liked this novel far Beautifully written. Feb 13, Felice rated it liked it. What is this a short story? The Winter Ghosts is a stand alone novel, not part of the series that ties Labyrinth and Sepulchre. Is Kate Mosse mad at me? The Winter Ghosts starts like a classic spook tale with the arrival of a stranger.
In Freddie Watson enters a bookshop in Toulouse clutching a letter written in a dead language. He then tells the shocked bookseller his story. Watson had not been able to get past his adored brother's death during WWI. After ten years of grievi It's pages? After ten years of grieving, confusion, drifting and a mental breakdown he finds himself driving through the Pyrenees in yet another attempt at a cure or at least a diversion. It's snowy, there's a crash and then a touch of Lost Horizon, Wuthering Heights, Brigadoon, ancient French history, a beautiful woman, Medieval celebrations, locked towers, persecution and a ghost too.
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You cannot help but compare The Winter Ghosts to its predecessor as you read it. From that point of view the plot is a bit predictable, but still satisfying. Looking at the novel as a stand alone it fairs better. Mosse does an especially good job when writing about Watson's grieving. You can feel the weight of his bereavement and his self loathing at being the one to survive and not being able to master his emotions and move on. We already know how capable Mosse is at moving her novels between the centuries while maintaining our interest in both eras.
The descriptive settings and historical tidbits that Mosse drops in the story are just as captivating as they are in her full size novels. If you are a fan of Kate Mosse, fear not! If you have wanted to try Kate Mosse but you aren't a lover of doorstop size novels give The Winter Ghosts a try. Mosse has a strong sense of dramatic timing and is an exceedingly good, old fashion storyteller. They haunt us, never fading or growing older as we do. The Winter Ghosts is a slow story, but it is the type of story tha ''The dead leave their shadows, an echo of the space within which once they lived.
The Winter Ghosts is a slow story, but it is the type of story that should be. The descriptions of regional France and the thoughts and feelings of the main character, Frederick, are beautifully told, with great detail and atmosphere. The illustrations throughout the book are perfectly matched to the tone, and add an extra dimension. Read more of my reviews at: Jan 10, Erika rated it it was ok. I would have liked this book more if it was a short story as opposed to a full length novel.
Sadly, the length of this book seemed unnecessary to me, not enough was going on. Feb 10, Furrawn rated it really liked it. I struggled with the first half of this book. I almost put it down. The lovely language kept me loyal.
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The reward was a bittersweet ghost story that leaves one feeling happy to be human inside. I love that sort of book. It is suffice to say that it was a load of sentimental bollocks.
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- The Winter Ghosts, by Kate Mosse – review | Books | The Guardian.
I would have given up on this book, only if I hadn't read and enjoyed Mosse's previous novels see Labyrinth and Sepulchre. Also, it was a short read, so I thought I might as well finish it because I absolutely hate abandoning books half-way through. Labyrinth The Languedoc Trilogy. The Cave - Quick Read. Sponsored products related to this item What's this?
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He finds it in Jason Cashman, a ten-year-old boy with a terminal heart defect. The Lead Miner's Daughter. A Victorian romance set in northern England. Mary Watson's dramatic story is woven into a background of rural life and crime. Berkley; Reprint edition February 7, Language: Related Video Shorts 0 Upload your video. The forbidden fourth floor But then, how bad could it be? The Hounds of Annwn Bundle Books A Virginian in Elfland. A foxhunter's chance encounter reveals a hidden world in the Blue Ridge mountains.
Now he's got the wild hunt to manage. Who is the strange, melancholy woman haunting Blackthorn Manor? And why is someone trying to keep Addison from unlocking the manor's darkest secrets? Like Reacher, Rapp, Bosch, or Bourne? The CIA unleashed him. Now they want him dead. Share your thoughts with other customers. Write a customer review. Is this feature helpful? Thank you for your feedback. Read reviews that mention mosse kate ghost brother freddie tale fabrissa village loss war france historical french wwi woman meets pyrenees death labyrinth young.
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There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later. Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. This was the first Kate Mosse novel I read, and was sceptical about the purchase since the author is noted for "ghost" stories, a genre which I do not really care for. I was, however, totally drawn into the novel by the plot and also by the history of the locale. I spent as much time on side-trips to explore the history of the region as reading the novel itself. I love reading material that is not only entertaining but also educational.
Yes, it could be thought of as a 'ghost' story, but it can also be viewed as a mind wandering due to the combined effects of a serious car crash and the known history of the locale. The first can also be seen as the delusions of a disturbed mind; the second as the mind of someone plagued by addiction. So, take your choice.