The Rose Labyrinth [Library Binding] [Audiobook, Unabridged] [Audio CD]

Titania Hardie (Author), Carolyn Seymour (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 18, 2008

A sheet of parchment, a silver key, and a secret passed down through generations. Lucy King, a beautiful, young documentary-film producer, races to decipher the clues that will lead her to the hidden treasure of the rose labyrinth. From world-renowned folkloric author Titania Hardie comes a work of mystical fiction that takes listeners on a romantic journey from Elizabethan England to modern-day London, where a centuries-old secret awaits. (Includes bonus CD with 44 Cards)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When Lucy King receives a heart transplant, she gets more than a new ticker—she gets the memories, friends and quest of donor Will Stafford, descendant of Queen Elizabeth's spiritual adviser, John Dee. Soon, Lucy's on the trail of a secret protected by generations of Dee's heirs. Unfortunately, ruthless fundamentalists pursue, convinced that Dee's secret holds the key to the Rapture. A softer, semifeminist riff on The Da Vinci Code, Hardie's debut is richly woven, drawing on sources ranging from Elizabethan mysticism to computer games; the intricacy of the quest will pull readers in, but the story loses steam before coasting to a disappointing end. Hardie falls victim to some of the same pitfalls as Brown, letting interesting background material devolve into dry recitation and fact-combing. Further, her characters are almost all kindly, whip-smart do-gooders or swaggering bad guys, and Hardie is reticent to put her heroes in real danger (lest it interfere with their research). She blurs the lines between faith and reason cleverly, but her labyrinth of exposition will probably wear out readers before they find the exit. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

[A] gripping and adventurous tale....an interactive and bewitching read! --Woman magazine (UK)

Hardie's debut is richly woven, drawing on sources ranging from Elizabethan mysticism to computer games; the intricacy of the quest will pull readers in.... --Publishers Weekly

Hardie's details are well researched and encyclopedic and her puzzles, number gimmicks, and conjectures about Europe's cathedrals and labyrinths entrancing....Recommended for most popular fiction collections. --Library Journal

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.; Unabridged edition (November 18, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1433255561
• ISBN-13: 978-1433255564
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 6.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,848,463 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born and educated in Sydney, Australia, Titania Hardie is the highly successful author of a range of distinctive books published in the UK on folklore, magic, and divination, and recently a new series of children's books, The Frangipani Fairies. She has first-class honors degrees in psychology and English and was awarded the prestigious Chatterton scholarship for post-graduate study at Bristol University, where she is currently completing her M.A. on the Romantic poets. The Rose Labyrinth is her first novel. Titania lives in Somerset with her husband and two daughters.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Intelligently Written, but Ultimately Disappointing, January 25, 2010

By 

Insomniac bookworm "LLM" (Toronto, ON, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rose Labyrinth (Hardcover)

I put this book on my Christmas list, because I saw it in the bookstore and was intrigued by the beautiful cover (yes, I admit I sometimes judge books by their cover) and the synopsis on the back. It sounded right up my alley - a little psychological suspense, historical interest, a mystery, a little romance, and to top it off, something a little mystical or mythical about it.

It started out well, and was an intelligent and intriguing read. But halfway through I started to lose interest. The plot began to be bogged down with tons of arcane information, there was sometimes marginal reference to some of the puzzles (which I only realized were reproduced in the back of the softcover version when I went online to see if I could find them) and the suspenseful element completely broke down. I only read the whole thing because my young daughter had bought it for me with her allowance -- had it been a library book, I would have given up, because it began to be more work than seemed worthwhile.

I am normally very good at suspending disbelief but I came away not understanding how the puzzle makers in the 16th century were able to create puzzles about events in the 20th century, how numerology and the number 34 really fit into the puzzles and the plot, why Lucy herself and her childhood and birth date were apparently crucial to the resolution of a story that did not directly involve her family (except for the somewhat tangential heart transplant) etc. (I have university degrees, am well read, and reasonably intelligent, and I love books that are smartly written and sophisticated, yet I came away from this book feeling really dumb -- or else it was geared only toward gifted intellectuals and lovers of the arcane and esoteric). Many facets of the plot seemed to go nowhere in the end.

I was disappointed because I did catch glimpses now and then of how the book could have been a really good one. There are a lot of so-called bestsellers out there by authors who don't know how to construct a proper sentence and who write dumb fiction. I am rooting for Ms. Hardie and hoping that she learns from her mistakes and manages to write a much more pared down and plot-driven book with better-developed characters who manage to hold the reader's interest and keep him/her awake at night to finish another chapter.

30 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Intellectually Stimulating - A Must Read!, May 30, 2008

By 

A. Daly (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rose Labyrinth (Hardcover)

From the moment I picked up this book, I just knew it was going to be an amazing read. It truly is a love story of great poetic brilliance. Enchanting from the outset, I always had a strong suspicion that Lucy, with her heart transplant, would be the key to a world of enticing mysteries.

Finding it hard to put down, I raced through the pages of the Rose Labyrinth absolutely enticed by this amazing story of love and romance. Indeed, I do admit that some parts were quite dense, but the force of this book towards a deeper revelation kept me enticed throughout.

This book itself is presented ever so beautifully: a hard back cover with puzzle pieces to unravel, the Rose Labyrinth is presented just as well as it is written. However, this book may not be for all - especially those who have aversions about questioning our beliefs and re-incarnations - but it is definitely intriguing.

The author presents such a wide range of knowledge about Shakespeare and indeed the Elizabethan era that sometimes I felt like I was on a history tour. Titania is able to incorporate these all important facts into a modern London setting that everyone can recognize with ease.

This book will challenge you, but it will provide you with a delightful sense of pleasure. A must read for anyone looking to stimulate their minds while getting lost in a truly romantic love story.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Dan Brown may be a trash novel writer, but at least he can entertain me for the length of a plane flight., March 26, 2010

By 

S. Fowler - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Rose Labyrinth (Paperback)

*spoiler alert, btw*

I wanted so badly to like this book, I really did. I read it all the way through, got to the end, and was happy it was over.

The only likable character in the entire book is killed off in the third chapter - always a good sign. The main female is supposed to be a strong willed woman who's been given a second chance at life, but instead is a whiny, crying brat who puts herself into danger for the purposes of tension. The main male is supposed to be a stoic man with a loving interior, but instead comes off as creepy protective and possessive. The main 'villain' is propped up as some horribly EVIL man, despicable, insane, and deadly. He kidnaps the main female, offers her tea and biscuits, and lets her go in the morning - he even forgets to make any clear demands. The four main protagonists are supposed to be laymen, yet they all suddenly become experts in history, and all talk with the same unrealistic, non relevant tone about information that you'll never retain, and don't need to since it has nothing to do with the plot.

This book tries so hard to have The Da Vinci Code's gripping writing, and fails in every way. The characters are given riddles that you never see. They solve them, but you're rarely told why. They use the solutions in their decisions, but you're barely ever told why it's significant. You're taken to many historical settings, which are in reality beautiful and mysterious, though they're nothing but skimmed over plot devices barely worth a description beyond 'It a church and it has windows'.

'Flashbacks' in history are supposed to be mystical and meaningful, but really come across as smarmy, enigmatic, and pointless.

Ending tried so hard to be a Disney fairytale and all it ended up being was me thinking 'Uh... you guys... haven't... actually solved the plot.... you know that, right?'