Search - Labyrinth

The best Historical Fiction I have read in 15 years, possibly ever.

The book started off a bit slow, taking its time to really build up the story - then it became really intense right near the end but ended rather quickly. The very last chapter was satisfying (and left a bit of a lump in my throat), but it did feel a bit rushed right before then especially with the slow lead-up prior to that. But I liked the story and the history so it was definitely worth reading.

Loved it! Floats between present time and the 1200's. Crusades and the Holy Grail. Less "blood and guts" than the DaVinci Code, but I put it right up their in enjoyment level!

What a terrific book! Well thought out, well written, suspenseful, exciting, tender, brutal.....I was sad to have it end. Great book.

I read this book for our Book Club. I liked it; however, everyone else did not like it. The average rating was about a 2.5 out of 5. Most were excited about the subject matter and looked forward to reading it, based on the Professional Reviews. They were greatly disappointed. Women felt it dragged in the beginning and didn't take off until chapter 52 - about 3/5s of the way in. The end was filled with too many details and got confusing. Another note was the author gave way too many scenic details. Also those who did not have a French language background lost a lot in the French and Occitane phrases Mosse used throughout the book. We were left with many ?s, as well. There were many more facets people did not like. All of us - 9 - felt we would not read anymore books by Mosse.

Kate Mosse's bestseller is a well-imagined grail tale, blending the past and present into a smooth story heading for one conclusion. The story sheds light on a lesser-known group of Christians in today's southern France, the Cathars, whose story in history is largely forgotten. I enjoyed the back-and-forth chapter style, superimposing a present day amateur archaeologist's life events with those of her ancestress, finding the detail in each to be appropriate and well done.