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Book Summary and Reviews of The Burning Chambers by Kate Mosse

The Burning Chambers by Kate Mosse

The Burning Chambers

by Kate Mosse

  • Critics' Consensus (6):
  • Published:
  • Jun 2019, 592 pages
  • Rate this book

About this book

Book Summary

From the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of Labyrinth, comes the first in an epic new 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...

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"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." - Publishers Weekly

"The history is engrossing and goes down easy thanks to the hurtling plot. Mosse has successfully cornered the Midi market."- Kirkus Reviews

"For fans of juicy historical fiction, this one might just develop into their next obsession." - Entertainment Weekly

"Mosse's fans will relish this tale of secrets, love, and treachery." - The Times (UK)

"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)

"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

"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

This information about The Burning Chambers was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

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Author Information

Kate Mosse Author Biography

Kate Mosse is the author of nine novels & short story collections, including the No 1, multimillion-selling Languedoc Trilogy - Labyrinth, Sepulchre and Citadel - and No 1 bestselling Gothic fiction including The Winter Ghosts and The Taxidermist's Daughter, which she is currently adapting for the stage. Her books have been translated into 38 languages and published in more than 40 countries. She has also written three works of non-fiction, four plays, contributed essays and introductions to classic novels and collections.

A champion of women's creativity, Kate is the Founder Director of the Women's Prize for Fiction - the largest annual celebration of women's writing in the world - and sits on the Executive Committee of Women of the World. She was awarded an OBE in 2013 for services to...

... Full Biography
Link to Kate Mosse's Website

Other books by Kate Mosse at BookBrowse

6 more...

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