The Map of Bones
The Instant Sunday Times Bestseller
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4.2 • 37 Ratings
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- £5.99
Publisher Description
‘Brilliant . . . The past is felt deep in the reader’s bones’ – The Observer
A sweeping story of love, adventure and adversity, The Map of Bones by Kate Mosse is an epic tale of courageous women battling to survive in a hostile land.
No word, no story, no grave . . .
1688. Olifantshoek, Southern Africa. Suzanne Joubert, a Huguenot refugee from war-torn France, journeys to the Cape of Good Hope in search of her notorious cousin, Louise Reydon-Joubert, who vanished without trace half a century ago.
1862. Franschhoek, Southern Africa. Nearly six generations later, Isabelle Joubert Lepard follows in her footsteps, determined to investigate the lives of her ancestors – and to honour their memory – only to discover that the evils of the past, though hidden, are far from buried. And that her life, too, is under threat . . .
Painstakingly researched and beautifully told, The Map of Bones is the triumphant conclusion to Kate Mosse’s number one international bestselling Joubert Family Chronicles, following the bestselling The Burning Chambers, The City of Tears and The Ghost Ship.
‘This is adventure-stuffed historical fiction in the grand tradition’ – The Telegraph
‘A fittingly terrific conclusion’ – The i Paper
* The Map of Bones by Kate Mosse was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 06-10-24
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Mosse juggles two tales, two centuries apart in the fascinating if uneven conclusion to her Joubert Family series (after The Ghost Ship). In 1688, Suzanne Joubert, a Huguenot refugee, lands in Cape Colony, Southern Africa, after fleeing rampaging Catholic soldiers in Provence. Suzanne desperately wants to discover what became of her ancestor, Louise, who captained her own vessel to Africa, disrupting slaver ships before she vanished somewhere near the middle of the continent. After some lucky finds and numerous near-death experiences, Suzanne is shipwrecked off the coast of England, where she records her discoveries. Then, in 1862, Isabelle Lepard sets out to uncover the remainder of the story—including the fate of Louise's lover, who was born a woman but passed as a man—so she can write a historical account and open a Joubert Family Reading Room in London. The motivations for Mosse's heroines feel rather contrived, as do shoehorned-in recaps of the Jouberts' family history ("Forgive me for repeating what you know, gran'mère, but it helps me to order my thoughts"). Still, series fans will appreciate the vivid historical detail, headlong pace, and gratifyingly feminist finale. Flaws aside, this sends out Mosse's saga on a high note.
Customer Reviews
Massively disappointing end to series
Very very disappointed with this superficial, disjointed book. Love the author’s works normally but this felt a bit like a contractual obligation. Rushed, 21st century views polluting the characters, it was a book I was desperate to finish and have done with.