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Labyrinth

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Labyrinth

By: Kate Mosse
Narrated by: Emilia Fox, Anton Lesser
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About this listen

 Shortlisted for the British Book Awards, Author of the Year, 2007.
Winner of the British Book Awards, Richard and Judy Best Read of the Year, 2006.
A Richard and Judy Book Club Selection.

July 1209: in Carcassonne a young girl is given a mysterious book by her father which he claims contains the secret of the true Grail. Although Alais cannot understand the strange words and symbols hidden within, she knows that her destiny lies in protecting it. It will take great sacrifice and faith to keep the secret of the labyrinth safe, a secret that stretches back thousands of years to the deserts of Ancient Egypt.

July 2005: Alice Tanner stumbles upon two skeletons during an archaeological dig in the mountains outside Carcassonne. Inside the hidden tomb where the bones lie crumbling, she experiences an overwhelming sense of malevolence, as well as a creeping understanding that, however impossible it seems, she can somehow understand the mysterious ancient words carved into the rock. Too late, Alice realises she's set in motion a terrifying sequence of events that she cannot control and that her destiny is inextricably tied up with the fate of the Cathars 800 years before.

©2005 Mosse Associates Ltd.; (P)2005 Orion Publishing Group Ltd. Christian Fiction Destiny Fantasy Genre Fiction Historical Suspense Thriller & Suspense Women's Fiction Fiction Exciting Middle Ages

Critic reviews

"A gripping holy grail quest....The story line runs on knowledge and fun, Carcassonne never looked so good." ( Sunday Times)
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A bit too convoluted, jumping about frequently. Concept/storyline good, felt it would have been better if it had been broken into just three parts - 13th Century, present Century and then a joining together. As it is, it bounced about from one to the other like a ping pong ball.

Not a bad storyline

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The story was interesting, with its links between past and present. The brief insight into the world of the Cathars and their alternative religion was fascinating. The one aspect I found difficult was the appalling French accent used on occasions. I felt as though I had been transported to the set of 'Allo Allo'. Generally speaking, if an accent isn't going to sound authentic, it's probably best not to attempt it at all.
Otherwise, very enjoyable.

A Glimpse into Medieval Pays D'Oc

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A friend recommended this book but i found the story shallow and the accents of the readers dreadful couldnt wait to finish it

Poor

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This book has been reviewed to death all over the uk and is on sale all over the French city of Carcassonne, where the book is based. I downloaded the unabridged audio book from Audible and I am pleased I did. I found the paperback a little difficult to read as I do not know any French. This audio recording was easy listening, although at times the reader sounds like she is in a cavern. The pace was slow to begin, but once we are introduced to all the characters, the pace picks up and I found myself sitting in my car a little longer just to hear the end of a chapter.

A lot of the reviews on this site are justified, but I believe it is well worth downloading.

France

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I too found this book to be sorely overrated. As has been previously stated it is following in the fad for novels about 'the holy grail' and the repucussions through the ages. To be far its better than most and if you take it for what it is it can be entertaining. The characters are quite 2D and as a woman myself I can see the point previously made about it being aimed at women. It panders and patronizes and instead of identifing with Alice/Alais I just thought she was a waste of space and very feeble.

And yet whilst the plot is a little exhaustive and overblown in some areas it does offer lots of intrigue and keeps you going. Plus the narrators are the best thing about this book. As people will know from my other reviews I think Emilia Fox is fantastic and teaming up with Anton Lesser here makes it much more exciting and intriguing.

Anyone who wants an intense novel with twists and turns but still typical enough to guess whats going to happen then this is the book for you.

An average summer read

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