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A review by charlottereadshistory
The Ghost Ship by Kate Mosse
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
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? It's complicated
5.0
The Ghost Ship tells the story of Louise and Gilles, two lost & restless souls thrown together by tragedy and fate who find solace on the ocean.
This is the third book in the Joubert family series - it absolutely works as a standalone but I’d urge everyone to read the Burning Chambers and City of Tears too as they are fascinating stories that follow Minou and Piet as they try to navigate the tumultuous religious civil wars between Catholics and Huguenots in France in the 16th Century - which led them (like many families) to flee as refugees to the Dutch Republic.
The story picks up with Louise, Minou and Piet’s granddaughter. Tragedy from her childhood continues to haunt Louise both psychologically and physically, whilst Gilles’ complicated relationship with his abusive and manipulative mother alongside his secret identity weigh heavily on his soul.
I have always loved Mosse’s unrivalled ability to create such believable characters and relationships that are deep, complicated and often flawed - that reflection of the human condition is key to the huge investment I often feel for her protagonists and peripheral characters - and it’s no different for me in The Ghost Ship.
Somewhat heavy themes of grief, guilt, loss, enslaved peoples and empire, gender identity and sexuality were so sensitively handled and explored by Mosse, who also didn’t shy away from exploring contemporary attitudes at the time whilst still centring acceptance and kindness within the characters that mattered most.
I thoroughly enjoyed Louise and Gilles on their quest to find their purposes in life and peace from their pasts - with a huge amount of action and adventure along the way.
The Ghost Ship by @katemossewriter is out in paperback now - thanks to @panmacmillan and @randomthingstours for a #gifted advanced copy in return for a review.