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The Cloisters

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The Cloisters

By: Katy Hays
Narrated by: Emily Tremaine
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

Ann Stilwell arrives in New York City, hoping to spend her summer working at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Instead, she is assigned to The Cloisters, a gothic museum and garden renowned for its collection of medieval and Renaissance art.

There she is drawn into a small circle of charismatic but enigmatic researchers, each with their own secrets and desires, including the museum's curator, Patrick Roland, who is convinced that the history of Tarot holds the key to unlocking contemporary fortune telling.

Relieved to have left her troubled past behind and eager for the approval of her new colleagues, Ann is only too happy to indulge some of Patrick's more outlandish theories. But when Ann discovers a mysterious, once-thought lost deck of 15th-century Italian tarot cards, she suddenly finds herself at the centre of a dangerous game of power, toxic friendship and ambition.

And as the game being played within The Cloisters spirals out of control, Ann must decide whether she is truly able to defy the cards and shape her own future...

Bringing together the modern and the arcane, The Cloisters is a rich, thrillingly told tale of obsession and the ruthless pursuit of power.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2022 Katy Hays (P)2022 Penguin Audio
Crime Thrillers Fiction International Mystery & Crime Renaissance Thriller Suspense Mystery Museum
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What listeners say about The Cloisters

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Not worth the time.

The narrator was terrible and I found the story boring, flat and predictable. Almost never made it to the end, it felt like if dragged on.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Interesting descriptive read

I really like the descriptive way this story has been written. Even although I found it quite predictable I enjoyed the story. X

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Intriguing but ultimately a bit hollow

The story did suck you in but then became a bit flat … A nice time filler

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

very good

A tad slow to start but very gripping towards the middle. Well written and read, a good read!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Tarot cards

Very much enjoyed but did drag in places. But I did enjoy the cloister and it history.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Unique and Devilishly Dark and Delicious - I loved

It took me a while to warm up to this but once it took a hold, it was fiendishly addictive. It really did give me hours and hours of top quality story telling and total immersion in another world with, twist after turn and just what I love to escape to and relax with at the end of the day.

Part of my initial failure to engage was, I think, down to the narration, which while fine, bar a few mispronunciations like chaise longue, was just miscast as sounded much too old for a twenty something just starting out.

At the beginning also, it seemed the word "arcane" cropped up in every sentence which makes me wonder are there any editors left in the world - but after this slightly self conscious start it really took off and I was gripped.

I have to say I am not a fan of museums (though I have been to many), not fascinated by history and zero interest in Tarot Cards and I did not like any of the characters - but I had such a wonderful time listening to this unique book, So if you are reading the blurb and think New York/Museums/Artifacts/Tarot cards are not my bag, do not let this put you off at all as it is a unique and captivating book.

It took me such a long time to finish it as I was enjoying it so much, I did not want to miss a word.
Recently two books I really enjoyed, including this one, have been compared unfavourably to Donna Tartt's work.
I have yet to really get into or finish any of Donna Tartt's highly acclaimed books, so I would suggest they appeal to a different audience of reader/listener and not to be put off by this.

No spoilers but my main - and really only small niggle - is about the sailing details and safety protocols as I would have thought experienced sailors would have strict protocols as with most sports, when people take them seriously they have a safety checklist and that rankled a little.
However this was a minuscule fly in a very, very delicious and enthralling ointment so I am happy to suspend disbelief on this one. The writing was so evocative and intriguing I really got immersed and felt like I had seen a film more than read a book and indeed I hope it will be brought to the screen as would be a cracker of a movie.

In the crowded murder mystery thriller market, where there is so much sub par fare, The Cloisters really stands out for its excellent writing and story telling talent and I am adding Katy Hays to instant pre-order status for her next book, which I am looking forward to already!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good idea could have been better executed…

I agree with other comments about the narrator, not the best. There were some good ideas here - using Tarot cards was good - but there was just something that was lacking in the characters - I can’t help feeling if I had read it myself it would have been better. The narrator really didn’t help with this book all about fortune, fate, choices and history.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Too much hyperbole.

It's unfair that The Cloisters has been offered up as equal to The Secret History because it simply isn't. The protagonist of The Cloisters is just a bit...dull and the rest of the characters lack enough depth to really care about them.
The narration is flat but oddly breathless with strange pronunciation of some words. Not unmissable.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

This could have been so much more

I loved the idea behind this, but it took far too long to get going. The idea of the Tarot cards was great, I just feel they could have played more of a part. The conclusion at the end was actually the best bit.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

could have engaged me more

for me it was slow to start and to fast at end, the setting is lovely the characters a mixture . a good book but not a must read

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