ARTFUL READERS CLUB
March 28, 2014
"LABYRINTH" by Kate Mosse
It's that time again...end of the month, Artful Readers Club review time. This month, it was a well-written tome of historical fiction. It had the power to transport me to a distant place and time from my own home here in central New York...an exciting virtual holiday!! The book: LABYRINTH by Kate Mosse.
It takes place in and near a town in the south of France...Carcassonne. It's well researched and rich in historical fact...combined with a touch of medieval magic!
The novel tells two stories simultaneously, that of 17 year old Alais in 13th century, medieval France and that of a young woman, an academic, named Dr. Alice Tanner, in 2005. The narratives are tied together by unraveling the mysteries of the "true Grail..." the key to which is written and bound in three books and the symbol of the labyrinth.
What really makes this book unusual from other books of its genre is that all the main characters, both good and evil, are women...and it's about time!! Alais is the medieval heroine, plunged into a world of danger and mystery. She's tasked with the responsibility of protecting the secrets of the Grail held within the pages of these three strange books. She must do this as she watches her beloved city fall to the Crusaders and through the death of some of her loved ones.
In the modern world, her counterpart, Dr. Alice Tanner, stumbles across a cave containing two skeletons and suddenly finds herself at the center of an ancient, murderous web. Mosse develops some very interesting characters along the way, as the past and present intertwine with the intensifying of the quest for the Grail...all in the shadow of the timeless Pyrenees Mountains.
Sometimes, I had to suspend my disbelief and just go with the chillingly real scenes...those of the Cathars (the "heretics" beseiged and killed by the French Crusaders,) singing on the way to their death as well as the massacre at Beziers...all historical fact and real places. Real events and figures from the time of the Albigensian Crusade, waged against the Cathars, are blended seamlessly and believably... beautifully!
Even if you're not a medieval geek like me, I recommend this book. Although it didn't have me manically turning pages throughout the entire tome of almost 700 pages, it certainly had many moments when I could barely catch my breath!!
Here's one more of my interpretations of "LABYRINTH" by Kate Mosse.
Looking forward to seeing you for my next regular posting... thank you for checking in!
xoxox,
abbyj
