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Thursday 12 December 2013

Kate Mosse – Winter Ghosts




I watched the tv series ‘Labyrinth which was adapted from a book by this author..  I really enjoyed the tv series so I thought I would try reading one of her books as not read one of hers before.  I only went in the library for one but came out with 2, this was a lot shorter book than the other I took (Sepulchre).
It’s not a story that will stay with me or one that I would rush out and recommend to others.  Its almost a young adult type of read, with illustrations of the story on some pages.  It’s a kind of ghost story. And not dissimilar to Labryinth as in that it changes from past medieval time to hundreds of years later.
The story is set in early 1900’s after the war.  The main character Freddie, has suffered a mental breakdown and been institutionalized for 5 years.  This was a result of losing his brother in the First World war, an older brother who he was very close to and who his parents loved above him.
As he is driving in France in 1928 he crashes the car and staggers down to a soulless village near the Pyranees.  A strange thing happens to him whilst he is there.  He meets Fabrissa, a beautiful young woman who has also lost family.  They share their grief but he loses sight of her during their escape from trouble. He is determined to find her at all costs but things aren't what they seem.
 It is an easy to read book with an obvious story line.  I kind of enjoyed it but it didn’t grab me at all.  I would have given it 3*.

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