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rachelkat's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
dreamawakebooks's review against another edition
5.0
There is nothing I love more than picking up a book by an author I have loved since their first release and being completely blown away all over again. in The Taxidermists Daughter, Kate Mosse did just that.
I first came across Mosse whilst on holiday, when I purchased her first novel in a local book shop, having finished the book I had taken with me. I devoured that book within a few days - and this would have been done in a night had I not needed to be up early for work the next day.
The Taxidermists Daughter centers around 'Connie', a young girl who lives with her alcoholic father, a former Taxidermist, or 'Stuffer of Birds' in a desolate house in the marshes of a small village in Chichester. Mosse sets the scene here in a style reminiscent of the great Susan Hill, and the atmosphere oozing from the pages leaves a chill on the skin, and adds to the intrigue that is prevalent throughout this novel. Connie has long suffered with memory loss as the result of an accident when she was a child, and herein lies the main story. Something happened in the past, something horrible, but what? When one person dies, and several others disappear, Connie must try to use the snippets of memory she does have to reveal the events of the past, and prove the innocence of those she loves. This, however, will not be easy, and the path to revelation is full of twists and turns, which culminate in a shocking act of revenge and justice.
This book will have you hooked from the word go, and leave you on a high. A brilliant, engaging read. Definitely recommended!!
I first came across Mosse whilst on holiday, when I purchased her first novel in a local book shop, having finished the book I had taken with me. I devoured that book within a few days - and this would have been done in a night had I not needed to be up early for work the next day.
The Taxidermists Daughter centers around 'Connie', a young girl who lives with her alcoholic father, a former Taxidermist, or 'Stuffer of Birds' in a desolate house in the marshes of a small village in Chichester. Mosse sets the scene here in a style reminiscent of the great Susan Hill, and the atmosphere oozing from the pages leaves a chill on the skin, and adds to the intrigue that is prevalent throughout this novel. Connie has long suffered with memory loss as the result of an accident when she was a child, and herein lies the main story. Something happened in the past, something horrible, but what? When one person dies, and several others disappear, Connie must try to use the snippets of memory she does have to reveal the events of the past, and prove the innocence of those she loves. This, however, will not be easy, and the path to revelation is full of twists and turns, which culminate in a shocking act of revenge and justice.
This book will have you hooked from the word go, and leave you on a high. A brilliant, engaging read. Definitely recommended!!
evafc's review against another edition
3.0
Tis now, replied the village belle,
St Mark's mysterious eve,
And all that old traditions tell
I tremblingly believe;
How, when the midnight signal tolls,
Along the churchyard green,
A mournful train of sentenced souls
In winding sheets are seen.
The ghosts of all whom death shall doom
Within the coming year,
In pale procession walk the gloom,
And the silence drear.
Haunting, grim and dreary. This book has the atmosphere of a ghost story. In 1912 Fishburn on the soutcoast of England a young woman, Connie Gifford, struggles with something terrible from her past. One by one some notable men disappear and there seems to be a connection to an event many years ago when Conny lost her memory.
Kate Mosse is a talented writer, you want to keep reading. The wild, unforgiving nature is almost a character. And Connie is a very interesting person. However, that can not be said about the other characters in the story, the remain a little flat. I especially liked the start of the story, the mysterie that slowly unravels. But near the end it goes over the top and becomes very unlikely. I believe she should not have written the epilogue, of makes the story weaker.
Still, a very entertaining and interesting read. 3,5 stars.
St Mark's mysterious eve,
And all that old traditions tell
I tremblingly believe;
How, when the midnight signal tolls,
Along the churchyard green,
A mournful train of sentenced souls
In winding sheets are seen.
The ghosts of all whom death shall doom
Within the coming year,
In pale procession walk the gloom,
And the silence drear.
Haunting, grim and dreary. This book has the atmosphere of a ghost story. In 1912 Fishburn on the soutcoast of England a young woman, Connie Gifford, struggles with something terrible from her past. One by one some notable men disappear and there seems to be a connection to an event many years ago when Conny lost her memory.
Kate Mosse is a talented writer, you want to keep reading. The wild, unforgiving nature is almost a character. And Connie is a very interesting person. However, that can not be said about the other characters in the story, the remain a little flat. I especially liked the start of the story, the mysterie that slowly unravels. But near the end it goes over the top and becomes very unlikely. I believe she should not have written the epilogue, of makes the story weaker.
Still, a very entertaining and interesting read. 3,5 stars.
livres_de_bloss's review
2.0
This was... okay.
The characters were fairly lacklustre. There wasn’t much period detail. I didn’t get a good feel for the setting.
It wasn’t spooky like I thought. It was kind of violent and dark but not in a gothic way. It’s hard to describe. I just felt like this was trying (and failing) to be gothic victorian but missed the mark widely. (It’s like a hybrid of the truly gothic ‘The Woman in Black’ and the gloomy try-hard ‘Bellman & Black’.)
I really like birds so the gruesome descriptions of stuffing them kind of upset me, especially the little songbirds.
The thing that most contemporary authors don’t understand is what makes books like ‘Rebecca’ and ‘The Little Stranger’ so chilling is the suggestion of spooky/creepy.
Instead, this book spells it out explicitly in block capital letters. The spooky effect is non-existent and instead it’s just violent.
Overall: gloomy, lacklustre, and entirely forgettable.
The characters were fairly lacklustre. There wasn’t much period detail. I didn’t get a good feel for the setting.
It wasn’t spooky like I thought. It was kind of violent and dark but not in a gothic way. It’s hard to describe. I just felt like this was trying (and failing) to be gothic victorian but missed the mark widely. (It’s like a hybrid of the truly gothic ‘The Woman in Black’ and the gloomy try-hard ‘Bellman & Black’.)
I really like birds so the gruesome descriptions of stuffing them kind of upset me, especially the little songbirds.
The thing that most contemporary authors don’t understand is what makes books like ‘Rebecca’ and ‘The Little Stranger’ so chilling is the suggestion of spooky/creepy.
Instead, this book spells it out explicitly in block capital letters. The spooky effect is non-existent and instead it’s just violent.
Overall: gloomy, lacklustre, and entirely forgettable.
shimmery's review against another edition
3.0
A macabre story with a twisting plot that races along like the water that floods the village it is set in. The novel is pretty dark and not for the squeamish but also has it lighter moments with good characters (the ten year old Davey was especially fun).
cinderellee's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
_annamitchell_'s review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
lisayates's review against another edition
5.0
One word AMAZING!! This is not the sort of book I go for, but it was recommended and I'm so glad I decided to read outside my normal comfort zone! Once you start this book you won't be able to put it down, so be prepared for some late night reading. The language is very easy to read & the whole story flows so well. Will definitely be reading more from this author. Highly recommended read!
ladygodivas's review against another edition
1.0
The first 70% of this book is just nothing happening. The characters feel hollow, even the protagonist, even though we were provided plenty of backstory for her. Right in the beginning when her father disappeared, it's just constant trains of thought and small chatter until finally we get to the interesting part ONE HUNDRED PAGES before the ending.
I feel so dumb for reading this book and the ending wasn't even that good. It was super rushed and just like the 70% of nothingness, nothing happened.
God I wish I could get back the hours I spent reading this.
Giving it 1.5/5 stars just because the writing was passable and I like the taxidermy facts.
I feel so dumb for reading this book and the ending wasn't even that good. It was super rushed and just like the 70% of nothingness, nothing happened.
God I wish I could get back the hours I spent reading this.
Giving it 1.5/5 stars just because the writing was passable and I like the taxidermy facts.