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The Winter Sea  By  cover art

The Winter Sea

By: Susanna Kearsley
Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
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Editorial reviews

When venturing into the historical fiction genre, I’m often drawn to specific, brief events that were either glossed over or left entirely out of the history books, as opposed to those that cover broad subjects that can be densely overwhelming. Given a subject like Henry XIII and his wives or Joan of Arc, both popular subjects of the genre, an author could easily lose an audience to an overwhelming amount of explanation and facts. Instead, Susanna Kearsley’s The Winter Sea offers a narrow, controlled exploration of a lesser known event, the 1708 Jacobite failed uprising by James Stewart against William of Orange and Mary Stewart to reclaim the throne. It is an enthralling story that makes the facts and descriptions of the people and places surrounding the uprising much more palatable and absorbing.

The Winter Sea also offers a unique narrative format. Main character and popular historical fiction novelist Carrie McClelland rents a cottage for the summer on the coast of Scotland, not far from Slain Castle (where she sets her story) and where the Jacobite uprising occurred centuries ago. Thus, The Winter Sea has two narratives: McClelland in present day Scotland, writing her novel; and McClelland’s novel, a work in progress detailing the Jacobite uprising in 1708 Scotland. Such a narrative format is fodder for narrator Rosalyn Landor, whose performance skillfully embodies the complex mind of a writer. Her voicing of Carrie is investigative, creative, imaginative, and discerning. Her deep, expressive tone allows her the versatility to voice the myriad supporting characters, both male and female, past and present. The dreamlike writing sequences of McClelland writing her novel really sing under Landor’s rendering. With Landor as a guide, it’s easy to lose yourself in The Winter Sea’s journey through Scotland and through history.

The Winter Sea confidently flourishes in the intrigue surrounding this political uprising, while also offering the accommodating narrative device of delivering the story through the mind of a writer. Kearsley and Landor together remind us that history does not have to get bogged down by the facts, but instead can be thrilling, suspenseful, and imaginative, especially when presented from a unique perspective. Suzanne Day

Publisher's summary

History has all but forgotten...

In the spring of 1708, an invading Jacobite fleet of French and Scottish soldiers nearly succeeded in landing the exiled James Stewart in Scotland to reclaim his crown.

Now, Carrie McClelland hopes to turn that story into her next bestselling novel. Settling herself in the shadow of Slains Castle, she creates a heroine named for one of her own ancestors and starts to write.

But when she discovers her novel is more fact than fiction, Carrie wonders if she might be dealing with ancestral memory, making her the only living person who knows the truth-the ultimate betrayal-that happened all those years ago, and that knowledge comes very close to destroying her...

Please note: This novel has also been published under a different title: Sophia's Secret.

Please note, this title is the original recording, which is now known as Sophia's Secret

©2010 Susanna Kearsley (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

  • Audie Award Winner, Romance, 2012
"Rosalyn Landor provides delightful Scottish accents for many of the characters Carrie meets inside and outside her novel....Landor adds a poetic edge to her storytelling while at the same time giving a dreamy aura to the historical side of the story." ( Audiofile)

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What listeners say about The Winter Sea

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  • 12-24-12

Loved It!

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

First I have listened to so it's at the top.

What did you like best about this story?

Wasn't predictable.

What about Rosalyn Landor’s performance did you like?

She did a great job with the male and female changes.

If you could take any character from The Winter Sea out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Graham as he seemed like a man I would like to get to know..

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Fantastic Read!

I have looked at the cover of this book for a while now, across quite a few websites and I finally bought it through audible. I am glad I did! The story sucked me it pretty quickly and I loved the fact that the two lives of the heroines intertwined so much with history. The narrator was fantastic with the accents and really made the story come alive for me. Definitely suggesting this one for my mum to listen to.

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    4 out of 5 stars

Not the cut-out cookie I expected

I thought I knew what pattern this story was cut from and expected a stale re-hash. Not so.

Genealogists and family historians (or those who, like me, enjoy the products of their labor) will likely enjoy this story, as will those who like historical novels, romance, and a bit of a ghost story.

I found that I enjoyed Rosalyn Landor's narration when voicing some characters but too stuffy when voicing others, one of which being one of the protagonists.

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Delightful

This book might not appeal to everyone but I loved it. It had a bit of all the things I find of interest. Genealogy, history, time travel (sort of )... I couldn't stop listening.

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Anything by SK is the best!!!

Her narrators are simply devine and the story can easily take you on a journey!

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Totally loved Winter Sea!

I did not want interuptions while listening to this book! Not only was I wrapped up in the characters of Carrie McClelland & the Keith's, but of the characters in Carrie's story. Rosalyn Landor did a wonderful job on the narration. She did a such great job on the accents, that I wish I could move to Scottland to hear it daily :)
This is a story of an author writting a story & I really enjoy having the 2 stories building simultaneously. I am a fan of Nevada Barr & well remember her book Flashback for having a story within a story. It creates a double intrigue.
I have English blood on both sides of my family & enjoy reading historical fictions of the UK to understand more of my ancestor's past. This is the second book I've listened to recently that has involved the Jacobite uprising in its' storyline & now I understand what that was about.
I am already looking for more titles by this author & this narrator!

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Love this book so much!

I’ve physically read the book and now listened to it twice and I cry every time. It’s a beautiful story, and so satisfying.

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just another old lady romance novel

Would you try another book from Susanna Kearsley and/or Rosalyn Landor?

no read one you have read them all

Would you ever listen to anything by Susanna Kearsley again?

maybe

Any additional comments?

I was disapointed ... another old lady romance novel with a little history ,,,, it follows the script of the books like this..... diffent pople , diffrent setting... but same old story line... nothing intresting .....

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I loved this book and the narration!

This story was really compelling and enjoyable. It's really two stories, the historical novel being written, and then events in the writer's life in a modern setting. I enjoyed both stories, and the novel as a whole comes together wonderfully in the end. Highly recommended!

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Excellent.

This is one of this author's books. It touched all emotions. I had a problem at first with the narrator's Scottish brogue but soon got used to it. However I never got used to Carrie's wimpy voice. It sounded false. Otherwise I thoroughly enjoy this book and could hardly put it down.

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