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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)

Featured Article: The top 100 series of all time


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What listeners say about The Winter Sea

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  • Overall
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Good but...

The narrators voice was too mature for the main female characters and it made them seem older as you listened to it.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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history with a twist.

I loved it the story and the narration. The author painted such vivid scenes of the historical places , it was as though you could actually feel the cold sea wind and smell the sea.

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

Kind of a yawn

I couldn't finish it. I didn't care enough about the characters to find out what happened to them. I also didn't like the naration of the portions back in time. Just too much romance novel. Ick!

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

Very well done historical fiction

Good book with great narrator. I'm not a fan of jumping from present to past but this one was well done. Appreciate the author keeping the language clean and getting her point across without graphic scenes. The book gave me a much better understanding of the Jacobites. Well done.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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Read the book.

Going to read the book I kept getting too distracted to enjoy, I can see signs that this is a very good book.

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  • Overall
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Inception

such a beautiful historic and current timeline set in Scotland. A wonderful family related story. Susanna Kearsley is a very talented writer. Her stories have a way of pulling you into them and being there in the room or ship or castle. I can not wait to read more of her works.

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Historically interesting

At the very beginning I was hooked, but the story was a little hard to follow. Then I started looking more into the historical truths and found Slains Castle. I was instantly able to follow the story as if I were there. I love the narration of this book especially. And the moment I finished, I had to start the Firebird so I could continue my friendship with the characters. If you enjoy the ins and outs of a storyline moving around different generations, you will definitely enjoy this book. and the narrating was excellent.

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Excellent weaving back and forth.

I got so engaged in this book, like another review I read, I would wake up hours before my alarm to listen to more. The weaving of the the 2 love stories was masterful and I found myself invested in each of them. Additionally, the history was rich and exciting. Its almost like a 3 for 1 book! I highly recommend it.

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Double WOW

I dont normally write a review but this book deserves it and more.
The double plot was amazing and the ending.....I'm lost for words!
It's worth reading or listening, ever bit.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Best audio book yet!

I was dubious about a dual time period book but this was so well written I was enchanted from the start and sorry to see the story end. There are mixed reviews about the second book but given how much I enjoyed this book I am game to try the second book. Rather than go over the plot like a lot of people all I want to say is this book was extremely well written and flowed easily from one time period to another. I think having it in audio made that easier. Read it, you won't be disappointed.

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