The Winter Ghosts

by Kate Mosse

By the author of the "New York Times"-bestselling "Labyrinth," a story of two lives touched by war and transformed by courage.

In the winter of 1928, still seeking some kind of resolution to the horrors of World War I, Freddie is traveling through the beautiful but forbidding French Pyrenees. During a snowstorm, his car spins off the mountain road. Dazed, he stumbles through the woods, emerging in a tiny village, where he finds an inn to wait out the blizzard. There he meets Fabrissa, a lovely young woman also mourning a lost generation.

Over the course of one night, Fabrissa and Freddie share their stories. By the time dawn breaks, Freddie will have unearthed a tragic, centuries-old mystery, and discovered his own role in the life of this remote town.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Mystery, Historical, Fantasy, France, Ghosts

253 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2009

About the author

Kate Mosse is an international bestselling author with sales of more than five million copies in 42 languages. Her fiction includes the novels Labyrinth (2005), Sepulchre (2007), The Winter Ghosts (2009), and Citadel (2012), as well as an acclaimed collection of short stories, The Mistletoe Bride & Other Haunting Tales (2013). Kate’s new novel, The Taxidermist’s Daughter is out now.
Kate is the Co-Founder and Chair of the Board of the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction (previously the Orange Prize) and in June 2013, was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for services to literature. She lives in Sussex.

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kate Mosse uses the supernatural, to write about the uncovering of some of the dark past of France in this tale set in the 1920s. A young man recently released from a Sanatorium takes a trip to France and meets an alluring woman with a shocking story to tell. Well written but not that captivating. 5 out of 12, Two Stars.

2012 read

[Rusty's Ghost Engine (also known as.......... Jinky Spring) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick yet entertaining read. The ending was a little confusing and vague though...

I will say straight off this book was perfect for my snowy getaway to Switzerland in December. It had a good dark, cold and even a bit eerie feel to it and as night comes early in the winter this was a really good pick.

I really liked how the author was able to create a really good atmosphere in this, she fully managed to paint a good picture of the time periods and the setting. Heck it even made me want to visit southern France myself as the author really succeeded in making the area sound exotic not to mention mysterious. Could there be more hidden caves in the Pyrenees that have yet to be discovered?

Anyone who knows me will know I love a good ghost story on a dark night and while this one didn’t fail to deliver in the terms of suspense, it didn’t exactly pack a punch or have much of a mystery factor either. For me it was pretty obvious who the ghosts were before the big reveal. But there again maybe that’s just me as I’ve read a great many ghost stories in my time.

There was quite a lot of suspense and build up in this book to a positive finale which was all good, but I feel there could have been more of a mystery, how to say, I wish the mystery surrounding this could have been a little less obvious but once again maybe that’s just me and my past experiences with books.

Review at
https://edwardsghostengine.wordpress....

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating Clarification: 4.5 Stars


Beautifully rendered ghost story that encapsulates grief better then any I have read in a long time. This tale of separation, loss and redemption is bittersweet to the very end. Author Kate Mosse's descriptive prose is lovely, and the story is haunting without being cliched. While I wasn't too impressed with her longer novel, Labyrinth, Mosse delivers an emotional knockout with this shorter work. Of added bonus is the ink drawings preceeding each chapter by Brian Gallagher; I feel they add to the unfolding tale.

It's everything I hoped for in a ghost story, and more.

[Meg · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have created a new shelf in honor of this book, ie 'too painful to finish'. I tried for another 20 pages or so, but it is too awful for me to waste my time on. This is my review when about one-third through.

This story is so tediously over-written, that I am not sure I can finish it. The plot moves at a glacial pace with childish elaboration. As I finish reading several pages when almost nothing happens, I can't help but think of the few sentences that Elmore Leonard would have wrapped it up with. This would only be a very short story if he had written it.

The story is told in first person by a supposedly young man as he relates his experiences to an older, previously unmet, man. Even the most courteous of strangers would be repeatedly urging him to get to the point and leave out the extraneous details that would only be of interest to his spinster aunt. If the story had been told in first person as it happened to him, say as a flash-back, then the minutiae could be forgiven. But in the story context, it is absurd.

I will plow on for now, but may surrender.

[Damian Dubois · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ideal setting to read a book concerning ghosts would be during the dead of winter, tucked up comfortably in an armchair in front of a warm cosy fire, while the wind outside howls through the eaves and the snow blankets the land outside.

For some reason I always manage to time my reading of ghost stories when the weather is unseasonably warm (for goodness sake, we're only a third of the way into spring and it's already stinking hot!) so the ideal mentioned above unfortunately fell by the wayside for me. So, to get into the winter feel, I cranked up the air conditioner to blizzard like conditions, threw on an anorak and settled down to read this hauntingly beautiful tale from Kate Mosse...

Freddie Watson is a damaged man, consumed by sadness at the loss of his beloved elder brother George, taken away like so many other young men during the horrors of the First World War. Living through this loss he develops a sense of guilt and isolation from his family (George always being the more favoured of the two) and at the tender of age of twenty-one he suffers a mental breakdown (on the night of his birthday, no less) and is confined to a sanatorium to heal and recuperate. Once released and feeling he has no real ties to England any more Freddie decides to take a sabbatical in France and it’s whilst driving through the Pyrenees mountain range during a particularly bad snow storm his car spins off the road and that our story truly begins.

Its while during his stay in the quaint old town of Nulle that we learn the history of the region and meet a mysterious young lady by the name of Fabrissa. And just like Freddie I think I also fell for Fabrissa the moment she was described, long dark hair, loose tumbling curls and a smile that would ensnare any heart. It’s through his conversation with Fabrissa that we begin to learn that not everything is as it appears and although I cottoned on to the situation much quicker than dear Freddie boy I felt that my enjoyment of the book was undiminished.

The Winter Ghosts definitely generates the needed atmosphere to carry off such a tale and although pegged as a ghost story it is actually much more than that. Part ghost story, part character study, part heartachingly good romance, it manages to combine all these elements together in a tight plot and pulls it off remarkably well. Kate Mosse be praised. I'll definitely be pulling Labyrinth off the shelf in the not too distant future.

Recommended to anyone that loves a quick chill before bedtime.

5 stars.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I really enjoyed this book. At the outset, it reminded me a bit of The Shadow of the Wind with its atmospheric tone with a touch of suspense and creepiness.

The story opens at an antiquarian bookseller in Toulouse, France. Our main character, a young man, presents the shop owner with a very old piece of parchment written in a long-gone language. He needs a translator, but the shop owner wants to know how he came to have it first. It's the telling of this story that makes up the bulk of the book.

The introspective tone was so perfect for this tale of quiet suspense. The author, a middle-aged woman, stepped into the soul and mind of her main character, a young man, capturing his motivations and essence so well. He carries quite a load of grief, which at one point led him to a breakdown and she conveys his brokenness poignantly and beautifully. He is a man searching for love and you will see why the person who died took a big part of Freddie to the grave with him.

The audio performance by Julian Rhind-Tutt was terrific. He conveyed the creepy atmospheric suspense so wonderfully in his pacing and tone. My only criticism is that sometimes he would speak a little too softly and then bounce back and forth between normal volume for a bit, which was a little difficult when I would fall asleep at night listening to this book. However, listening at normal volume during the day was just fine, and I would consider reading a book primarily because this man was the narrator. He was that good.

I'll be looking for more from this author, because this story transported me to the French Pyrenees, and even though it was somewhat dark, it captivated me so much that it was hard to put this book down.

[JackieB · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought this would might made a good short story, but it was padded out to novel length. The beginning quarter of the book was largely unnecessary to the overall story, and rather tedious. I was thinking of abandoning it when the story really began (as far as I was concerned).

Unfortunately, the main story seemed full of plot holes, or plot devices pushed too far. Having the main character, who was the narrator, write "Looking back, I cannot believe I thought X/did Y" did not fill them as far as I was concerned. I just thought "That makes two of us!". It was especially annoying because she tried to use this trick at least twice, which is at least once too often for my taste.

Finally, I know I am being bitchy, but can someone explain to Kate Mosse that it is PITCH BLACK in caves once you have moved away from the entrance. If you have a torch you cannot see that a cavern is "Like a cathedral" because you do not have enough light to be able to see that well. Similarly, you cannot describe the cave in any detail because you can only see the small part illuminated by your torch. She has done this twice to my knowledge (in this book and in Labyrinth) and it drives me crazy.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Freddie is haunted by the memory of his brother George, who lost his life during World War I. After years of sadness and a brief stint in a sanitarium Freddie journey's around France. When a snow storm leaves him with a broken car and lost in the mountains he winds up in the village of Nulle, Freddie finds a girl with a similar past who leads him to a monumental historical discovery.

The Winter Ghosts is a quick read, which is good because it will distract you from the lack of story it has. Mosse took an interesting subject, the Cathars, and made it dull, and ultimately unimportant in her story. Freddie himself, goes from being a character one can pity and really root for to an annoying babbling crazy person.
A big part of the problem is that the story Mosse is trying to tell isn't big enough for the 250 pages she has written. A lot of mindless descriptions and musing happen, and the story moves at a snails pace.
The actually story of the Cathar's is interesting, but as it is told as an unbelievable dream and in short bursts near the end, it felt more like a plot device than a historic even important to the actual story.

Overall The Winter Ghosts wasn't great, but it wasn't terrible, and if nothing else it was a quick read. If you think you can stomach Freddie's whining, you might actually enjoy it.

[Anne-Marijn Küthe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it! Loved the atmosphere, the writing and the history!

[Georgia Zarkadaki · Rating 2 out of 5]

https://cherrybookreviews.wordpress.c...

Έχω μια αμυδρή ανάμνηση από την πρώτη μου επίσκεψη στην Αγγλία. Η οικοδέσποινα μου είχε μια ωραία μεγάλη βιβλιοθήκη γεμάτη paperbacks διαφόρων λογοτεχνικών ειδών, ένα από αυτά που μου είχαν κεντρίσει την περιέργεια άνηκε στην γνωστή συγγραφέα ιστορικών μυθιστορημάτων Kate Mosse. Κατάφερα να διαβάσω λίγες σελίδες αλλά για λόγους που δεν θυμάμαι πια αναγκάστηκα να πιάσω κάποιο άλλο βιβλίο. Μου έμεινε όμως η διάθεση να διαβάσω κάτι από την Mosse αλλά δεν κατάφερα ακόμα να βρω εκείνο που είχα ξεκινήσει στην Αγγλία για αυτό έπιασα το «Τα φαντάσματα του χειμώνα» που αγόρασα για πέντε ευρώ από κάποιον πάγκο.
Η υπόθεση αφορά έναν νεαρό Άγγλο που στιγματισμένος από τον θάνατο του μεγαλύτερου του αδερφού κατά την διάρκεια του πρώτου παγκόσμιου πολέμου κάνει το γύρο της Γαλλίας με το αυτοκίνητο του προσπαθώντας να συνέλθει και να ξεχάσει επώδυνες αναμνήσεις. Ένα βράδυ που έχει ιδιαιτέρως κακό καιρό το αυτοκίνητο του βγαίνει από τον δρόμο με αποτέλεσμα να πρέπει να βρει καταφύγιο για να περάσει το βράδυ. Κάπως έτσι καταλήγει σε ένα χωριό όπου θα γνωρίσει την Φαμπρισά , μια νεαρή και όμορφη κάτοικο του χωριού που μαζί της θα μοιραστεί τον πόνο της απώλειας.
Άμα έλεγα ότι είναι ένα καλό μυθιστόρημα θα έλεγα ψέματα. Η μετάφραση δεν μου άρεσε καθόλου, την βρήκα πολύ στεγνή και δεν βοηθούσε στην ανάγνωση. Οι χαρακτήρες ήταν μονοδιάστατοι και χωρίς ενδιαφέρον.Η υπόθεση ήταν μοιρασμένη πολύ άνισα. Στα πρώτα 2/3 δεν συμβαίνει σχεδόν τίποτα. Ακολουθούμε έναν τύπο που δεν λέει να ξεπεράσει τον θάνατο του αδερφού του και ζει μονίμως μέσα σε μια ομίχλη πένθους. Στο 1/3 ξετυλίγεται η πλοκή και στο τέλος παίρνουμε απαντήσεις στις ερωτήσεις που δεν θέσαμε ποτέ γιατί πολύ πιθανόν να είχαμε κοιμηθεί με το βιβλίο ανοιχτό επάνω στο στήθος μας. Οι κακές κριτικές στο GoodReads ήταν απόλυτα σωστές. Το μόνο θετικό που μπορώ να του καταλογίσω είναι ότι με βοήθησε να χαλαρώσω πολύ και να έκανε να θέλω να διαβάσω ξανά.
Δεν το προτείνω, δεν νομίζω πως γνωρίζω κάποιον που θα το ευχαριστηθεί.

[Blair · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a thoroughly enjoyable little story with plenty of atmosphere and intrigue. I've only read one other book by Kate Mosse - the readable but somewhat heavy-handed Sepulchre - and The Winter Ghosts was far better. Like Sepulchre, it reads rather like a YA novel, and I wasn't at all surprised to learn it's an expanded version of a previously published short story. But the characters are likeable, the plot grips, and Freddie's meeting with the mysterious Fabrissa and his subsequent discoveries are beautifully handled. I found it all very absorbing and was delighted by the ghostly experience at the heart of the story. I must mention Brian Gallagher's gorgeous illustrations, too - they truly complemented the narrative and really brought the settings to life for me. This is a quick read, but a lovely one - it would be perfect to while away a winter's evening (preferably read in front of a roaring fire while a thunderstorm rumbles away outside).

[Noella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heel mooi verhaal, met een historische achtergrond. Ook het spirituele komt aan bod, en ik vind het zeer mooi uitgewerkt. Het eerste deel, over de psychische moeilijkheden van de hoofdpersoon, Frederick Watson, die het niet kan verwerken dat zijn oudere broer George gesneuveld is, vond ik een beetje langdradig. Maar vanaf het moment dat het verhaal draait om de belevenissen van Freddie in Frankrijk, vond ik het erg spannend en geheimzinnig.
Ik ben blij dat ik deze novelle gelezen heb, een aangename kennismaking met deze schrijfster.

[Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exquisite ghost story, well told, highly emotive, short and to the point. This one has a beautiful backdrop to it in southern France, a land of snow-clad mountains and icy forests. I'm not ashamed to admit it had me bawling at the end.

The various plot strands are neatly woven: the great sense of loss following the Great War; psychological grief; 14th century history; an atmospheric and subtle ghostly presence worthy of the best Victorian authors and even a little mystery here and there.

I've not read the author's most popular books, LABYRINTH and SEPULCHRE, but I'm eager to try them out on the strength of this pacey and compelling effort. It's a beautiful and strongly poignant piece of writing.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a hefty tome like Kate Mosse's previous novels; in reality it is a novella and I read it in two sittings. As I haven't read her previous works I didn't have any preconceptions about this. Past and present are woven together well and the ghost story is redolent of M R James. The themes of love and loss are central and the setting is post WW1. Freddie is mourning his older brother who died in the war; the exploration of male grief is very interesting and poignant. the resolution and working out of the story is satisfying and despite the sadness I was left with a warm feeling. A bit of historical knowledge about the Cathars doesn't go amiss

[Donna Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, but I’m not sure why…
Was it the magical quality of the storytelling style as well as the mysterious plot?
Maybe it was the likable, well-developed characters, the residents (both natural and supernatural) of this tiny French town as well as the main character.
Maybe it was the setting: rural France, a wonderfully un-modernized town.
Maybe it was the ghosts. I mean, you can’t deny their appeal!
In the end, I was left wondering if it was the perfection of the narrator’s performance. Not alone, but in a largish part.
A dreamy, quick read or listen.

[Fiona MacDonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a strange and dreamlike story. For those hoping for a scary ghost story I think you will be disappointed because it portrays so much more...
Freddie has lost his beloved brother George in the trenches and, after being released from a sanitarium where he has been convalescing following a breakdown he winds up in France on the way to visit some friends. A day later, Freddie is trapped in a small village following a snowstown that has caused his car to crash and is invited to the annual celebration of the village. The person he meets at this get together will change his life forever.
It's bitterly sad, painfully honest, and just beautifully written.
I loved it and went to sleep thinking about it.

[Elizabeth Sulzby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this brief novel about the Cathars' persecution in the 14th Century of France to be much more elegant and rewarding than The Labyrinth. I think Mosse uses the time shifting from the early 20th Century to the 14th century much more skillful and convincing. As with the Labyrinth, the caves allowed whole communities to hide from persecution and death--to a point. The main character has to resolve issues in his modern life with his grief for his brother who was killed in WWI, with his relations with his parents, and with whether or not he will begin to live "life in the moment." The "lessons to be learned" are stated quite plainly but it did not come across to me as didactic since Mosse had created a character who could only come to such clear statements after much long mental and physical suffering.

The Winter Ghosts is indeed a ghost story but not in the scary sense--more a focus on extra-sensory perception. Mosse is co-founder of the Orange Prize, a prolific author, and supporter of the arts.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

We are who we are, because of those we choose to love and because of those who love us.

A nice and cozy little read perfect for a winter evening. It has a few ghosts but concentrates on life, on a wounded soul and the way to heal it and, above all else, on the need to love and be loved in turn.

[Χρύσα Βασιλείου · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5/5 αστεράκια.

Αρχικά, να πω πως το περίμενα αρκετά διαφορετικό. Και ο τίτλος του και το "Η κόρη του ταριχευτή" -το μοναδικό άλλο βιβλίο της συγγραφέως που έχω διαβάσει ως τώρα- με προϊδέαζαν για κάτι περισσότερο...ατμοσφαιρικό, να το πω έτσι.

Όμως τελικά μπορώ να πω πως, σε γενικές γραμμές, μου άρεσε. Τουλάχιστον όσο κράτησε η ανάγνωσή του. Το ύφος είναι απλό, η γραφή λιτή, όμως το ίδιο το βιβλίο είναι και όμορφο μέσα στην απλότητά του. Η ιστορία είναι καθόλου τρομακτική και αρκούντως συγκινητική. Το ότι ιστορικά συνέβησαν όντως ορισμένα γεγονότα από αυτά που περιγράφονται στις σελίδες του, δίνει μια επιπλέον πιστότητα σε μια ιστορία με ούτως ή άλλως ισχυρές δόσεις φανταστικού και υπερφυσικού στοιχείου. Και κάνουν τον αναγνώστη να δώσει περισσότερη προσοχή στα ιστορικά γεγονότα και να τα αντιμετωπίσει με περισσότερο σεβασμό. Γιατί είναι μακάβριο να σκέφτεσαι ότι υπήρξαν πραγματικά τόσοι άνθρωποι που βρήκαν τέτοιον μαρτυρικό θάνατο, και το να διαβάζεις μια ιστορία βασισμένη σε αυτά που συνέβησαν τότε οπωσδήποτε σε επηρεάζει - έστω και λίγο Προσωπικά, το τέλος του κατάφερε να με συγκινήσει.
Επίσης, μου άρεσε το σκηνικό του μικρού χωριού, με τη "βουκολική" εσάνς επαρχιώτικης φιλοξενίας, την παραδοσιακή φιέστα μιας επετείου και του κόσμου που μαζεύεται κάπου για να γιορτάσει - του ίδιου κόσμου όπου όλοι γνωρίζονται μεταξύ τους και είναι πρόθυμοι πάντα να βοηθήσουν αν παραστεί ανάγκη. Πιστεύω πως το εν λόγω σκηνικό θα μπορούσε να χρησιμοποιηθεί και εδώ σε μεγαλύτερη έκταση, κι επίσης θα μου άρεσε να συναντήσω κάτι παρόμοιο και σε ένα άλλο βιβλίο. Ίσως σε μια δυνατή ιστορία μυστηρίου που συμβαίνει σε ένα τέτοιο μικρό, απομακρυσμένο χωριό. Θεωρώ πως έχει πολλές προοπτικές. Εδώ ίσως δεν αναδείχτηκε όσο του άξιζε το μικρό αυτό χωριουδάκι, ο πρωταγωνιστής δεν είχε την ευκαιρία να το ανακαλύψει ως τουρίστας, αλλά η ίδια η ιστορία των "φαντασμάτων του χειμώνα" σε παρασέρνει τελικά και δεν σε αφήνει να το πολυσκεφτείς.

Σε γενικές γραμμές, απόλαυσα το βιβλίο όσο κράτησε. Σίγουρα δεν είναι ένα από τα αναγνώσματα που θα μου μείνει, ούτε θεωρώ πως είναι ό,τι καλύτερο μπορεί να δώσει μια συγγραφική πένα (της Mosse ή κάποια άλλη) όμως είναι μια όμορφη ιστορία για να περάσει κάποιος την ώρα του. Πολλές φορές, ένας αναγνώστης δεν χρειάζεται τίποτα περισσότερο από αυτό.

[Leonda Wijen]

Te uitgebreide vertellingen.

[Furqan · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 rating, since there were one or two things I actually liked about this book. It is suffice to say that it was a load of sentimental bollocks. I would have given up on this book, only if I hadn't read and enjoyed Mosse's previous novels (see Labyrinth and Sepulchre). Also, it was a short read, so I thought I might as well finish it because I absolutely hate abandoning books half-way through.

Just like Hosseini in The Kite Runner, Mosse tries to over-sentimentalize the suffering and grief of her protagonist, Freddie Watson. I am not underestimating the hold grief might take on someone who has lost his older brother, but I would question it when clearly it seems blown out of the proportion, that instead of sympathising with the hero, you end up hating him because now you know that the author is trying her hardest to manipulate your emotions. All Freddie does is whine and wallow in self-pity. How, even 15 years after George's death, the music has no "charm" for him, how he is no longer "moved" by nature - basically everything cease to matter for Freddie the day he hears of his brother's death in the Great War. And as if it was not enough, Freddie's parents are demonised, as he keeps whining that they were "unable to love" him or they "forgot about him", how they only loved George and how they abandoned me to rot in sanatorium. Really, it is rather unbecoming of a grown man to act like an emo.

However, I do commend author's effort (even though it failed) to portray the psychological suffering men go through, because of the society expecting them to bottle up their feelings. I think story would have been much better if George's character was shown thoroughly. We only get three or four snippets of his and Freddie's relationship like George made me laugh or George comforted me when my mother didn't doesn't really give a realistic impression of someone who makes such a huge presence in the novel.

Also, the author should consider writing a brochure for tourists visiting southern France, because it is clear how much she loves filling her story with unnecessary descriptions of the surroundings and the mountains, until it becomes intolerable. The first 100 pages were such a drag to read, with very few dialogues and the rest being flooded with paragraphs after paragraphs describing French landscape.

I found Fabrissa's story more intriguing, although I did question Freddie's falling in love with her at their first meeting.

In short, an unsatisfying read and lacking in suspense which is a must if you are writing a 'ghost' story.

[Lindsay · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh.

I picked up this book against my better judgement, because I really didn't enjoy "Labyrinth" by Mosse, but I figured that this was short, so why not?

It was not very good. There was a good idea buried in here somewhere, but the execution was flawed. The main character drove me crazy. I mean, I get he was mourning, and I have no problem with that aspect of his personality, but he just really irked me. He turned into a babbling idiot for no discernible reason, and the actions he took made no real sense. I liked the idea of a ghost/spirit desperate to tell her story, and I thought that a good novel could have been built around that, but there was just so much pointlessness in this story that it masked what little good there was. I knew going in I was reading a novella, but even with the short page count, it still felt like it dragged on and on and on. The history was interesting, but there was so little of it, it almost didn't make a difference.

I know better now. No more from this author.

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the expanded story that was originally released as The Cave, a 97 page short story for World Book Day 2009:

0752884506 (ISBN13: 9780752884509)

A beautiful cover - silver hoar frost roses as if on a pane of glass and inside there be maps *swoon*.

Illustrations by Brian Gallaher.

'Known unto God'

Rudyard Kipling

(epigraph carved on the tombstones raised to the memory of unknown soldiers and airmen)

OLD WINTER
Pitiful old Winter has returned,
Limping up and down our roads,
Spreading his white blanket of snow
While the Cers wind cries in the
branches of the pine trees.

TRADITIONAL OCCITAN SONG

Opening: TOULOUSE April 1933

La Rue des Pénitents Gris.

He walked like a man recently returned to the world. Every step was careful, deliberate. Every step to be relished.

2* - weak ghost story about the historical facts surrounding catholic-christian atrocities against christian-cathars in 15C languedoc region. 1* extra for cover, map, illustrations and large font.

[Auntie Terror · Rating 4 out of 5]

(RTC)

[Carmine R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ossa, ombra e polvere

"La notte degli innocenti" non è solamente la storia dell'elaborazione di un lutto, bensì anche una suggestiva riflessione sul ricordo.
Ognuno di noi, oltre alla normalissima paura della morte, teme soprattutto di essere dimenticato.
Teme che, dopo il nostro passaggio, quello che rimanga di noi siano solo ossa, ombra e polvere.
D'altro canto, chi è condannato a cercare un motivo per vivere (protagonista del libro) si aggrappa al ricordo per non morire dentro, ma con il pericoloso rischio di accogliere colpe non sue.
La completa immersione nel proprio passato comporta un indebolimento psicologico di se stessi: il ricordo è condanna per il vivo e speranza per il morto.

[Paula Cappa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written. The descriptions absolutely came to life on the page. This story of ghosts, love and romance, and the supernaturalism of the past leaking into the present (1933) is a fascinating one. Freddie is a charming and sympathetic character, deeply introspective, who stayed with me long after I closed the book. Hidden caves, mysterious images, and Mosse’s evocative prose made for a suspenseful read. This is not a scary ghost story, more melancholy and cerebral. I liked this novel far better than Mosse’s Sepulchre.

[nettebuecherkiste · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deutscher Titel: Wintergeister

Frankreich, 1928. Freddie Watson ist nie über den Tod seines Bruders im 1. Weltkrieg hinweggekommen. Er ist zur Erholung im Pyrenäengebiet unterwegs, als er von einem plötzlichen Wintereinbruch überrascht wird und sein Auto von der Straße abkommt. Auf dem Weg zu Fuß in das nahegelegene Dorf meint er, eine Stimme zu hören. Im Dorf schließlich findet er schnell eine Unterkunft, deren Besitzerin ihn zu einer Feier einladet, die an diesem Abend im Dorf stattfindet. Dort trifft auf er die schöne, faszinierende Fabrissa, mit der er lange redet, auch über seinen Verlust. Dann geschehen plötzlich merkwürdige Dinge.

Kate Mosse ist mit ihrem Roman “Das verlorene Labyrinth” bekannt geworden, der auch verfilmt wurde. Wie in diesem Werk spielen auch in diesem Buch die letzten Katharergemeinden eine wichtige Rolle. Ein weiteres Thema ist das des 1. Weltkrieges, der so viele Leben zerstört hat, nicht nur die der Gefallen, und die Bewältung des persönlichen Verlusts. Das Buch beginnt gemächlich, ruhig, doch wenn Freddie erst einmal das Dorf Nulle erreicht, ahnt der Leser bald, was da vor sich geht und wer Fabrissa ist. Das ist aber nicht schlimm, denn der Spannungsbogen beruht eher auf Freddies (sehr langsamer) Realisierung dessen, was um ihn herum vor sich geht, damit, ob er die ganze Wahrheit herausfinden wird, und ob es ihn persönlich weiterbringt.

Der Roman ist nicht wirklich gruselig, der leichte Schauer angenehmer Natur, es handelt sich eher um eine poetisch-schöne, aber traurige Geistergeschichte, die das Interesse am Schicksal der letzten Katharergemeinden im Süden Frankreichs weckt. Gleich nach Beendigung der Lektüre bin ich daher bei Wikipedia gelandet, was für mich immer ein eindeutiges Zeichen ist, dass dieses Buch einen Daumen hoch bekommen sollte.

Sehr gefallen haben mir das wunderschöne okzitanische Lied, das eine Rolle in dem Buch spielt, und die Zusatzinformationen (Karte, Hintergrund, Literaturempfehlungen), die Kate Mosse ihren Lesern gibt.

Auch hat es in mir die Lust geweckt, das besagte “verlorene Labyrinth” endlich einmal zu lesen.

[Felice · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's 288 pages? What is this a short story? The Winter Ghosts is a stand alone novel, not part of the series that ties Labyrinth and Sepulchre.Is Kate Mosse mad at me?

The Winter Ghosts starts like a classic spook tale with the arrival of a stranger. In 1928 Freddie Watson enters a bookshop in Toulouse clutching a letter written in a dead language. He then tells the shocked bookseller his story. Watson had not been able to get past his adored brother's death during WWI. After ten years of grieving, confusion, drifting and a mental breakdown he finds himself driving through the Pyrenees in yet another attempt at a cure or at least a diversion. It's snowy, there's a crash and then a touch of Lost Horizon, Wuthering Heights, Brigadoon, ancient French history, a beautiful woman, Medieval celebrations, locked towers, persecution and a ghost too.

You cannot help but compare The Winter Ghosts to its predecessor as you read it. From that point of view the plot is a bit predictable, but still satisfying. Looking at the novel as a stand alone it fairs better. Mosse does an especially good job when writing about Watson's grieving. You can feel the weight of his bereavement and his self loathing at being the one to survive and not being able to master his emotions and move on. We already know how capable Mosse is at moving her novels between the centuries while maintaining our interest in both eras. The descriptive settings and historical tidbits that Mosse drops in the story are just as captivating as they are in her full size novels.

If you are a fan of Kate Mosse, fear not! If you have wanted to try Kate Mosse but you aren't a lover of doorstop size novels give The Winter Ghosts a try. Mosse has a strong sense of dramatic timing and is an exceedingly good, old fashion storyteller.

So...thanks Kate Mosse for giving me something very gratifying to tide me over until the last of the Languedoc Trilogy, Citadel comes along in September 2011.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Winter Ghosts is a ghost story, but is also a story on grief and its effects on the human mind and spirit. It's one of the best depictions of grief that I've ever read. It was hauntingly beautiful, and Kate Mosse's literary style of writing engaged me. Having worked as a mental health professional, I feel a special empathy when reading about those who have or who are experiencing mental illness symptoms. This book definitely stirred those feelings. I also loved the illustrations that accompanied each chapter. It's depictions were exactly how I imagined. The setting in France was beautifully described as well.

[Annalisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

E' un delizioso acquerello invernale, questo libretto.

Racconta di un lutto lungamente elaborato, di quella terra di nessuno che ti incastra in un passato sempre più idealizzato e che ti fa capire cose sottintese, mai spiegate.

I fantasmi dell'inverno sono quelle presenze sfumate che noi non lasciamo entrare nell'oblio.