It’s a turbulent time in France, when neighbors inform on neighbors, when a quiet word in the wrong ears can bring about torture and death. Hattie Morahan’s similarly quiet voice threads through this story of the Inquisition and century-old secrets. In sixteenth-century Languedoc, 19-year-old Minou Joubert, the bookseller’s daughter, encounters Piet Reydon, a Huguenot convert, first in Carcassonne and later in Toulouse. Morahan’s slow, precise, and melodious performance lulls the listener into thinking all is well while tensions and fear abound. Morahan imbues Minou’s voice with grace and charm, while Piet is portrayed as a confident man who hides his secrets well. The novel, based on complex religious wars and migrations over three hundred years, comes to life in Morahan’s dulcet, cultured, yet minimally inflected narration. M.B.K. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
The Burning Chambers
Narrated by Hattie Morahan
Kate MosseUnabridged — 17 hours, 12 minutes
The Burning Chambers
Narrated by Hattie Morahan
Kate MosseUnabridged — 17 hours, 12 minutes
Overview
From the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of Labyrinth, comes the first in an epic series.
Power and Prejudice: France, 1562. War sparks between the Catholics and Huguenots, dividing neighbors, friends, and family-meanwhile, nineteen-year-old Minou Joubert receives an anonymous letter at her father's bookshop. Sealed with a distinctive family crest, it contains just five words: She knows that you live.
Love and Betrayal: Before Minou can decipher the mysterious message, she meets a young Huguenot convert, Piet Reydon. Piet has a dangerous task of his own, and he will need Minou's help if he is to stay alive. Soon, they find themselves on opposing sides, as forces beyond their control threaten to tear them apart.
Honor and Treachery: As the religious divide deepens, Minou and Piet find themselves trapped in Toulouse, facing new dangers as tensions ignite across the city-and a feud that will burn across generations begins to blaze. . .
Editorial Reviews
04/22/2019
Against a backdrop of conflict between Catholics and Protestants in 1562 France, 19-year-old Minou Joubert, the intelligent and spirited Catholic daughter of a bookseller, and Piet Reydon, a warmhearted Huguenot soldier, fall in love in this tense, atmospheric thriller, the first of a trilogy from bestseller Mosse (the Languedoc trilogy). The plot centers on a disputed inheritance and a stolen religious relic that ruthless men will stop at nothing to possess. The author displays her usual flair for descriptive detail, whether it’s a dusty Renaissance bookstore or a storm-drenched countryside. Unfortunately, a psychotic villain and one-dimensional fanatics stand in awkward contrast to such nuanced characters as Minou and Piet. When all parties converge on a castle in the Pyrenees, the various story lines are resolved in a fashion that feels a trifle pat. Nonetheless, Mosse brings vividly to life the mounting strains in a community filled with fear and mutual mistrust. Readers will eagerly await the sequels, which will chart how the feuding plays out over the next few centuries. Agent: Mark Lucas, LAW (U.K.). (June)
One of Women.com's "Best Books You Need to Buy in June"!
"For fans of juicy historical fiction, this one might just develop into their next obsession."—Entertainment Weekly
"[Mosse’s] plotting and pacing are impeccable. So is her ability to bring to life an extraordinarily complex conflict and era, as well as a vast cast of both fictional and historical figures. . . . [A] deeply satisfying, richly imagined novel."—The Washington Post
"Mosse is a master storyteller, balancing thrilling suspense with complex characters and a thoughtful exploration of a fascinating time in history. Her heroine Minou is a pleasure to root for: clever, loving, down-to-earth and courageous!"—Madeline Miller, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Circe
"This is historical fiction to devour. Nobody does it like Kate Mosse."—Anthony Horowitz, New York Times bestselling author of The Magpie Murders
"Oh, what a glorious novel. A masterly tour of history; a rapturous romance; and—best of all—a breathless thriller, alive with treachery, danger, atmosphere, and beauty. This book will transport you. Kate Mosse is that rarest of writers: a storyteller who breathes fresh life into vanished worlds." —A.J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Widow
"The author displays her usual flair for descriptive detail, whether it's a dusty Renaissance bookstore or a storm-drenched countryside. Mosse brings vividly to life the mounting strains in a community filled with fear and mutual mistrust. Readers will eagerly await the sequels, which will chart how the feuding plays out over the next few centuries."—Publishers Weekly
"The history is engrossing and goes down easy thanks to the hurtling plot. Mosse has successfully cornered the Midi market."—Kirkus Reviews
"Mosse’s fans will relish this tale of secrets, love, and treachery."—Antonia Senior, The Times (UK)
"First-rate cloak and dagger excitement—who knew the religious wars between Catholics and Huguenots in sixteenth century France could be so riveting to modern audiences? Kate Mosse captures the details of life in the Languedoc region of France, famed for its beauty, but hiding many secrets, in this masterful novel."—Margaret George, author of The Confessions of Young Nero
"Mosse weaves a rich-textured tapestry of history, characterization, and setting that brings to life a time of intolerance that seems an echo of our own. A masterful novel that will keep one reading for into the night. The next entry to this series can't come too soon."—New York Journal of Books
"Ambitious and skilfully constructed...Mosse has an instinctive feel for narrative momentum...The Burning Chambers is a tour de force, a compelling adventure that views the past with insight, compassion, and humor, and reminds us of the variety of women's voices so often forgotten in the official accounts."—Observer (UK)
"The Burning Chambers is an immersive book full of intrigue, romance, war, and adventure that you can just sink into."—Stylist (UK)
"Impressively bold and ambitious, [The Burning Chambers] features betrayals, broken friendship, family secrets, and the horrors of fanaticism. Fans will love it."—Daily Mail (UK)
Praise for Kate Mosse:
"The kind of British import that Americans love."—The Washington Post
"Pure escapism...Beguiling."—New York Daily News
"Exhilarating."—Entertainment Weekly
"Dan Brown...may have to share the wealth with this well-researched tale."—Kirkus Reviews
"Mosse's page-turner takes readers on another quest for the Holy Grail."—Publishers Weekly
"Mosse's epic adventure weaves together the present and the past."—Booklist
"A flawless alliance of history and fiction"—Steve Berry
"Deeply researched and thoughtfully written...the past comes to life in this big, densely plotted mystery novel."—Philippa Gregory
It’s a turbulent time in France, when neighbors inform on neighbors, when a quiet word in the wrong ears can bring about torture and death. Hattie Morahan’s similarly quiet voice threads through this story of the Inquisition and century-old secrets. In sixteenth-century Languedoc, 19-year-old Minou Joubert, the bookseller’s daughter, encounters Piet Reydon, a Huguenot convert, first in Carcassonne and later in Toulouse. Morahan’s slow, precise, and melodious performance lulls the listener into thinking all is well while tensions and fear abound. Morahan imbues Minou’s voice with grace and charm, while Piet is portrayed as a confident man who hides his secrets well. The novel, based on complex religious wars and migrations over three hundred years, comes to life in Morahan’s dulcet, cultured, yet minimally inflected narration. M.B.K. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
2019-04-14
Mosse returns to Languedoc, her favored historical territory, for a swashbuckler about a purloined inheritance and religious persecution.
The main plot of this series launch—set in 1562, during the regency of Catherine de Medici—has all the ingredients of a fairy-tale adventure. Mosse's young heroine, Minou Joubert, daughter of a Carcassonne bookseller, is actually of noble birth. Puzzling out exactly how this came to be is the book's main agenda. The principal players are Minou, her father, Bernard, her brother, Aimeric, and younger sister, Alis. All are Huguenots, members of the often persecuted French Protestant minority. They find an ally in Piet, a Protestant soldier of fortune. Piet and Minou are struck by un coup de foudre—love at first sight. The villains are Blanche, who is the third wife and now widow of Lord Bruyère of Puivert, whom, italicized passages reveal, she poisoned. Blanche hopes to retain the Puivert lands and titles by producing an heir, although she is pregnant not by Bruyère but by her lover, Vidal, a priest (who also happens to be Piet's estranged friend). Vidal hopes Blanche's influence can help him usurp a bishop's throne, and he also plots to take credit for recovering the stolen Shroud of Antioch, even if it means passing off a fake relic as the real thing. Blanche is desperate to locate, and destroy, a will that is the sole evidence of a competing claim to her late husband's estate. Amid battles, Inquisition torture sessions, massacres of Huguenot civilians and collateral Catholic damage, the complex tale spreads tentacles throughout the Midi region of France. The exposition is somewhat heavy-handed as characters discuss political upheavals, military factions, and religious strife past and present—including the purge of the Cathar heresy. However, the history is engrossing and goes down easy thanks to the hurtling plot.
Mosse has successfully cornered the Midi market.
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940169254723 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Macmillan Audio |
| Publication date: | 06/18/2019 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
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