Kate Mosse

From the bestselling author of LABYRINTH and SEPULCHRE - a compelling story of ghosts and remembrance. Illustrated throughout by Brian Gallagher. The Great War took much more than lives. It robbed a generation of friends, lovers and futures. In Freddie Watson's case, it took his beloved brother and, at times, his peace of mind. In the winter of 1928, still seeking resolution, Freddie is travelling through the French Pyrenees. During a snowstorm, his car spins off the mountain road. He stumbles through woods, emerging in a tiny village. There he meets Fabrissa, a beautiful woman also mourning a lost generation. Over the course of one night, Fabrissa and Freddie share their stories. By the time dawn breaks, he will have stumbled across a tragic mystery that goes back through the centuries. By turns thrilling, poignant and haunting, this is a story of two lives touched by war and transformed by courage. THE WINTER GHOSTS is a gorgeous illustrated novel inspired by The Cave, Kate Mosse's short story written for the Quick Reads Initiative for adult emergent readers.

The Winter Ghosts

The Great War took much more than lives. It robbed a generation of friends, lovers and futures. In Freddie Watson's case, it took his beloved brother and, at times, his peace of mind. Unable to cope with his grief, Freddie has spent much of the time since in a sanatorium. In the winter of 1928, still seeking resolution, Freddie is travelling through the French Pyrenees - another region that has seen too much bloodshed over the years. During a snowstorm, his car spins off the mountain road. Shaken, he stumbles into the woods, emerging by a tiny village. There he meets Fabrissa, a beautiful local woman, also mourning a lost generation. Over the course of one night, Fabrissa and Freddie share their stories of remembrance and loss. By the time dawn breaks, he will have stumbled across a tragic mystery that goes back through the centuries. By turns thrilling, poignant and haunting, this is a story of two lives touched by war and transformed by courage.

Colleen

3 Stars
 
The Winter Ghosts is a ghost story that starts out atmospheric but fizzles out as it drags on too long. Although it had some good moments, the overall effect was rather bland.
 
The story starts out with a man walking into a store with a mysterious letter and a claim that he has an unbelievable story to tell. That part is written in third person, but once Freddie Watson starts telling his story, the narrative switches to first person.
 
The bulk of the story takes place five years before that in the French Pyrenes in 1928. Europe was still picking up the pieces from the Great War. Freddie was stuck in his grief over the loss of his brother during the war. He decided to travel Europe to take his mind off his grief. The plot is straightforward: he gets stranded in a remote village in the mountains and has an unexplainable encounter.
 
I liked the setting. The historical details. The isolated, quaint village with secrets. The eeriness of winter storms. All of it set up wonderfully for a chilling ghost story. There were moments that reminded me of Algernon Blackwood’s work. But the tension did not build enough, and in the end the spooky element failed to wow me. The main problem was that this felt like a short story stretched into a novella. While the outline was good, the story drug on for far too long considering how little happened. It drained out all of the tension and atmosphere. It took a long time to get to a predictable, drawn-out ending. There were some nice reflections on life, but the overall effect was on the lackluster side. It had a trying-too-hard feel to it. I was hoping for something with more verve and eeriness. It wasn’t a bad story, but it wasn’t great either.


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 3 Stars
Writing Style: 3 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 3 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 2 Stars
Level of Captivation: 3 Stars
Originality: 3 Stars

Like all other Kate Mosse work that I have read, this did not disappoint. A really great short story that has a little bit of everything and touches on grief beautifully. 

Kirsty Dyer

Chloe Parpworth-Reynolds

A perfect winter read. I'll admit this book was slow at first, but I feel my timing for reading it perfect, in the centenry of the end of the first world war, reading of a character struggling with the aftermath felt poigniant and fitting. I do feel the book could have been shortened by 30 pages or so, but for a winter read the gentle pace for me, is actually prefferable. I really loved the touching sadness, and the truth of humanity which can be reflected in the cathars plight. It is a great end of year read, when you are taking stock of your own life, and the world before the new year.

The Winter Ghosts

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