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christellereadsalot's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed the atmospheric read of this collection of short stories based on ghost stories, tradional folk tales and legends from England and France. Kate Mosse's storytelling and fluid writing have rekindled my pleasure of reading in English which I had lost recently (reason I chose to read a collection of short stories). I also enjoyed the author's notes for each tale which explain how she came to write about the story.
naomi2012's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kcvmoundshroud's review against another edition
5.0
I’m quite glad that my summer & fall reading slump led me to read this beautiful collection now, at the close of the year. Perfect for rainy, snowy, chilly December evenings, each story was crafted with a careful blend of solitude, memory, and thin veils. Every tale (save one) perfectly described the English sense of place as the characters were haunted by history, regret, or actual ghosts. While definitely NOT horrific or scary, several of the stories were suitably chilling and I enjoyed every minute. Highly recommended!
naru11's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. The writing is really lovely, but most of the stories just weren't my thing. The Halloween vibes were great for this time of year, however.
gina_ea_reads's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.5
chloesteele_'s review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
pipipops's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyed this anthology of short stories and I now want to go on and read more by Kate Mosse. I loved that some of the stories were based around true events such as the pleasure boat sinking in the Thames.
louisemarley's review against another edition
5.0
I bought this short story collection back in August last year, with the idea I would dip in and out of it, and it spent the next four months on my desk. So much for that idea! But I picked it up again this Christmas and read each story, one after the other, and really enjoyed them!
This is a collection of seventeen ghost stories, set in different places and in different time periods. Some are traditional in style, others are based on folk stories. Some had a positive ending, others were really sad. Most have been previously published in magazines or other anthologies.
My favourites were The Yellow Scarf, about a woman who visits the ruin of an old manor house and is transported back to the time of the Civil War, and The House on the Hill, about a dolls house and a woman coming to terms with an event in her past. I didn't understand La Fille de Melisande, but that's probably because it's based on a an opera I've never heard of, and Syrinx left me cold, purely because I hate reading stories in script format!
But overall I really loved this collection and will probably read it again next Christmas! I particularly liked the way the author took the time to explain the inspiration behind each story at the end.
This is a collection of seventeen ghost stories, set in different places and in different time periods. Some are traditional in style, others are based on folk stories. Some had a positive ending, others were really sad. Most have been previously published in magazines or other anthologies.
My favourites were The Yellow Scarf, about a woman who visits the ruin of an old manor house and is transported back to the time of the Civil War, and The House on the Hill, about a dolls house and a woman coming to terms with an event in her past. I didn't understand La Fille de Melisande, but that's probably because it's based on a an opera I've never heard of, and Syrinx left me cold, purely because I hate reading stories in script format!
But overall I really loved this collection and will probably read it again next Christmas! I particularly liked the way the author took the time to explain the inspiration behind each story at the end.
lisa_bee88's review against another edition
3.0
Some of the stories were good but I found myself skimming many of them.