It may only be January but I am predicting that this will be one of my favourite books of 2021.I am not normally a fan of pre-20th century historical fiction but this, and The Burning Chambers before it, have truly converted me to this genre. The way that Kate Mosse writes about this period is so good that I feel truly immersed in it. The detail and descriptions are testament to the incredible amount of research that she must have had to do. I knew little about the 1500s in France and Holland, a...

Perhaps it is the isolation of the pandemic, compounded by below zero weather, but after reading this second book of the trilogy I think I can drop out. I just did not enjoy it as much as I had the first.Those were difficult years to live and die in, great unrest and inability to trust anyone. The French Catholic government vs Calvinists/Huguenots made for tough living with the need to find safe living. This one is centered between Paris and Amsterdam and has the sad loss of a young daughter who...

The City of Tears, or a 16th-century story about family and power. I did no expect to enjoy this book as much as I did since I did not read The Burning Chambers. So this novel can definitely be read as a standalone. This is a thick, 560-pages long book, but Kate Mosse is such a talented storyteller that time will simply fly: from the vivid landscape description of places such as Paris and Amsterdam, to the well-developed and so-not-cliche characters, I finished this book asking for more. I know

“The Wars of Religion in France was a sequence of civil wars which began” in 1562 and ended in 1598.“The Eighty Years War in the Low Countries” (Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg) “was no less complicated. Beginning in 1568, it was a revolt (…) against the violent occupation of Hapsburg Spain.”“The Story of French Protestantism and the beginning of the Dutch Republic are both part of the larger European story of the Reformation.”The story is set against the background of those religious wars, whi...

Reading this book made me once again realize that organized religion can and did often bring its share of grief, loss of life, and hardship to the people. It certainly should never be the intention of any religion to place itself above another's beliefs, but that has unfortunately happened down through the ages. Certainly, in this book, the second in The Burning Chambers series, those concepts have been once again been brought to light.Minou and Piet Joubert and their family are Huguenots in Fra...

The City of Tears is the second instalment in the sprawling five-book (The) Burning Chambers series and continues this stunning and enthralling historical fiction epic exploring the history of Huguenot refugees in Europe. It's a decade after the events in the first book and many things have changed. It's August, 1572, and Minou Joubert (aka Marguerite Reydon-Joubert, Châtelaine of Puiver) is now married to Piet Reydon, a Huguenot soldier and has birthed two children - seven year old Marta and to...

The City of Tears is historical fiction but is based on France's holy wars in the sixteenth century. I must confess to knowing next to nothing about this era of time, but the author made both the history and the storyline enjoyable. This book is the second in a series, but you do not need to read the first, The Burning Chambers, to understand what is happening. Set in 1572, it spans twelve years, beginning with Minou Joubert and her husband Piet, who travel to Paris for a royal wedding between C...

An exciting family saga filled with rich history. Perfect for fans of Outlander.August 1572: Minou Joubert and her husband Piet travel to Paris to attend a royal wedding which, after a decade of religious wars, is intended to finally bring peace between the Catholics and the Huguenots. Also in Paris is their oldest enemy, Vidal, in pursuit of an ancient relic that will change the course of history. Within days of the marriage, thousands will lie dead in the street, and Minou’s family will be sca...

I am ashamed to admit this but I realize most of what I know about French history I have learned from Kate Mosse. I, of course, knew about Marie Antoinette and Lafayette, but that was about it. She has nailed yet another piece of history for me, the battle between the Huguenots and Catholics in 1572 for the throne of France. This starts with the wedding between principals of the two religions to join the crown of France as told by the Huguenot family of Minou Joubert. The family comes from the

This is the sequel to The Burning Chambers.Main characters Minou Joubert and her husband Piet travel to Paris for the Royal Wedding, that was to become a public display of allegiance between the Catholic Crown and the Huguenot King of Navarre, in an effort to end the religious wars that plagued France. Chaos ensues that sees the Joubert's daughter, Marta, a precocious 7-year old disappear after she witnesses the killing of her uncle.In tandem, Piet's oldest enemy Vidal, confessor to the Duke of

This book follows The Burning Chambers, and in my opinion, it is better. The story follows the Joubert family and the saga of their lives. The family have settled in the South of France in their own beautiful estate. They make plans to attend the wedding of Henri, Huguenot King of Navarre and the Catholic Marguerite de Valois. It is hoped that this wedding will establish a peaceful alliance between Huguenot and Catholic supporters. However, before they leave, Minou’s beloved father dies, peacefu...

"The suffering of those we love is harder to bear than anything we feel on our own behalf."This is a historical fiction novel that follows Minou and her husband Piet from 1572 until 1594. Because of the war, they flee from Paris to Amsterdam, but their enemies follow wherever they go. This is the sequel to 'the burning chambers'. In highschool I learned about the war for independence (tachtig jarige oorlog) in the Netherlands . I was never a big fan of history class (which had a lot to do with m...

I loved that the book starts with a few pages of historical notes. It really set the scene and grabbed my interest. My favorite part of the book was the history surrounding the story.The start of the story is in August 1572, when Minou Joubert and her husband Piet travel to Paris to attend a royal wedding in an attempt to unite Catholics and Huguenots. This is the second book in the trilogy and I think it was a true ‘middle book’, a bridge from the romance of the first book and a big cliffhanger...

CAN'T WAIT. May 2020 is a looooong time away!

I made the decision to read The City of Tears rather hesitantly as I sometimes find that novels steeped in history aren't my cup of tea. I chose to read its prequel The Burning Chambers first and found both extremely absorbing, exciting and compelling. The City of Tears is based on France's holy wars in the sixteenth century. I must confess to knowing virtually nothing about this era but the author made both the history and the storyline enjoyable. Set in 1572, it spans a period of twelve years,...

Love it! I absolutely loved The Burning Chambers and was thrilled to be returning to the world of Minou, Piet and the rest of the family thanks to a serialisation with The Pigeonhole.We find the family pitted against an old enemy, and travelling away from Minou’s beloved Puivert to a Royal Wedding - that of Henri de Navarre and his bride Marguerite. I confess that I loved the film La Reine Margot, so the post wedding events were not a surprise to me. As ever, I love the way that Kate Mosse weave...