The Winter Ghosts

I have mixed feelings about this book. The setting and the description of the main character driving round France and the places he goes are very atmospheric and really well written. The story itself is a bit wishy washy and feels like a short story that was fleshed out with lots of description but not much else. Billed as a ghost story like Susan Hill or others, it was really just a sad story based on historical facts, and not much else. It was also billed as a love story but again this didn't feel real. But I enjoyed reading it for the atmosphere that was created, and the desciptions of post war France, and how people were affected by the war. ( )

The Winter Ghosts felt more like a novella than a full novel: it was a very quick read. Mind you, I found Kate Mosse's other books to be very quick reads, too. It's funny, though, with her books -- I don't remember much of the plots, only the scenery therein, and the devices she used to tell the story (thankfully not in operation here, though it still feels a bit clumsy, of which more in a moment). I have a vague recollection of feeling comfortable, of curling up with the books with rain outside, but not of the actual plot. I have a feeling this one will be similar within very short order.

It's a ghost story, but not exactly creepy, and a lot of the tension that could be there is taken out of it by knowing that, to tell the story, the narrator has to have survived, at least in some sense. The main character is a bit character-less, defined mostly by the death of his brother and his driven urge to help the girl he meets, Fabrissa. I guessed all along what the plot was, but there was still the draw of the scenery, the quiet feeling of snow on stone and the branches of trees.

The structure is clumsy in that I can't believe the narrator of the middle chunk is actually sitting down telling his story in that way. It's very contrived, and the tone is more that of an internal monologue than of a storyteller.

So, yes, a curl up with for a cosy evening sort of book. It's fun enough, but unmemorable to me. ETA a day later: I've... already forgotten the name of the main male character. If that is indicative of anything to you. So yes, a very transient read: fun while it lasted, but... ( )

This book was a pleasant surprise. Both because I did not remember that it was on its way to me as a book ring (BookCrossing) and because I had not yet read anything by this writer.

At first I had trouble with this book. Did not know exactly what to think of it, in my opinion was a bit slow and whiny. I doubted if I should continue to read, but decided to go on anyway.
Especially because it got more interesting after the accident, there came some momentum in the book; the book made ​​me curious as to how the whole would run off.
It was nice to read how the main character unexpectedly ends up in the history of the region he visits. How he manages to find himself back and discover a hidden cave that was only still alive in the tales of the locals.

I'm not a Francophile and I have not much knowledge of French history, but it's definitely worth worth reading :-) I'm definitely going to read something else from Kate Moss! ( )

I really enjoy Kate Mosse's writing, but I also think part of her appeal is the beautiful cover art on her books, as well as her alluring titles. This one especially -- who can resist? However, that being said, I didn't enjoy this one quite as well as her previous novels. Granted, this is more of a short story, and perhaps that had something to do with it. Considering its brevity, I didn't feel really involved in this one until nearly the very end. The remainder of the book was too slow-moving for me. So overall, mixed feelings. The ending was very haunting & powerful, but it was a little bit of a chore getting there. ( )