The Splendour Falls

By: Susanna Kearsley

Narrated by: Barbara Rosenblat

Length: 12 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

An ancient castle, a tragic love, and a web of secrets begins to unravel....

Emily Braden has stopped believing in fairy tales and happy endings. When her fascinating but unreliable cousin Harry invites her on a holiday to explore the legendary town of Chinon, and promptly disappears - well, that's Harry for you.

As Emily makes the acquaintance of Chinon and its people, she begins to uncover dark secrets beneath the charm. Legend has it that during a 13th-century siege of the castle that looms over the city, Queen Isabelle, child bride of King John, hid a "treasure of great price". And in the last days of the German occupation during World War II, there was another Isabelle living in Chinon, a girl whose love for an enemy soldier went tragically awry.

As the dangers of the past become disastrously real, Emily is drawn ever more deeply into a labyrinth of mystery as twisted as the streets and tunnels of the ancient town itself.

©1995, 2013 Susanna Kearsley (P)2013 Audible Inc.

Critic reviews

"Award-winning narrator Barbara Rosenblat handles the great variety of accents with aplomb - from Emily's British accent to the locals' French accents and the intonations of global tourists. While Rosenblat sounds too old and a bit stiff for the 28-year-old Emily, among her strengths are rock-solid characterizations and believable male voices, both of which will keep listeners invested in this romantic mystery. ( AudioFile)

Pretty Good Read

Where does The Splendour Falls rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Not at the top of the list. Rosenblatt is on top of things in the Amelia Peabody mysteries. Here, not so much. Oh, the voices are amazing--she manages to create a sound for each person that never gets mixed up, a good talent. But here, the heroine's thinking process diverges from the mousey, typical gothic schoolteacher her voice seems to show.

What did you like best about this story?

It starts slow. I did not get interested until midway through the book, when things began being tied together and people began to be killed off.

Which scene was your favorite?

Emily realizes Paul was murdered. Then, unwittingly, she solicits help from the murderer.

Who was the most memorable character of The Splendour Falls and why?

The heroine was quite wooden, at least as played by Rosenblatt. The other personas came over as more like real people. Of course, the heroine had the most to say, unfortunately, being the narrator.

Any additional comments?

Maybe I missed something, but I really felt that the young 7-year-old girl was not the murderer's daughter, but someone else's. Luckily, he did not realize it. In addition, this book, while being one I might select, being of a genre I like to wallow in at times, was not what I thought it was going to be about: King John I's wife, Isabella of Angouleme.

Good but not my favorite Kearsley book

The narrator did a great job with the men's voices and all the accents, but her voice was too mature to play the main character. Also I thought the descriptions of Chinon were fabulous and really brought it to life but overall the love story didn't really hook me like other Susanna Kearsley novels.

Not Kearsley's strongest book

This is not Kearsley's strongest book. It took a long time for the plot to get moving and even then it bumped along without a lot of high points. The narrator is extraordinarily skilled at producing believable male voices and older female voices, but her portrayal of the main character, a woman in her late twenties, was a bit off-putting.

Good story, horrible narration

I really loved the story on this, but it was all I could do to get past the atrocious narrator. Her voice was wrong wrong wrong for this story.

Wrong narrator

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

It was a really interesting book although the end unraveled a bit too quickly like "ooops, need to wrap now!" I really like Suzanne Kearsley books but they become too formulaic if you read them all at once so it was really nice not to have the time travel aspect for once. Although I do love the time travel in the other books, it just gets too repetitive.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Splendour Falls?

I really liked how you were placed in the city of Chinon

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Her voice was all wrong, much too old

Did The Splendour Falls inspire you to do anything?

Return to Chinon

Not my favorite narrator

The narrator did a really fine job with all the different voices but seemed too old for the main character. I enjoyed the story overall but I’m not sure I would listen to it again.

To hear the words coming to life...

I was drawn into this story so much that I held my breath, I cried, I laughed, I sighed.

Disappointing

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I loved The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley but should have stopped there. Mariana was okay but The Splendour Falls, while not horrible, is just sort of dumb and disappointing. I was waiting for it to be over. The narrator is pretty good, though.

Has The Splendour Falls turned you off from other books in this genre?

No.

What about Barbara Rosenblat’s performance did you like?

She was fine. Not amazing but not terrible, either.

Do you think The Splendour Falls needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Absolutely not.

Any additional comments?

I wouldn't go as far as saying Splendour Falls is a waste of a credit but I also would not recommend it.

Wow! Great Book! Eager for more!!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

What a great job on this book, hooked and eager to hear more before done with first half. Love the characters, some are annoying and then author actually makes you fall in love and question others, good story line!

Who was your favorite character and why?

The elusive, charming and fun rich frenchman ... and the dependable big brother "friend" who I am worried will find out he isn't all he has been so far, and the main character.

Entertaining but not her best

I listened to Kearsley's The Firebird before this one and it is obvious that The Splendour Falls was an older book. The author has improved in storyline and writing so much since this book. And Barbara Rosenblatt, so brilliant narrating so many books, is miscast in this one. The heroine is supposed to be 28 but rosenblatt's voice is so much more mature than is needed. But she does the many voices (especially those with french accents) exceedingly well.
The Splendour Falls was fine but listen to The Firebird to really be entertained!