The Firebird

By: Susanna Kearsley

Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren

Length: 14 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

Nicola Marter was born with a gift. When she touches an object, she sometimes glimpses those who have owned it before. When a woman arrives with a small wooden carving at the gallery Nicola works at, she can see the object’s history and knows that it was named after the Firebird - the mythical creature from an old Russian fable.

Compelled to know more, Nicola follows a young girl named Anna who leads her into the past on a quest through the glittering backdrops of the Jacobites and Russian courts, unearthing a tale of love, courage, and redemption.

©2013 Susanna Kearsley (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Narrator accents overbearing

This narrator is so overpowering I’m not even hearing the story, I’m just trying to stomach their performance, they are awful. The accents, the tones, it’s like a parody. I tried, but I can’t stand listening to them.

Not Your Traditional Historical Fiction

FABULOUS job by the narrator! The fluidity between accents amazes me. The diction and eloquence are, by far, one of the best I've listened to yet.
The story itself switches between the present and the past; introduces historical fact and supernatural fiction on the same page; and blends the perfect amount of mystery, romance, and action in all of it. Not something I would usually read, but listening to it at work has kept me occupied for plenty of hours!

Had potential, BUT . . .

The underlying story was a good one, but as it unfolded, it turned out to be just another formulaic romance. I was disappointed, and won't be returning to this author.

Additionally, the narrator's garbled Scots accent for the male characters sounded all the same and grated on me. Her Russian women, too, all sounded old and tired. Didn't particularly like this narrator.

Engrossing, excellent narration and story

The performance with all of the accents was incredible. The narrator switches from Scots to Russian to Irish with nary a missed beat. I had to stay with the story. I didn't want to go to work; so, I could continue to listen.

The story itself will take you away with Anna. You will forget all about the modern part of the tale as you follow Anna's life. The modern tale is excellent, with happy endings for all. And a moral to be true to yourself even when it is different.

The Firebird was fabulous

Although I expected the book to start out slow, it didn't. The story immediately took off on a grand adventure or two beautiful love stories, both past and present. Along the way both heroines show their strengths and unexpected acceptance of others. I would in the end highly recommend this book and was delighted with the story.

Struggled with narration, but the story won out

I nearly didn't get past the first couple of chapters due to narrator's tone which, to me, was sharp, nasally, and far too dramatic for my taste. I wanted to hear the story though, so I continued on. This is only my second Susanna Kearlsey novel, but I so enjoy her rhythm and style! The story itself was lovely and interesting, enough that I've already downloaded a new one and am anxious to listen.

Enjoyable re-appearance of Winter Sea characters

The story was cleverly written and well narrated. I found it very enjoyable with likeable characters and good narration.

Finally get the story of Sophia's daughter

This was an interesting story. I quite liked the historical story-line, following Anna, the daughter of Sophia from The Winter Sea. I had never felt settled about how that had ended, with Anna left with a foster family in the little cottage near Slains, so I was glad now to see what came next. I was impressed by her courage and strength as a child, and though I was sad about her family's troubles, I admired her decision to protect them and knew she would be alright. I grew to like her adoptive family and friends, and Edmond charmed me from the start.

It was a bittersweet tale, with the background of the Jacobites and the politics of the time, but Kearsley brought the history, people, and places to life.

The modern story-line was a bit harder to swallow, given that the window to the past was their psychic visions. But suspending that disbelief, I grew to like them and became invested in seeing their adventure following the firebird come to a good end. Sometimes Rob's pushing her annoyed me, but he was a charmer, and I knew she wouldn't resist him for long. It was certainly an interesting journey.

Narration by Kellgren was superb. She has a great talent for the many British, Scottish, and Irish accents as well as others, and she has a rare talent for the male voices. I always enjoy listening to her work.

A great historical Jacobite adventure. I look forward to reading more by Kearsley.

Captivating

Loved this story, the two stories running side by side. The Narrator does a great job. I believe I will listen to this one again!

Beautiful tale

It's been a while since I truly enjoyed an audiobook like this. The narration was great. The alternating timelines were engaging and the characters were likeable. The touch of whimsy/magic was just enough to keep it interesting :) Last time I read a Susanna Kearsley book was many many years ago - I wish I hadn't waited so long to pick another one up!