In the first instalment of a revealing two-part interview, Kate discusses her involvement in the Women's Prize for Fiction (this year won by Maggie O'Farrell for Hamnet), her love of the. Search String: Summary | [4], Variety reported in March 2011 that Ridley Scott was developing a television adaptation of Labyrinth. item 4 LABYRINTH by KATE MOSSE (2006, CD, Unabridged)--A STORY/ PUZZLE OF THE GRAIL LABYRINTH by KATE MOSSE (2006, CD, Unabridged)--A STORY/ PUZZLE OF THE GRAIL. First off - this book is too damn long. About Kate Mosse Kate Mosse is the author of ten novels & short story collections, including the No 1 bestselling The Joubert Family Chronicles - The Burning Chambers, The City of Tears and The Ghost Ship - as well as the multimillion selling Languedoc Trilogy - Labyrinth, Sepulchre and Citadel - and No 1 bestselling Gothic fiction including The Winter Ghosts and The But if you are looking for a gripping and well-executed historical thriller, I would probably suggest looking elsewhere. The classic stories, stories with stamina, tell us not only about times past, but also throw new light on time present. , , , . Skilfully blending the lives of two women divided . ugh this one promised to be slow.I couldn't get past ch.4.The premise has been over used lately. For question 4, how would you challenge the statement. Many of us are also fascinated by the way that history becomes myth, myth becomes legend. We could have lost the entirety of one of the two timelines and the story would not have suffered from it at all. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. Everything important happens off-page, and then we just get a summary of it from a character who just happened to be there. As a broadcaster and as Co-Founder & Honorary Director of the Orange Prize for Fiction, much of my work on a day-to-day level is concerned with reading initiatives and promoting writing to readers. Add to Wish List Link to this Book Add to Bookbag Sell . Yet, there were several loose ends. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. It took me a long time to get past the first part of the book (mainly because of all the not so important descriptions of everything), but after that an amazing and mysterious story was created, which was what I expected when I started to read the book. It came back to U.S. television as a four-hour-long mini-series on SyFy on Wednesday, December 23, 2015. You may remember my excitement a couple of weeks agoat having rooted out some new purchases from Waterstones. It was incredibly difficult! It divides into two main storylines that follow two protagonists, Alas (from the year 1209) and Alice (in the year 2005). How did you feel when the action moved to contemporary France in chapter 11? To my disappointment, I turned out not to be a natural swordswoman . The quote on the back of the paperback edition from the Kirkus Review really says it all: A quickly paced adventure that wears its considerable learning lightly and of higher literary quality than The Da Vinci Code, to which it will inevitably be compared. And yet Labyrinth goes more than a few steps further, not just adding new and original twists to the myth of the grail, but adding a new depth and level that hasnt been seen before. The books contain the secrets to the Holy Grail. Publication Information. Kate Mosse is an international bestselling author with sales of more than five million copies in 42 languages. A champion of women's creativity, Kate is the Founder Director of the Women's Prize for Fiction - the largest annual celebration of women's writing in the world - and sits on the Executive Committee of Women of the World. Personally, I am proud of having made to the end where so many others fallen in the effort. What matters is whether or not a book is well written and whether or not it happens to be your cup of tea. "Sitting securely in the historical religious quest genre, Mosse's fluently written third novel (after Crucifix Lane) may tantalize (if not satisfy) the legions of Da Vinci Code devotees with its promise of revelation about Christianity's truths." The old Oc spellings for place namesCarcassona for Carcassonne, Besirs for Bzierscan even be seen on the road signs. This page was last edited on 17 October 2022, at 21:16. She was awarded an OBE in 2013 for services to Full Biography Link to Kate Mosse's Website. [5], In the fall of 2012, the series aired on Showcase in Canada, AXN in Korea, TVCine in Portugal, and Canal + Film in Poland. Further suggestions might be found on the article's talk page. Now let's talk about the characters. After watching Labyrinth, you may actually know less." I also thought that if such a thing as a Grailgraildid exist then it would be as much of a curse as a blessing and there would be a serious purpose to it, a reason why one person was chosen and another not. I picked it up because the premise sounded interesting - Alice Tanner, on an archeological dig, finds a secret grave that contains some 12th-century remains that might point to the . . Have you ever felt, like Alice, such an affinity with a place that you seem to know who must have previously lived there and the emotions they enjoyed or endured? Let's go through all the reasons why. Book reviews, bibliotherapy, a cup of tea, and a passion for the written word! Home; Literature & Fiction; Contemporary; Labyrinth. Kate has published two non-fiction books: Becoming a Mother, a companion to pregnancy and childbirth (now in its fourth edition), and The House: Behind the Scenes at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, which accompanied the award-winning BBC television fly-on-the-wall documentary series. There were also one or two very specific pieces of informationfor example, information about medieval manuscripts and book makingwhere I sought out the help of experts, such as the Curator of Illuminated Manuscripts at the British Library in London. I knew nothing of the area, nothing of the history of the region. The region became a central character for me and I came to love it. What was the mystery? I'm really over this whole trope of villains being villains only because they hate the good guys, and them having no motivations beyond "I'm a villain and so therefore I am nefarious". As I was reading this I greatly disliked it at some times and was really into it at other times. Labyrinth is an archaeological mystery English-language novel written by Kate Mosse set both in the Middle Ages and present-day France. 20 Oct 1961 -. In Labyrinth Jennifer Connolly plays Sarah, a teenager with a vivid imagination and unhappy home life who accidentally wishes her baby brother away to the Goblin King's realm, where she's forced. However, I think that Mosse fails to achieve the blending of fact and fiction that I believe defines historical thrillers. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. Labyrinth by Kate Mosse. and even though I knew the ending, I still throughly enjoyed this CD. Kate Mosse is the author of nine novels & short story collections, including the No 1, multimillion-selling Languedoc Trilogy - Labyrinth, Sepulchre and Citadel - and No 1 bestselling Gothic fiction including The Winter Ghosts and The Taxidermist's Daughter, which she is currently adapting for the stage. Condition is "Very Good". [10], "John Hurt, Sebastian Stan and More to Star in Ridley and Tony Scott's Mini-Series Adaptation of Labyrinth", "Labyrinth snags Tom Felton, Tony Curran", "South Africa: Bestseller Filmed As Mini-Series in Cape Town", "Game of Thrones' Emun Elliott, John Hurt to Star in Labyrinth Miniseries", "Christopher Smith Quests for the Holy Grail in Ridley Scott Produced Labyrinth", "EXCLUSIVE: First Photo of Ridley Scott's 'Labyrinth' Miniseries", "Labyrinth Part 1 of 2 MOW - SCHEDULE - showcase.ca", "Complex historical thriller 'Labyrinth' is smart, sophisticated", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Labyrinth_(miniseries)&oldid=1116691300, Danny Keogh as Bertrand Pelletier, Alas and Oriane's father. She is well-known for writing Labyrinth which has been translated into more than thirty-seven languages. Her fiction includes the novels Labyrinth (2005), Sepulchre (2007), The Winter Ghosts (2009), Citadel (2012), The Taxidermist's Daughter (2014) and The Burning Chambers (2018), as well as an acclaimed collection of short stories, The Mistletoe Bride & Other Haunting Tales (2013). All from $11.18 Used Books from $11.18 Is there a conflict between literary quality and commercial success? All rights reserved.Information at BookBrowse.com is published with the permission of the copyright holder or their agent. Id always believed that if there was such a thing as a Grail, its provenance would lie in some much older system of belief than the work of 13th century Christian poetsprobably as far back as Ancient Egypt 2000 BCE, a period of time when there was a prodigious development of a knowledge of mathematics, magic, astronomy, and writing. Kathryn Hughes. Hale stated "Always wanted to know more about Catharism and the Albigensian Crusade? I also have discovered that as I read more and more historical fiction, I hate supernatural twists. Rather, she attempts to differentiate Labyrinthfrom the likes of The Da Vinci Code(and there are undoubtedly a huge number of similarities) by invoking the supernatural without adequate explanation. Kate Mosse is an English writer and broadcaster, mostly known for her book Labyrinth. I'm all about mysterious/secret, lesser-known histories. It was done with finesse. Over the past sixteen years, Ive spent a great deal of time exploring not only the medieval Cit of Carcassonne, but also many of the tiny villages, tracing the old mountain paths in the Pyrenees, disappearing down caves in the mountains, much to the consternation of my family! The Languedoc truly is Cathar Country. The Hidden Camera Investigation, conducted by a deranged, half-Thai man named No Credson was a supposed attempt to have the real truth about Batman exposed, only the documentary never got made, and he explained that his Dog ate all of his video footage, claiming that it can eat even plastic with ease and gain nutritional value from it due to a . See guidelines for writing about novels. Labyrinth Kate Mosse *Beware Spoilers* Gnisy | 18:09 Sun 15th Oct 2006 | Arts & Literature. The story of Alais in the 1200s invoked some wonderful characters, and Alais herself was a heroine of true individuality and strength. ISBN-10: 0752876708. The Mistletoe Bride and Other Haunting Tales. Before becoming a full-time writer, she worked in publishing. Do you see Guilhem as an unhappy character, who never fully atones for his betrayal of Alas, or does he finally put things right? Fortunately, my children share my enthusiasm for the medieval past, so were always happy to come with me. It was the best-selling fiction title in 2006 in the United Kingdom and reached The New York Times bestseller list. Start earning points for buying books! Written by the British literary insider who co-founded the prestigious Orange Prize for Fiction, this is a quickly paced adventure that wears its considerable learning lightlyand of higher literary quality than The Da Vinci Code, to which it will inevitably be compared. Labyrinth drew from a number literary works for inspiration, including The Wizard of Oz, Snow White, and the Brothers Grimm, as well as the works of Maurice Sendak, Hans Christian Andersen, and Lewis Carroll.Blink and you miss it, but all of these works are on the shelves of Sarah's reading library in her room. Q. Required fields are marked *. The background of the 13th century is the persecution of the Cathars in Languedoc; in the 20th century it is an archealogical dig in the same area. In the Pyrenees mountains near Carcassonne, Alice, a volunteer at an archaeological dig stumbles into a cave and makes a startling discovery - two crumbling skeletons, strange writings on the walls, and the pattern of a labyrinth; between the skeletons, a stone ring, and a small leather bag. But she doesnt tell you who is who, which to sympathise with and which to condemn. A reread, because I had forgotten absolutely everything about it. Adventure writing is still alive and kicking, its just a matter of definition. Dispatched with Royal Mail 2nd Class. I'm not even joking - every single woman in this book was slim with shapely legs. So we were supposed to believe that Alas was good and kind and smart because Mosse kept. Please try again later. Labyrinth Season 1 (3) 5.8 2014 Separated by time but united by destiny, two headstrong heroines, 17-year-old Alais Pelletier du Mas (Jessica Brown-Findlay) from 13th century Carcassonne and modern day PhD graduate Dr. Alice Tanner (Vanessa Kirby) embark on a journey of peril, passion and adventure as they battle to protect the secret of the Grail. Alice dreams about Alaiss life, allowing Alice to be guided in her own quest to guard the Grail. Q. The novel has also been translated and published in 38 languages worldwide. Why do you think this historical episode is so little known today? Subscribe; Report . In Labyrinth the purpose of the grailis to allow someone to live in order to bear witness. Now that's an achievement nobody should want to have. I dont think readers worry about such labels. Kate Mosse is the author of the international mega-bestsellers Labyrinth, Citadel, and Sepulchre, with sales of more than five million copies in forty-two languages. I also suspect were most of us seduced by the idea of secrets, truths that endure beyond time or place or context. Her new novel The Burning Chambers . If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added. On TV, Kate is the presenter of BBC Fours Readers & Writers Roadshow. The first obviously Holy Grail story is Chrtien de Troyes Le Conte du Graal (Perceval) in the mid-1170s (although, in common with the custom of the time, he credited his patron for having told him the story in the first instance); this was followed shortly afterwards by a poem by Robert de Boron, Joseph of Arimathea, then, most significantly, the great Parzival, by the German poet Wolfram von Eschenbach, in 1200, which put the story on the map for good! As a medievalist and amateur historian, I was addicted to learning how Mosse laid out this Grail fantasy. Labyrinthtells two stories simultaneously: that of 17 year old Alais in 13th century southern France, and that of the academic Alice Tanner in 2005. This book had absolutely no redeeming characteristics to speak of. It is now Alas Pelletier, who we now know was the woman holding the book out to Alice, lying in a bed with her husband beside her. (For example, Raymond-Roger Trencavel, Agns de Montpellier, Simon de Montfort and others.) A fascinating period of history that just got utterly ruined in the pursuit of a shit book. Clearly it involved the Grail and a labyrinth symbol, and yes there were some unidentified skeletons in a cave. Why has it taken so many different forms over the centuries? To redeem, copy and paste the code during the checkout process. Click here for the lowest price! The Romance Books Kristine Swartz Is Loving Right Now, Great Picture Books To Capture the Spirit of St. Patricks Day, Browse All Our Lists, Essays, and Interviews, Gripping Novels for Fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid. Q. Alice finds herself dreaming of Alaiss existence in Carcassonne as she attempts to protect the labyrinths secrets, against the backdrop of French Crusaders coming to Carcassonne to rid the land of heretics. I also like history, traveling, Shakespeare, coffee, cheese, musicals, Italian Baroque art, the ballet, Mock the Week and Have I Got News For You, flowers, makeup, high heels, and baking. Digital, 9780752876702, 0752876708. Kate Mosse is the author of the New York Times bestselling Labyrinth and Sepulchre and the Co-founder and Honorary Director of the prestigious Orange Prize for Fiction. Adventure Drama Fantasy This mini-series follows two women, medieval Alas Pelletier du Mas (Jessica Brown Findlay), who lives through the Crusades and Cathar massacres in medieval France, and modern-day Alice Tanner (Vanessa Kirby), in their quest to find the Holy Grail. Labyrinth kept me reading in bed under a nice comfortable duvet for many nights. in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. It certainly contains all of the elements that you would ask for in a thriller mystery, deception, and the inevitable confrontation with death. [5] It is considered a German-South African co-production. At some point I acquired the second book in the series and have yet to read it, so A surprising mix of historical fiction, fantasy and ghost story all very well rolled into one intriguing novel. It also gave birth to the Inquisition, which most of us think started in Spain. Well, it's actually an adaptation of the 2005 award-winning bestseller by Kate Mosse, a 700-page work of commercial and historical fiction masquerading as a Holy Grail story. There are very few scenes of violence in Kates novel, but those few are extremely severe. Q. As for why its taken so many forms and endured over so many centuries, I think that the great stories are those that speak beyond time and place and context, so are constantly rewritten, reinterpreted, explored and reworked by writers, musicians, artists from different cultures, backgrounds and ages for new audiences, new times. This pulled at me and repulsed me simultaneously. Needless to say, Dan Browns Infernois already on my pre-order list! I should have known better the second I saw this described as "if, First off - this book is too damn long. I picked it up because the premise sounded interesting - Alice Tanner, on an archeological dig, finds a secret grave that contains some 12th-century remains that might point to the secret of the Grail, lost during the Crusade in the Languedoc against the Cathars and the Albigensians in 12th-century France. The book is pretty fast paced and the one big compliment I can give to Ms. Mosse is that you can see how much she has come to love the region of Languedoc and its history. Beyond frustrating. And, indeed, there were some great aspects to this book. In the Pyrenees mountains near Carcassonne, Alice, a volunteer at an archaeological dig stumbles into a cave and makes a startling discovery-two crumbling skeletons, strange writings on the walls, and the pattern of a labyrinth; between the skeletons, a stone ring, and a small leather bag. A colossal waste of time. 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