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The Joubert Family Chronicles #4
The Map of Bones
Olifantshoek, Southern Africa, 1688.
When the violent Cape wind blows from the south-east, they say the voices of the unquiet dead can be heard whispering through the deserted valley. Suzanne Joubert, a Huguenot refugee from war-torn France, is here to walk in her cousin’s footsteps. Louise Reydon-Joubert, the notorious she-captain and pirate commander, landed at the Cape of Good Hope more than sixty years ago, then disappeared from the record as if she had never existed. Suzanne has come to find her – to lay the stories to rest. But all is not as it seems...
Franschhoek, Southern Africa, 1862.
Nearly one hundred and eighty years after Suzanne’s perilous journey, another intrepid and courageous woman of the Joubert family – Isabelle Lepard – has journeyed to the small frontier town once known as Oliftantshoek in search of her long-lost relations. A journalist and travel writer, intent on putting the women of her family back into the history books, she quickly discovers that the tragedies and crimes of the past are far from over. Isabelle faces a race against time if she is not only going to discover the truth but escape with her life...
When the violent Cape wind blows from the south-east, they say the voices of the unquiet dead can be heard whispering through the deserted valley. Suzanne Joubert, a Huguenot refugee from war-torn France, is here to walk in her cousin’s footsteps. Louise Reydon-Joubert, the notorious she-captain and pirate commander, landed at the Cape of Good Hope more than sixty years ago, then disappeared from the record as if she had never existed. Suzanne has come to find her – to lay the stories to rest. But all is not as it seems...
Franschhoek, Southern Africa, 1862.
Nearly one hundred and eighty years after Suzanne’s perilous journey, another intrepid and courageous woman of the Joubert family – Isabelle Lepard – has journeyed to the small frontier town once known as Oliftantshoek in search of her long-lost relations. A journalist and travel writer, intent on putting the women of her family back into the history books, she quickly discovers that the tragedies and crimes of the past are far from over. Isabelle faces a race against time if she is not only going to discover the truth but escape with her life...
477 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2024
247 people are currently reading
2204 people want to read
About the author
Kate Mosse
89 books3,304 followersKate Mosse is an international bestselling author with sales of more than five million copies in 42 languages. Her fiction includes the novels Labyrinth (2005), Sepulchre (2007), The Winter Ghosts (2009), and Citadel (2012), as well as an acclaimed collection of short stories, The Mistletoe Bride & Other Haunting Tales (2013). Kate’s new novel, The Taxidermist’s Daughter is out now.
Kate is the Co-Founder and Chair of the Board of the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction (previously the Orange Prize) and in June 2013, was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for services to literature. She lives in Sussex.
Kate is the Co-Founder and Chair of the Board of the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction (previously the Orange Prize) and in June 2013, was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for services to literature. She lives in Sussex.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 173 reviews
November 20, 2024
Don't get me wrong, I like the ending to this series, but this book felt a bit rushed. It read like the author was trying to squeeze two whole books in less than 500 pages. Suzanne's story felt a lot more full and explored, but Isabelle's story was really quick and felt rushed.
I loved that we now know the end of Louise's story, but other than that I simply don't think this volume lives up to the first three quality-wise. Tbh this is a 3 star story for me but with the Louise bits I can't find it in my heart to give it less than four.
I loved that we now know the end of Louise's story, but other than that I simply don't think this volume lives up to the first three quality-wise. Tbh this is a 3 star story for me but with the Louise bits I can't find it in my heart to give it less than four.
October 26, 2024
The Map of Bones is the fourth and final book in the series chronicling the lives of the Joubert family, a series which has taken us from 16th century France to 19th century Cape Town. I suggest The Map of Bones is best enjoyed if you have read previous books in the series since there is an extensive family tree and a deadly rivalry which extends all the way back to the first book. If you haven’t got time to embark on the whole series, then a good compromise would be to read The Ghost Ship as events in this book follow straight on from that one.
Suzanne’s search for the truth about what happened to her forbear, Louise Reydon-Joubert (the infamous captain of the vessel known as the ‘Ghost Ship’) after she arrived in Cape Town, involves a perilous voyage of her own and a journey to the interior of a country in which relations between settlers and the indigenous population are fragile and likely to explode at any moment.
The author’s reasearch is always second to none, and as in all her novels, the period setting is wonderfully evoked so that you can imagine yourself walking the streets of early Cape Town or traversing the interior of the country dodging jaguars and maurauding baboons.
Suzanne’s quest is partly successful, although not before she has experienced great danger, but still leaves many unanswered questions about Louise’s life and the reason she stayed in South Africa. It’s only in the second part of the book that those gaps begin to be filled. I used to think the secret diary a convenient trope of historical fiction but, of course, for many women living in earlier times a journal was the only medium through which they could document events in their lives or express their feelings, so I greet its use by authors with more generosity these days.
Isabelle’s financial situation, the result of an inheritance, may make her journey across the world more comfortable but it’s still a perilous one for a single woman travelling alone. It requires her to marshall all the courage and independence of spirit of her female forbears because when she embarks on her enquiries in Cape Town she finds the legacy of that rivalry I mentioned at the beginning still persists. And what she discovers is a story of violence but also of an intense and loving relationship that could only flourish beyond the fringes of society.
The book’s finale reflects the author’s own passion for bringing the achievements of women, past and present, out of the shadows and into the light.
I would have loved to learn more about the latter years of Suzanne’s life, which is rather glossed over in the book. Perhaps the author is saving that for a companion novel? Although The Map of Bones doesn’t have quite the riproaring adventure of The Ghost Ship, it’s still an enthralling and satisfying conclusion to the series.
Suzanne’s search for the truth about what happened to her forbear, Louise Reydon-Joubert (the infamous captain of the vessel known as the ‘Ghost Ship’) after she arrived in Cape Town, involves a perilous voyage of her own and a journey to the interior of a country in which relations between settlers and the indigenous population are fragile and likely to explode at any moment.
The author’s reasearch is always second to none, and as in all her novels, the period setting is wonderfully evoked so that you can imagine yourself walking the streets of early Cape Town or traversing the interior of the country dodging jaguars and maurauding baboons.
Suzanne’s quest is partly successful, although not before she has experienced great danger, but still leaves many unanswered questions about Louise’s life and the reason she stayed in South Africa. It’s only in the second part of the book that those gaps begin to be filled. I used to think the secret diary a convenient trope of historical fiction but, of course, for many women living in earlier times a journal was the only medium through which they could document events in their lives or express their feelings, so I greet its use by authors with more generosity these days.
Isabelle’s financial situation, the result of an inheritance, may make her journey across the world more comfortable but it’s still a perilous one for a single woman travelling alone. It requires her to marshall all the courage and independence of spirit of her female forbears because when she embarks on her enquiries in Cape Town she finds the legacy of that rivalry I mentioned at the beginning still persists. And what she discovers is a story of violence but also of an intense and loving relationship that could only flourish beyond the fringes of society.
The book’s finale reflects the author’s own passion for bringing the achievements of women, past and present, out of the shadows and into the light.
I would have loved to learn more about the latter years of Suzanne’s life, which is rather glossed over in the book. Perhaps the author is saving that for a companion novel? Although The Map of Bones doesn’t have quite the riproaring adventure of The Ghost Ship, it’s still an enthralling and satisfying conclusion to the series.
October 11, 2024
Its a bit of a double edged sword reading The Map of Bones, I went from being super excited to read the final book to despair that this is the end of this amazing series. So, this book follows three of the Joubert women; in 1688 Suzanne, cousin to Louise Reydon-Joubert, sails with her grandmother to South Africa to find out what happened to Louise, in doing so we learn more about Louise’s story. In 1862 another Joubert woman, Isabella, ventures to South Africa in search of her ancestors to record their stories for her family archives.
Kate Mosse is a tour de force in the literary world, especially about bringing women’s stories to the reader. Whilst these are not real historical figures, she uses them to show how women were treated in history, and the strength of these women. Suzanne and her grandmother Flora, are again being persuecuted as Huguenot’s in France, and after a brutal attack they get on a ship to South Africa. Like her ancestors, Suzanne has a determination about her, she will not let the attack define her, and is dogged in wanting to find out what happened to Louise, whose story was told in the previous book The Ghost Ship. Like Louise she goes on a perilous journey to search for answers, putting herself in danger in her search for the truth. In 1862, Isabelle does the same journey as her two ancestors, and even after nearly two hundred years there are still thost that see the Joubert women as a danger.
It is not just through the three Joubert women that we learn of women’s roles in the new colony of South Africa, there are plenty of other fascinating female characters. There were the orphans taken over to marry the dutch settlers, the native midwives and servants and those women coming to start a new life with their husbands. As always Kate Mosse’s research is impressive and detailed. From 1682 to 1862 she takes us on a journey throught the colonisation of South Africa, by the Dutch and the English, the good and the bad. In 1682 it is more primitive, especially away from the main colony of the Cape. This is an exapnsive landscape, the land is tough and hard to farm, their is always danger from the wild animals and from the indigenous citizens, whose land has been stolen. By 1862 the Cape is more westernised with buildings and towns influenced by the Dutch style. The difficult and shocking parts of colonisation is also delt with, the treatment of slaves who are beaten and raped, seen as just a commodity to be brought and sold. I really enjoyed her desciptive prose, painting a picture of the dramatic landscape, the wildness of the untouched land, the heat and the huge canyons, which must have been astonishing and shocking to those immigrants.
As you can probably tell, I absolutely adored reading The Map of Bones. I was pulled into the world of Suzanne, Louise and Isabelle, and became immersed in their lives. There is no doubt for me that this is a truely epic read, the plot covers over two hundred years in the Joubert families history, and taking us from France to Amsterdam to South Africa and finally to England. The Map of Bones is the perfect conclusion to the Joubert Family Chronicles, and I thing this series maybe Kate Mosse’s Magnus Opus, and a must read for all historical fiction fans.
Kate Mosse is a tour de force in the literary world, especially about bringing women’s stories to the reader. Whilst these are not real historical figures, she uses them to show how women were treated in history, and the strength of these women. Suzanne and her grandmother Flora, are again being persuecuted as Huguenot’s in France, and after a brutal attack they get on a ship to South Africa. Like her ancestors, Suzanne has a determination about her, she will not let the attack define her, and is dogged in wanting to find out what happened to Louise, whose story was told in the previous book The Ghost Ship. Like Louise she goes on a perilous journey to search for answers, putting herself in danger in her search for the truth. In 1862, Isabelle does the same journey as her two ancestors, and even after nearly two hundred years there are still thost that see the Joubert women as a danger.
It is not just through the three Joubert women that we learn of women’s roles in the new colony of South Africa, there are plenty of other fascinating female characters. There were the orphans taken over to marry the dutch settlers, the native midwives and servants and those women coming to start a new life with their husbands. As always Kate Mosse’s research is impressive and detailed. From 1682 to 1862 she takes us on a journey throught the colonisation of South Africa, by the Dutch and the English, the good and the bad. In 1682 it is more primitive, especially away from the main colony of the Cape. This is an exapnsive landscape, the land is tough and hard to farm, their is always danger from the wild animals and from the indigenous citizens, whose land has been stolen. By 1862 the Cape is more westernised with buildings and towns influenced by the Dutch style. The difficult and shocking parts of colonisation is also delt with, the treatment of slaves who are beaten and raped, seen as just a commodity to be brought and sold. I really enjoyed her desciptive prose, painting a picture of the dramatic landscape, the wildness of the untouched land, the heat and the huge canyons, which must have been astonishing and shocking to those immigrants.
As you can probably tell, I absolutely adored reading The Map of Bones. I was pulled into the world of Suzanne, Louise and Isabelle, and became immersed in their lives. There is no doubt for me that this is a truely epic read, the plot covers over two hundred years in the Joubert families history, and taking us from France to Amsterdam to South Africa and finally to England. The Map of Bones is the perfect conclusion to the Joubert Family Chronicles, and I thing this series maybe Kate Mosse’s Magnus Opus, and a must read for all historical fiction fans.
July 30, 2025
Actual rating 4.5.
June 1, 2025
I don't quite have the words to describe how much I love Mosse's writing.
I first fell in love with The Ghost Ship, the third instalment of the Joubert Family Chronicles, and was worried her fourth and final instalment wouldn't live up to how much I adored its predecessor.
But Mosse writes with such beauty, poise, and dignity for her characters, I found myself moved to tears even in her author's note, and right on the final pages. The historical placement of her characters is second to none, and while her stories are fiction, the refugees and women she has drawn from are very real, and written of with absolute care and respect.
Again, I find myself astounded by her writing, honoured to be able to partake in her books.
She wrote a very fitting end to the story of Louise, and I'm completely satisfied that no stone has been left unturned. I'm thrilled to have been able to read of her and Gilles again. I've missed them dearly since I finished The Ghost Ship.
All I have is, thank you, Kate.
I first fell in love with The Ghost Ship, the third instalment of the Joubert Family Chronicles, and was worried her fourth and final instalment wouldn't live up to how much I adored its predecessor.
But Mosse writes with such beauty, poise, and dignity for her characters, I found myself moved to tears even in her author's note, and right on the final pages. The historical placement of her characters is second to none, and while her stories are fiction, the refugees and women she has drawn from are very real, and written of with absolute care and respect.
Again, I find myself astounded by her writing, honoured to be able to partake in her books.
She wrote a very fitting end to the story of Louise, and I'm completely satisfied that no stone has been left unturned. I'm thrilled to have been able to read of her and Gilles again. I've missed them dearly since I finished The Ghost Ship.
All I have is, thank you, Kate.
October 17, 2024
Such a good conclusion to the story. I'm still sad it is the last one 😔
June 18, 2025
Overall I enjoyed this series but I am still left with some unanswered questions about some pretty major plot points that I thought would be resolved in the final instalment and just…weren’t? Maybe I need to go back and re-read to make sure I didn’t miss anything!
February 24, 2025
This book, like the entire series, had far too much jumping around between characters, timelines and places. All the women characters ended up having the same generic personality and became indistinct from one another. I could never pick the thread up from one book to another. Minou and the first book - and the second one - were one of my favourite reads ever (partly because they were so strongly character driven and really followed one storyline). The third and fourth were a disappointment, a testament to how trying to do too much with one book (series) can unravel the magic.
August 10, 2025
Naar mijn idee iets zwakker dan het voorgaande deel over scheepseigenaar en kapitein Louise Reydon Joubert, maar niettemin een bevredigend slot van de kronieken over vier krachtige vrouwen uit de Joubert-familie, die ruim drie eeuwen overspannen.
Het eerste gedeelte van dit laatste boek speelt in 1688-89, wanneer Suzanne Joubert - een achternichtje van Louise - samen met haar grootmoeder Florence (dochter van Jean-Jacques en kleindochter van Minou) naar Zuid-Afrika afreist om te achterhalen wat met Louise en de twee mannen die haar in 1622 op haar reis naar Kaapstad vergezelden, na aankomst aldaar is gebeurd, omdat elk spoor daarna ontbrak.
Het tweede deel verhaalt 170 jaar later over de in Engeland opgegroeide Isabelle Joubert Lepard, een goed opgeleide vrouw met een fascinatie voor de sterke Joubert-vrouwen die ze heeft leren kennen uit de door Suzanne aan haar nakomelingen overgedragen familiearchieven in de vorm van Minous logboeken, Louises gevangenisdagboek en Suzannes notities. Haar ambitie is een Joubert Familiearchief en Leeszaal in te richten, maar omdat een deel van Suzannes notities verloren is gegaan na de schipbreuk voor de kust van Cornwall tijdens haar terugreis naar Amsterdam en informatie over het leven van Louise na haar aankomst in Kaapstad in 1622 ontbreekt, heeft Isabella zich ten doel gesteld dit mysterie op te lossen en ook zij reist in 1862 af naar Kaapstad...
Het eerste gedeelte van dit laatste boek speelt in 1688-89, wanneer Suzanne Joubert - een achternichtje van Louise - samen met haar grootmoeder Florence (dochter van Jean-Jacques en kleindochter van Minou) naar Zuid-Afrika afreist om te achterhalen wat met Louise en de twee mannen die haar in 1622 op haar reis naar Kaapstad vergezelden, na aankomst aldaar is gebeurd, omdat elk spoor daarna ontbrak.
Het tweede deel verhaalt 170 jaar later over de in Engeland opgegroeide Isabelle Joubert Lepard, een goed opgeleide vrouw met een fascinatie voor de sterke Joubert-vrouwen die ze heeft leren kennen uit de door Suzanne aan haar nakomelingen overgedragen familiearchieven in de vorm van Minous logboeken, Louises gevangenisdagboek en Suzannes notities. Haar ambitie is een Joubert Familiearchief en Leeszaal in te richten, maar omdat een deel van Suzannes notities verloren is gegaan na de schipbreuk voor de kust van Cornwall tijdens haar terugreis naar Amsterdam en informatie over het leven van Louise na haar aankomst in Kaapstad in 1622 ontbreekt, heeft Isabella zich ten doel gesteld dit mysterie op te lossen en ook zij reist in 1862 af naar Kaapstad...
October 12, 2024
After a personal trauma, Suzanne Joubert travels with her grandmother Florence to Southern Africa, a Dutch colony hosting French refugees – mostly Huguenots. Besides finding a new home, Suzanne wants to find out the truth about Louise Joubert-Reydon, who disappeared several decades ago after arriving in the same country. 100 years later, Isabelle Lepard also travels to South Africa to write down Louise’s story.
The map of bones is the fourth and final book in The Joubert Family Chronicles and picks up where the previous book – The ghost ship – left off. Louise Joubert disappeared along with her companion Gilles Barenton and half-brother Philippe Vidal on the African coast. We are introduced to Suzanne, the granddaughter of Florence, Louise’s niece. They arrive in South Africa and we are introduced to life in the colony.
A second perspective is that of Isabelle Lepard, another woman of the family, who also goes to South Africa in search of a dark secret belonging to Louise and Gilles and this causes yet another fued between two families. In between, there are several other plotlines within Suzanne and Isabelle’s story, including the relationship between the original Khoi people and the settlers.
I enjoyes this series a lot, they are all pageturners. Although I must admit that I found Suzanne’s story more interesting than that of Isabelle. Isabelle’s storyline with the Barentons and the tension created did not end with such a climax as I anticipated. I did enjoy reading about South Africa during this period and following the path of Huguenot refugees.
This novel forms a nice ending for the series, but the first two books still remain my favorites. And I also liked it that Louise’s story from book three was now nicely wrapped up. However, I highly recommend to start with The burning chambers. I am curious to see what Kate Mosse will write next, as I loved her last four books.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.
Dutch review:
Suzanne Joubert reist na een persoonlijk drama met haar grootmoeder Florence naar de Kaap der Goede Hoop, een Nederlandse kolonie die Franse vluchtelingen - voornamelijk Hugenoten - ontvangt. Naast een nieuwe thuis vinden wil Suzanne ook de waarheid over Louise Joubert te weten komen, zij verdween een aantal decennia geleden na haar aankomst in Zuid-Afrika. 100 jaar later reist ook Isabelle Lepard naar Zuid-Afrika om Louise's verhaal op te schrijven.
The map of bones is het vierde en laatste boek in The Joubert Family Chronicles en pikt op waar het vorige boek - The ghost ship - strandde. Letterlijk want Louise verdween samen met haar compagnon Gilles Barenton en halfbroer Philippe Vidal aan de Afrikaanse kust. We maken kennis met Suzanne, de kleindochter van Florence Joubert, de nicht van Louise. Zij komen aan in Zuid-Afrika en we maken kennis met het leven in de kolonie.
Een tweede perspectief is dat van Isabelle Lepard, nog een vrouw uit de familie, die ook in Zuid-Afrika op zoek gaat naar een donker geheim van Louise en Gilles en zo opnieuw een tweestrijd tussen families ontlokt. Tussendoor zijn er nog enkele andere plotlijnen binnen het verhaal van Suzanne en Isabelle, waaronder de relatie tussen de oorspronkelijke Khoi bevolking en de kolonisten.
Ik hou van deze serie en ben dus ook door dit boek gevlogen. Al moet ik toegeven dat ik vooral Suzanne's verhaal interessant vond. Dat van Louise is vooral heel symbolisch, maar de verhaallijn met de Barentons en de spanning die daar werd gecreëerd werd niet echt ingelost door het verhaal. Ik vond het wel fijn om te lezen over Zuid-Afrika in die periode en om het pad van Hugenootse vluchtelingen te volgen.
Het boek is een pageturner en vormt een mooi einde voor de serie, maar de eerste twee boeken blijven toch mijn favorieten. Al moet ik ook wel toegeven dat ik het leuk vond dat Louise haar verhaal uit boek drie nu mooi was afgerond.
Ik ben benieuwd dat Kate Mosse hierna gaat schrijven. Deze boek raad ik dus zeker aan.
Bedankt aan Netgalley en de uitgever voor een exemplaar van dit boek in ruil voor mijn eerlijke mening.
The map of bones is the fourth and final book in The Joubert Family Chronicles and picks up where the previous book – The ghost ship – left off. Louise Joubert disappeared along with her companion Gilles Barenton and half-brother Philippe Vidal on the African coast. We are introduced to Suzanne, the granddaughter of Florence, Louise’s niece. They arrive in South Africa and we are introduced to life in the colony.
A second perspective is that of Isabelle Lepard, another woman of the family, who also goes to South Africa in search of a dark secret belonging to Louise and Gilles and this causes yet another fued between two families. In between, there are several other plotlines within Suzanne and Isabelle’s story, including the relationship between the original Khoi people and the settlers.
I enjoyes this series a lot, they are all pageturners. Although I must admit that I found Suzanne’s story more interesting than that of Isabelle. Isabelle’s storyline with the Barentons and the tension created did not end with such a climax as I anticipated. I did enjoy reading about South Africa during this period and following the path of Huguenot refugees.
This novel forms a nice ending for the series, but the first two books still remain my favorites. And I also liked it that Louise’s story from book three was now nicely wrapped up. However, I highly recommend to start with The burning chambers. I am curious to see what Kate Mosse will write next, as I loved her last four books.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.
Dutch review:
Suzanne Joubert reist na een persoonlijk drama met haar grootmoeder Florence naar de Kaap der Goede Hoop, een Nederlandse kolonie die Franse vluchtelingen - voornamelijk Hugenoten - ontvangt. Naast een nieuwe thuis vinden wil Suzanne ook de waarheid over Louise Joubert te weten komen, zij verdween een aantal decennia geleden na haar aankomst in Zuid-Afrika. 100 jaar later reist ook Isabelle Lepard naar Zuid-Afrika om Louise's verhaal op te schrijven.
The map of bones is het vierde en laatste boek in The Joubert Family Chronicles en pikt op waar het vorige boek - The ghost ship - strandde. Letterlijk want Louise verdween samen met haar compagnon Gilles Barenton en halfbroer Philippe Vidal aan de Afrikaanse kust. We maken kennis met Suzanne, de kleindochter van Florence Joubert, de nicht van Louise. Zij komen aan in Zuid-Afrika en we maken kennis met het leven in de kolonie.
Een tweede perspectief is dat van Isabelle Lepard, nog een vrouw uit de familie, die ook in Zuid-Afrika op zoek gaat naar een donker geheim van Louise en Gilles en zo opnieuw een tweestrijd tussen families ontlokt. Tussendoor zijn er nog enkele andere plotlijnen binnen het verhaal van Suzanne en Isabelle, waaronder de relatie tussen de oorspronkelijke Khoi bevolking en de kolonisten.
Ik hou van deze serie en ben dus ook door dit boek gevlogen. Al moet ik toegeven dat ik vooral Suzanne's verhaal interessant vond. Dat van Louise is vooral heel symbolisch, maar de verhaallijn met de Barentons en de spanning die daar werd gecreëerd werd niet echt ingelost door het verhaal. Ik vond het wel fijn om te lezen over Zuid-Afrika in die periode en om het pad van Hugenootse vluchtelingen te volgen.
Het boek is een pageturner en vormt een mooi einde voor de serie, maar de eerste twee boeken blijven toch mijn favorieten. Al moet ik ook wel toegeven dat ik het leuk vond dat Louise haar verhaal uit boek drie nu mooi was afgerond.
Ik ben benieuwd dat Kate Mosse hierna gaat schrijven. Deze boek raad ik dus zeker aan.
Bedankt aan Netgalley en de uitgever voor een exemplaar van dit boek in ruil voor mijn eerlijke mening.
April 15, 2025
I'd give this 3.5 stars if I could. It isn't Mosse's strongest book, which is a slight disappointment for the finale of this series. Nonetheless it is a good conclusion to the story of the Joubert-Reydon family, it just lacks some of the outlandish adventure and mystery of the previous books. A lot was predicatable, a few characters motives could have been more fleshed out, and the final part of the book felt like it rushed and hurtled to end the story, as opposed to taking the time to make Isabelle a beloved character, like the long line of women before her. Until Suzanne's storytelling ended, I would have given this a higher rating. It was only the last 100 or so pages that let the narrative down, which is a shame when you've invested so much into the previous 3 books and their characters, only to feel let down by the ending of the final book.
Overall though, I would recommend the four books in this series still. I love a historical fiction and Kate Mosse's research and writing is normally 4 or 5 stars.
Overall though, I would recommend the four books in this series still. I love a historical fiction and Kate Mosse's research and writing is normally 4 or 5 stars.
February 2, 2025
A wonderful conclusion the the Joubert Family Chronicles. The 4th instalment is the round up of all the loose ends from the previous book. Even though we jump forward again in time, we learn about what happened to Louise Reydon Joubert - where the last book so abdruptly ended.
We are now in South Africa in the 1800s. Kate Mosse does what she does best, relays the history of the times and communities through characters that leap off the page, that stay with you for years after the last page of the book has been turned.
A wonderful read as always.
We are now in South Africa in the 1800s. Kate Mosse does what she does best, relays the history of the times and communities through characters that leap off the page, that stay with you for years after the last page of the book has been turned.
A wonderful read as always.
January 25, 2025
Captivating, immersive, and memorable!
The Map of Bones is an atmospheric, fascinating tale that picks up a few decades after The Ghost Ship left off, sweeping us to the Cape of Good Hope in the late 1600s and into the life of the fierce, independent Suzanne Joubert who, after arriving as a refugee on the shores of South Africa is bound and determined to do whatever it takes, even amongst the hostility and danger that surrounds her, to once and for all discover the fate of her infamous ancestor Louise Reydon-Joubert, the she-captain of the Ghost Ship.
The prose is rich and expressive. The characters are persistent, resilient, and strong. And the plot is a passionate, engrossing quest full of life, loss, love, courage, action, adventure, family, friendship, sacrifice, savagery, injustice, and revelations.
Overall, The Map of Bones is the alluring, insightful, stunning conclusion to The Joubert Family Chronicles by Mosse which spectacularly highlights her incredible knowledge and research into the vivid, tragic history of the Huguenots.
The Map of Bones is an atmospheric, fascinating tale that picks up a few decades after The Ghost Ship left off, sweeping us to the Cape of Good Hope in the late 1600s and into the life of the fierce, independent Suzanne Joubert who, after arriving as a refugee on the shores of South Africa is bound and determined to do whatever it takes, even amongst the hostility and danger that surrounds her, to once and for all discover the fate of her infamous ancestor Louise Reydon-Joubert, the she-captain of the Ghost Ship.
The prose is rich and expressive. The characters are persistent, resilient, and strong. And the plot is a passionate, engrossing quest full of life, loss, love, courage, action, adventure, family, friendship, sacrifice, savagery, injustice, and revelations.
Overall, The Map of Bones is the alluring, insightful, stunning conclusion to The Joubert Family Chronicles by Mosse which spectacularly highlights her incredible knowledge and research into the vivid, tragic history of the Huguenots.
August 21, 2025
This one wasn't my favourite of Mosse's work, it felt like a totally different style of story to the rest of the books in the series and felt like it wasn't really needed. I struggled to maintain interest, but the fact that we finally got to a more interesting part with the main character and then the book skipped generations to an entirely new character near to the end was frustrating. I think it would've been better to extend the ghost ship and put the extra bit of the main character's story there than create a book that was mostly filler just to wrap up some loose ends.
Just ok, this one.
Just ok, this one.
March 31, 2025
A satisfying ending to the Joubert Family Chronicles, although rushed at the end when compared with the sweeping narratives of the books before. I’ve loved this series and its portrayal of the women behind the scenes bringing their stories to light. Being a well researched historical fiction series means I enjoy it so much more because I’m actually learning some history - yay!
November 15, 2024
An excellent ending to the Joubert saga.
April 15, 2025
Wat is het jammer dat nu alle boeken gelezen zijn van deze serie. Ik zal moeten afkicken. Een echte aanrader voor wie van historische romans houdt.
July 15, 2025
Another wonderful series from one of my favourite authors 😍
August 29, 2025
The fourth and final book in this series was my favorite. It took me a while to really engage with the characters in the first book. Part of that was because of the difficulty with the French names. As I got used to them my love for the sweeping family history grew. As pieces fell into place the emotional connection I had been looking for occurred. This nicely wrapped up the travails of the Joubert family for me as the last surviving woman achieved her goal.
February 16, 2025
Fantastic end to the series. The Joubert chronicles are over but I will always remember the Joubert women.
March 2, 2025
Mwah, not a big fan of this one. The story dragged on and on and for me it missed a spark.
June 15, 2025
A well written book that provides a glimpse into the beginning stages of our country. I loved reading about the Cape in the 1600s!
June 19, 2025
I listened to the audiobook version of The Map of Bones but read the previous books in this series. It is a 3.5* for me. some of the stories and characters were well fleshed out and a few rushed and inconclusive.
Also being South African I was put off by the incorrect pronunciations of the Afrikaans names and places.
Most of the book takes place in Cape Town and Franschhoek.
Also being South African I was put off by the incorrect pronunciations of the Afrikaans names and places.
Most of the book takes place in Cape Town and Franschhoek.
January 16, 2025
The finale to the trilogy, except it became four books. So good I shall read them all again. They started in carcasonne and ended in Africa. A gripping tale of two families, well written.
August 28, 2024
I have loved this series following the lives of the women in the Joubert family which moves from France to Holland and finally to South Africa and London.
In the last book the reader was treated to the swashbuckling tale of Louise Reydon Joubert, a captain of a pirate ship, attacking slave traders but it was not clear what happened to her at the end thus leading on to this current book.
In “The Map of Bones” we discover her life after landing in South Africa with her partner Gilles. Spanning hundreds of years this book focuses on Suzanne Joubert who traces her ancestor’s life in the Cape and tries to discover what happened to Louise. 80 years after her disappearance. It is 1687 and Suzanne and her grandmother flee to Holland after a terrible attack on them in France, perpetrated due to their Huguenot beliefs.
From Holland they sail to South Africa and Suzanne searches for references to Louise who made the same journey many years earlier.
The book also features a section set in the 1870s when Isabelle, another Joubert descendant, seeks to fill in the gaps in Suzanne’s knowledge, written down in her notebooks.
There is adventure, romance and much excitement in this extraordinarily well researched book. It was so interesting to read about life in South Africa when the first settlers arrived.
I loved the strong and brave female characters Louise, Suzanne and Isabelle, all women ahead of their own times. They are living the lives they want to live despite being in dangerous situations and in Suzanne’s case being persecuted for religious reasons.
Kate Mosse certainly knows how to tell a story which is both gripping and entertaining. It is a real page turner and I raced through it, determined to find out what happened to all the main protagonists.
I am only sad that this is to be the last book in the Joubert Chronicles but am hopeful that Kate Mosse will produce another wonderful series in the future.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy.
In the last book the reader was treated to the swashbuckling tale of Louise Reydon Joubert, a captain of a pirate ship, attacking slave traders but it was not clear what happened to her at the end thus leading on to this current book.
In “The Map of Bones” we discover her life after landing in South Africa with her partner Gilles. Spanning hundreds of years this book focuses on Suzanne Joubert who traces her ancestor’s life in the Cape and tries to discover what happened to Louise. 80 years after her disappearance. It is 1687 and Suzanne and her grandmother flee to Holland after a terrible attack on them in France, perpetrated due to their Huguenot beliefs.
From Holland they sail to South Africa and Suzanne searches for references to Louise who made the same journey many years earlier.
The book also features a section set in the 1870s when Isabelle, another Joubert descendant, seeks to fill in the gaps in Suzanne’s knowledge, written down in her notebooks.
There is adventure, romance and much excitement in this extraordinarily well researched book. It was so interesting to read about life in South Africa when the first settlers arrived.
I loved the strong and brave female characters Louise, Suzanne and Isabelle, all women ahead of their own times. They are living the lives they want to live despite being in dangerous situations and in Suzanne’s case being persecuted for religious reasons.
Kate Mosse certainly knows how to tell a story which is both gripping and entertaining. It is a real page turner and I raced through it, determined to find out what happened to all the main protagonists.
I am only sad that this is to be the last book in the Joubert Chronicles but am hopeful that Kate Mosse will produce another wonderful series in the future.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy.
October 6, 2024
As someone who grew up in the Cape Winelands, I do enjoy a book set on my own doorstep. It is a decent read. However, I doubt the political/cultural sensitivity of some of the characters. My recollection of Andre Brink's Philida is that it handled the complexity of 17th/19th century race relations better. Unfortunately the last 2 novels did not match the first 2 in the series, but worth finishing the series.
November 17, 2024
I didn't realise this was part of the Joubert Family series when I picked it up, I wasn't very impressed with the first in the series so I wouldn't have bothered reading this if I had known. This was a slight improvement on the first of the series, the historical detail is interesting, but there didn't feel like there was really much of a plot. I just wanted the women in the novel to get on with their own lives instead of rushing around the world in search of their family history.
November 16, 2024
Meh, it was fine but I really didn’t care by the end. I wasn’t entirely sure what the point of all the following in ancestors footsteps was. I’d read the first in the series but not the ones in between, so maybe this was a mistake. I don’t think I’ll go back to them though
November 8, 2024
Very disappointing conclusion to what should have just been a brilliant trilogy. Boring and a struggle to persevere through. I kept waiting for the story to really begin.
June 16, 2025
Kate Mosse schrijft historische romans en is vooral bekend van haar Languedoc- trilogie. Ze spit geschiedenis op diepgaande wijze uit en schrijft romans over minder bekende historische onderwerpen zoals de Katharen. Met haar nieuwste serie – De kronieken van de Joubert familie – brengt ze een verhaal waarin hugenoten centraal staan, hoe zij door de eeuwen heen werden vervolgd en nergens thuishoorden. Vallei van schaduw is hiervan het vierde en laatste deel.
1688, Suzanne Joubert besluit af te reizen naar Zuid-Afrika om te weten te komen wat er met Louise Reydon-Joubert gebeurde. Zij verdween namelijk nadat ze in Zuid-Afrika arriveerde. Het wordt een zoektocht door een onherbergzaam landschap in een tijd waarin reizen nog gevaarlijk is. Uiteindelijk slaagt ze maar deels in haar queeste en keert terug naar haar thuisland met slechts halve antwoorden.
In 1862 besluit Isabelle op zoek te gaan naar haar familiegeschiedenis en wil Suzannes zoektocht volbrengen. Hiervoor reist ze af naar Zuid-Afrika. Eenmaal daar aangekomen heeft ze al enkele onverwachte vijanden die haar achterna zitten.
Vallei van schaduw is geschreven in de typerende stijl van Kate Mosse. Hierbij verweeft ze haar geschiedkundige kennis, met een innemend en beeldende stijl. Bovendien overstelpt ze haar lezers niet met een overdaad aan historische feiten en weet ze een intrigerend relaas te vertellen. Doch raasden tijdens het lezen van dit verhaal enkele vervelende ‘waarom nou’ -vragen door mijn hoofd.
Het vorige, derde deel van deze serie Schip der Zielen had een open einde. Het was onduidelijk hoe het verder zou verlopen met Louise en Gilles. In dit vierde deel gaan nakomelingen van haar op zoek naar antwoorden, ze willen weten wat er met hen gebeurde. Op deze manier probeert de auteur een einde te breien aan deze serie. Vallei van schaduw gaat dan ook hoofdzakelijk over deze queeste en pas op het einde weten we eindelijk wat er met Louise gebeurde.
Ik begrijp niet zo goed waarom de auteur een vierde boek schreef om tot de ontknoping te komen. Ze had aan Schip der Zielen enkele pagina’s kunnen toevoegen om zo tot het slot te komen. Waarom nog een vierde deel schrijven, over een queeste? Het leek wel op het uitmelken van een goede franchising. Net als bij een goede tv-serie, waarvan steeds meer en meer seizoenen van gemaakt worden, tot er geen kwaliteit meer overblijft en waarbij steeds meer en meer kijkers afhaken. Dit gevoel had ik ook tijdens het lezen van dit verhaal, met momenten had ik echt zin om af te haken, of om door te bladeren tot de laatste pagina’s om de ontknoping te lezen.
Inhoudelijk kwam Vallei van schaduw maar traag op gang, het leek eerder op een 17de-eeuwse roadtrip per paard dan op een historische roman. Bovendien verdwenen de hugenoten ook steeds meer op de achtergrond, hoewel zij het hoofdthema van deze serie vormen. Hoewel het verhaal mij hier minder boeide en het, als slotdeel van een goede serie een behoorlijke domper was, heeft de schrijfstijl van Kate Mosse veel goed gemaakt. Ze tovert met woorden en hanteert een prachtige, beeldende stijl. Hierdoor bleef ik uiteindelijk toch verder lezen. Ze weet bovendien weer bijzonder sterke vrouwelijke personages neer te zetten, die hun mannetje kunnen staan in een patriarchale samenleving. Vallei van schaduw biedt een ietwat teleurstellend einde van een prachtige historische serie. 2.5 sterren.
1688, Suzanne Joubert besluit af te reizen naar Zuid-Afrika om te weten te komen wat er met Louise Reydon-Joubert gebeurde. Zij verdween namelijk nadat ze in Zuid-Afrika arriveerde. Het wordt een zoektocht door een onherbergzaam landschap in een tijd waarin reizen nog gevaarlijk is. Uiteindelijk slaagt ze maar deels in haar queeste en keert terug naar haar thuisland met slechts halve antwoorden.
In 1862 besluit Isabelle op zoek te gaan naar haar familiegeschiedenis en wil Suzannes zoektocht volbrengen. Hiervoor reist ze af naar Zuid-Afrika. Eenmaal daar aangekomen heeft ze al enkele onverwachte vijanden die haar achterna zitten.
Vallei van schaduw is geschreven in de typerende stijl van Kate Mosse. Hierbij verweeft ze haar geschiedkundige kennis, met een innemend en beeldende stijl. Bovendien overstelpt ze haar lezers niet met een overdaad aan historische feiten en weet ze een intrigerend relaas te vertellen. Doch raasden tijdens het lezen van dit verhaal enkele vervelende ‘waarom nou’ -vragen door mijn hoofd.
Het vorige, derde deel van deze serie Schip der Zielen had een open einde. Het was onduidelijk hoe het verder zou verlopen met Louise en Gilles. In dit vierde deel gaan nakomelingen van haar op zoek naar antwoorden, ze willen weten wat er met hen gebeurde. Op deze manier probeert de auteur een einde te breien aan deze serie. Vallei van schaduw gaat dan ook hoofdzakelijk over deze queeste en pas op het einde weten we eindelijk wat er met Louise gebeurde.
Ik begrijp niet zo goed waarom de auteur een vierde boek schreef om tot de ontknoping te komen. Ze had aan Schip der Zielen enkele pagina’s kunnen toevoegen om zo tot het slot te komen. Waarom nog een vierde deel schrijven, over een queeste? Het leek wel op het uitmelken van een goede franchising. Net als bij een goede tv-serie, waarvan steeds meer en meer seizoenen van gemaakt worden, tot er geen kwaliteit meer overblijft en waarbij steeds meer en meer kijkers afhaken. Dit gevoel had ik ook tijdens het lezen van dit verhaal, met momenten had ik echt zin om af te haken, of om door te bladeren tot de laatste pagina’s om de ontknoping te lezen.
Inhoudelijk kwam Vallei van schaduw maar traag op gang, het leek eerder op een 17de-eeuwse roadtrip per paard dan op een historische roman. Bovendien verdwenen de hugenoten ook steeds meer op de achtergrond, hoewel zij het hoofdthema van deze serie vormen. Hoewel het verhaal mij hier minder boeide en het, als slotdeel van een goede serie een behoorlijke domper was, heeft de schrijfstijl van Kate Mosse veel goed gemaakt. Ze tovert met woorden en hanteert een prachtige, beeldende stijl. Hierdoor bleef ik uiteindelijk toch verder lezen. Ze weet bovendien weer bijzonder sterke vrouwelijke personages neer te zetten, die hun mannetje kunnen staan in een patriarchale samenleving. Vallei van schaduw biedt een ietwat teleurstellend einde van een prachtige historische serie. 2.5 sterren.
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