'Labyrinth' by Kate Mosse (2005)
I borrowed this book from the library as it reminded me a little of The Da Vinci Code but with medieval history thrown in. I did not enjoy it as much as I hoped I would but I think this was due, at least in part, to my current short term memory loss; I kept having to reread passages as I thought events weren't making sense.....
Labyrinth is an archaeological mystery set both in the Middle Ages and present day France. The detailed descriptions of the setting are well-written and insightful. In essence this is a 'quest for the grail' story with both the heroines discovering that their lives, separated by centuries, are intertwined with the fate of the grail.
It divides into two main storylines that follow the two protagonists, Alaïs (from the year 1209) and Alice (in the year 2005). The two stories occur in a shared geography and intertwine. The novel relies heavily on historical events such as the massacre at Beziers and the Crusade against the Cathars in the South of France from around 1200. It is these passages where the novel shines. The medieval setting is truly brought to life, and the complex political and spiritual environment is rendered in very human terms. These passages move the story along at a satisfying pace.
The modern day part of the story is more of a straightforward detective-style thriller. I found this a bit cumbersome and unsatisfying. The characters seemed wafer-thin and it was absolutely no surprise that one of them is centuries old; there was little dramatic suspense throughout the modern parts.
The main problem for me was that I really enjoyed the medieval bits and just when I settled into an historical novel it would change to the modern detective mode. Once I'd adjusted to this, it was time to change again. The two plot lines were not well-paced to heighten tension and they did not work together to bring a rousing crescendo as I had hoped.
Two petty points also affected my enjoyment. The first was the authors insistence on sprinkling the medieval bits with words from the dead language of southern France. This was done inconsistently and immediately translated (often unnecessarily!). This annoyed me as it smacked of an "ooh aren't I clever finding all these dead words!" mindset. It really did add very little and after a while was simply irritating (I'm pleased to say that Lisa found this to be the case as well!).
The second point was that the bibliography listed its sources alphabetically by title not by author. Surely that's not acceptable anywhere?
Labyrinth won a British Book Award and on the whole I think this was deserved. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoyed The Da Vinci Code or likes historical dramas... just don't get confused which is which!
Labyrinth is an archaeological mystery set both in the Middle Ages and present day France. The detailed descriptions of the setting are well-written and insightful. In essence this is a 'quest for the grail' story with both the heroines discovering that their lives, separated by centuries, are intertwined with the fate of the grail.
It divides into two main storylines that follow the two protagonists, Alaïs (from the year 1209) and Alice (in the year 2005). The two stories occur in a shared geography and intertwine. The novel relies heavily on historical events such as the massacre at Beziers and the Crusade against the Cathars in the South of France from around 1200. It is these passages where the novel shines. The medieval setting is truly brought to life, and the complex political and spiritual environment is rendered in very human terms. These passages move the story along at a satisfying pace.
The modern day part of the story is more of a straightforward detective-style thriller. I found this a bit cumbersome and unsatisfying. The characters seemed wafer-thin and it was absolutely no surprise that one of them is centuries old; there was little dramatic suspense throughout the modern parts.
The main problem for me was that I really enjoyed the medieval bits and just when I settled into an historical novel it would change to the modern detective mode. Once I'd adjusted to this, it was time to change again. The two plot lines were not well-paced to heighten tension and they did not work together to bring a rousing crescendo as I had hoped.
Two petty points also affected my enjoyment. The first was the authors insistence on sprinkling the medieval bits with words from the dead language of southern France. This was done inconsistently and immediately translated (often unnecessarily!). This annoyed me as it smacked of an "ooh aren't I clever finding all these dead words!" mindset. It really did add very little and after a while was simply irritating (I'm pleased to say that Lisa found this to be the case as well!).
The second point was that the bibliography listed its sources alphabetically by title not by author. Surely that's not acceptable anywhere?
Labyrinth won a British Book Award and on the whole I think this was deserved. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoyed The Da Vinci Code or likes historical dramas... just don't get confused which is which!
Labels: carcassonne, cathars, crusades, da vinci code, holy grail, kate mosse
posted by Social Work Dad at 5:04 AM
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