Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Obtained from: Netgalley/Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours
Read: April 17, 2013
From the author of The Book of Lost Fragrances comes a haunting novel about a grieving woman who discovers the lost letters of novelist Victor Hugo, awakening a mystery that spans centuries. In 1843, novelist Victor Hugo’s beloved nineteen-year-old daughter drowned. Ten years later, Hugo began participating in hundreds of séances to reestablish contact with her. In the process, he claimed to have communed with the likes of Plato, Galileo, Shakespeare, Dante, Jesus—and even the Devil himself. Hugo’s transcriptions of these conversations have all been published. Or so it was believed. Recovering from her own losses, mythologist Jac L’Etoile arrives on the Isle of Jersey—where Hugo conducted the séances—hoping to uncover a secret about the island’s Celtic roots. But the man who’s invited her there, a troubled soul named Theo Gaspard, has hopes she’ll help him discover something quite different—Hugo’s lost conversations with someone called the Shadow of the Sepulcher. What follows is an intricately plotted and atmospheric tale of suspense with a spellbinding ghost story at its heart, by one of America’s most gifted and imaginative novelists.
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| Victor Hugo |
Few authors have as distinct a writing style as Rose, at least in my experience. Her narrative is heavy, though like a heady perfume, it reveals a beautiful array of notes the longer it is allowed to breathe. From the first page I was quite literally swept up in the artistry of her words, charmed by her elegant prose.
Naturally there is more to a story than how it is written. What you write is of equal importance and here again I was rather impressed. Rose seamlessly blends history, psychology, mystery, theology, romance and suspense into one astoundingly unique volume. Perhaps this is indicative of all her novels, but this being my first experience with her work, I found the combination surprising as well as enjoyable.
If only I'd been able to connect with the characters. I'm not sure why but I never felt as if I knew them. I could understand them, but something I can't put my finger on kept me from really getting inside their heads. This disconnect may, in part, be attributed to my not having read earlier installments of the series, but I am still someone disappointed I was unable to appreciate the cast as much as I did the telling of their story.
This small criticism aside, I loved this piece, how it made me think and feel, and hope to come across more of Rose's work in the future.
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I did more than allow him in. I gave the devil a warm hearth and a hospitable place to rest for as long as he wanted one. I gave him access to my very soul.
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Check out all the stops on M.J. Rose's historical fiction VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR
Thursday, May 9
Review at Amused by Books
Review at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!
Interview at Buried Under Books
Review at Amused by Books
Review at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!
Interview at Buried Under Books
Tuesday, May 14
Review at Words and Peace
Review at Kimba the Caffeinated Reviewer
Guest Post at Historical Tapestry
Review at Words and Peace
Review at Kimba the Caffeinated Reviewer
Guest Post at Historical Tapestry
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