Superb

This book is simply superb, and any fans of Ms Mosse will not be disappointed.



It sticks to the usual formula of two stories, separated by hundreds of years, which come to mesh together. The main story is based in the French Free Zone durning the middle and latter years of WWII. It may be the same formula, but it is by no means a regurgitation of the same stories of the author's previous novels.



The only caveat I would add is that this book does presuppose that the reader has read "Labyrinth"; I can imagine that anyone reading "Citadel" as a stand-alone book, not having read any of the author's previous books based in the Languedoc , could find themselves rather confused in places.

15 people found this helpful

I've tried

I've listened to 3/4 of this book and eventually I gave up. It's not that bad I guess, but it's so unremarkable and predictable that I can't carry on. The prose is never particularly inspired, the characters are dull, and the attempts at moving the reader by saying that the protagonist or someone else 'had tears in her eyes' fail to engage me. When the heroine makes yet another avoidable mistake I'm sorry but that's enough. I really can't say I care to know what happens next, even if I've already spent SOOO much time listening to this!

11 people found this helpful

I am working at rather than enjoying this

I have really enjoyed the author's previous works so am giving it a lot of leeway. The narrator makes much of the language of the book but makes no distinction between one character and another until far too late in the book. I am perservering with this book rather than being swept along by it.

11 people found this helpful

Good base story but too long and depressing for me

I've read read rather than listened to other Kate Mosse books and so cannot make a direct comparison - other than to say I thought Flinty Williams did a good job. This story did however seem to me to be drawn out so much longer than it needed to be and yet despite the length I felt that various threads of the tale were not completely tied up. Also the ending - after such a HUGE tale was incredibly weak.

For some reason I am drawn to war torn stories and yet none have made me feel more depressed than this.

9 people found this helpful

A historical novel with a touch of fantasy

Kate Mosse definitely has a clear style: the historical, dual timeline with some supernatural elements thrown in. In this case, the fantasy aspect is played down a lot compared to some of her other works, and only really comes to the fore towards the end. I very much enjoyed her first book, 'Labyrinth', but was a bit disappointed by 'Sepulcre'. I think this one is back up to the standards of the first one. Her historical knowledge is obviously very good, as is her knowledge of France. Definitely one to give a go.

6 people found this helpful

enthralling read ( or listen)

This is in my opinion the best kate mosse has written , she has done a superb job in transporting you to war torn france ,her attention to detail with village life in france is fantastic, I live in southern france , so it is easy for me to visualise this alongside the excellent descriptions from ms mosse, .Because the characters are described in such detail,you feel an empathy for them . It bought tears to my eyes as I felt emotionally involved !!

5 people found this helpful

Historical page turner.

This really good to listen to. A verbal page turner well read by Finty Williams. It is both informative of the particular area of war time Vichy France and historically accurate.
Since I started listening to Audible Books It has become very apparent to me how important it is that the reader of the spoken novel is suited to it. Finty Williams was a good choice for this one, she portrays the charactors well and captures the mood of the times.
Having very much enjoyed this I was looking forward to "Sepulchre" also by Kate Mosse. However, when I purchased this and started to listen I was dismayed to hear the voice of an American actress using "American English" reading it. This completely ruined it for me and I returned it. (Thank you Audible for that facility) Laurelei King would be a great choice for an American novel, or a novel where the accent of nationality is not a consideration.

4 people found this helpful

What a good film this story would make

Would you listen to Citadel again? Why?

Yes.Its an engaging story of two young people in happy and tragic circumstances, its a story of intrigue. Its a story of courage and honour and love and terror. It's a story about heroism and unselfish acts and love. It's a story to inspire. Its full of adventure and themes. So much happens that its easy to lose track but the major characters are real and engaging and you just have to know what happens to them so it is possible to read it again and again

Who was your favorite character and why?

Sandrine to begin becuase she reminded me so much of someone I once knew. But then she grew into a character I wish I had known.

What about Finty Williams’s performance did you like?

Her voice is just right for this story. It could easily have descended into soap opera but she kept the pace just right. Rare moments of softness and gentleness but mostly the seriousness of life at the time is reflected in the pace of the reading.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Many. Particulalry the scenes between the sisters Sandrine and Marianne. But also Audric Baillard; and the more obvious scenes of confinement.

Any additional comments?

A magnificent story which on reflection deserves a proper full serialisation as per HBO or the Village by the BBC or Heimart. Where will Kate Mosse go next?

3 people found this helpful

All good things come to an end

I don't like to give away story lines so I will just like to say, the final book in the Languedoc trilogy lived up to the high expectations I had for it.



I must confess to being sad when the end came.

I would highly recommend d this book, I really cared for the resistance fighters and hated other characters, that is all I will say - except give yourself a treat and listen

7 people found this helpful

Excellent next step in the Saga

Would you listen to Citadel again? Why?

I would certainly listen a 2nd time to this book as there is so much detail that you always catch something new the next time around.

Which character – as performed by Finty Williams – was your favourite?

Sandrines character is my favourite, I love how her voice changes depending on which situation she finds herself, either very childish or sometime much older for her years.

2 people found this helpful