The Rose Labyrinth (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: great rose window, John Dee, Miss King, New York (more...)

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.)
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Review

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

[A] gripping and adventurous tale....an interactive and bewitching read! --Woman magazine (UK) --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Atria; Har/Pap edition (November 18, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416584609
• ISBN-13: 978-1416584605
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.4 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #423,030 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 26 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: The 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.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An enchanting and stimulating novel for the truly esoteric, August 29, 2008

By	Flapper "PW" (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rose Labyrinth (Hardcover)

This book is an out an out joy to read. A love story with more than a little twist (you need to read it to understand!) this is an intelligent book that will stimulate, educate and at times make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up as the medieval mystery unfolds and reveals that the issue of religious tolerance is just as relevant today as it was in the time of Queen Elizabeth the first. Hardie has scored with this, her first novel and I cannot recommend it more highly.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Somehow the Story Never Quite Hooked Me, December 21, 2008

By	Phyllis Staff (Dallas, Texas USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This debut novel shows promise aplenty, but somehow it never quite lived up to its advance billing. Why? For me there were a number of minuses:

1. The star of this show is esotericism. And as a subplot that's great, but as the main character, it's not enough. It arouses intellectual curiosity but never fully engages the emotions like happens in a first-rate novel. I found it easy to put this novel down.

2. The human characters were mostly flat. The most engaging character in the book, the one that actually captured my imagination, died early on in the story. From then on, I was never caught up in the characters' problems, never felt their fear or passion, never felt the terror of impending doom.

3. The puzzle parts of the book were intriguing, but, in my mind, drew the reader away from rather than toward the story line. In fact, I began to feel that they were a gimmick designed to capture the reader rather than an essential part of the story.

From these complaints, you might assume that I consider this a poor novel -- not so! It's a good first effort, based on a wealth of research. And that may be its downfall for me: Research should be seamless in a great story rather than quite so obvious.

A good but not great first effort in the historical romance niche. Three stars.