Kate Mosse Labyrinth

Last week I came across Labyrinth in a local charity shop for 49p! Cant really go wrong. As soon as I read the first page I was hooked, I read it within a couple of days, I cried at parts of the book, when Alais and Guilhem lay holding each other in the cave. Thats when you know youve got a good read, when it can affects your emotions so strongly. It was a beautiful story, Im actually saddened that its over. I have given it to a friend who is currently reading it now. I cant praise it enough. I feel it has a bit of something for everyone, history, murder, mystery, love, loyalty, religion. Utterly stunning novel.

Very well researched, and enjoyed descriptions of Carcassonne and Chartres, but far too many words. Format much too complicated for the overall plot, and although I finished the book as it was our book club choice, would never have bothered to soldier on otherwise.

I said in my initial comments that I would recommend Kate Mosse's "Labyrinth" to a friend; however it is because I loved the history, not the writing. Given the strength of Kate Mosse's usual prose, I expected the plot to hold together better. I also expected less use of cliche in the narrative. I felt like I should drink a beer every time the "hairs on the back of _____'s neck pricked up", or "everything went dark." I also wanted to scream at Alice (the contemporary protagonist) more than once, just because Mosse made this PhD researcher into a dunce at times.

With all that said, if you love historical fiction, and are willing to overlook the blemishes, Labyrinth is still a very enjoyable read. Borrow it from a friend.

As a francophile I found Labryrinth by Kate Mosse very interesting and informative.It brought back memories of a visit many years ago to Carcassonne.People may remember that the town stood in for Nottingham in the film "Robin Hood, Prince of thieves". I was impressed by the detailed research into the historical and geographical background to the story..Last summer I visited Chartres cathedral and walked through the labyrinth not knowing that I would be reading a novel in which it featured. I had not seen it on previous visits to the cathedral but was told that it is only opened to the public on Fridays.

Reading this immediately after The Da Vinci Code it is obvious that Dan Brown's narrative flow is far superior. The parallel stories and time slips are confusing as well as frustrating. The plot of mixed memories just did not work for me - I also felt the book needed tidying up with a further edit as there were loose unexplained ends. How did Alice acquire a wound on the inside of her elbow at the beginning of the book - never explained.

The conclusion of the book seemed rushed and unconvincing - it was not entirely clear what was happening or why and it probably deserved more pages of description than it was given.

Labyrinth is an interesting tale of two lives that are interlinked and interwoven and the story is clearly based on considerable research but I was left wishing that the book had been critically edited before its release.

Overall, I enjoyed the foundation and idea of the story but feel it could have been better presented and written. The descriptions were too lengthy in many places, enough to where it actually distracted me from getting into the story. I noticed this from the first page. I felt the overuse of non-English words here and there within the English dialogue was annoying. Additionally, there are times when the sides of Alice and Alais do not come together smoothly or in cronological order. I had to go and re-read beginning parts of the story to remind myself how they connected to some of the characters at the end. I feel like it could have flowed better if some of the happenings at the beginning had been readdressed throughout the book, as some of them seemed like random events until the very end.One thing readers might want to be aware of is how slow to the plot moves along tread considering how many pages are covered. It's not until around page 500 that things really start moving, and by then a lot of potenial readers would have probably already put it down.I think the book has a good foundation and I was intrigued enough to read until the end, but I found similar stories like the Di Vinci Code to be much more engaging writing flow-wise and in tone. Those interested in fiction that incorporates history, mystery, and intrigue will probably enjoy the book if you can get past the overdone writing style.

Although it was written with vigour and was in the main historically accurate, I was extremely disappointed by this book. It was barely strung together, shoddy, ridiculous, and in places simply made no sense. I felt as though I was reading a first draft, and many times had to laugh or I would cry. Mosse embarked on a great attempt with this book, unfortunately she failed miserably.

This book was not my normal sort of book but reading the blurb at the back I thought it sounded interesting so decided to purchase. WOW I was hooked from page one and just could not put the book down. I was so disappointed to have finished the book just wanted to read it for ever. I thought it was just fascinating, extremely well written and I just had to search for another of this great authors publications once I had finished.

As for if I would recommend this book to friends, I already have my parents hooked onto it!!

Not my normal read but once I had started, found it difficult to put down. I would recommend Labyrinth by Kate Mosse to anyone.

Lovely book, captivating, thrilling, wonderfully told, you could imagine the surroundings, Mosse has described everything in great detail. I didnt want it to finish!