The Winter Sea

By: Susanna Kearsley

Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor

Length: 15 hrs and 49 mins

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)

Wonderful!

This story has it all! History, mystery, love, deceit, etc. Especially entertaining was the fact that there were actually 2 stories going on. One surrounding the main character (who was an author) and the other around the historical novel she was writing. Two thumbs up!

Loved it!!

After re-reading the whole Outlander series some time ago, I was still left with the craving for that time, place, spirit - and the personalities. As others, I followed that suggestion and whim and bought The Winter Sea. And I was not disappointed. It is rich in historical fact and loaded with compelling characters and story line. The weaving of today and the past through the eyes of a descendent was believable, emotional and.. I didn't want it to end. A magnificent first novel and can't wait to see how the author will top this one! A must read!

Loved this book.

I didn't purchase this book for months. I didn't think I would like it, but I actually loved it. The narration was wonderful and the story flowed so well it was amazing. The author took the reader from past to present so seamlessly that I couldn't tell which part of the story I was more enthralled by. I am now reading her other book and looking forward to finding out there is a third.

Good book with a twist.

Would you consider the audio edition of The Winter Sea to be better than the print version?

I have read / listened to the book twice. It's a good reread.

A delightful story with a great ending.

I don't want to spoil anything about this book, but I just finished it and wow. It is a great story that had me on the edge of my seat for a long time. Lots of plot twist and delightful romance, I was very happy to have picked this up. The performance was pretty good as well. The narrator did a good job with the various Canadian, Scottish and British accents as well as male and female voices. I highly recommend The Winter Sea.

Thought it would be better

I have read all the outlander books and other books based on other outlander fans recommendations and I thought this book would be a great short read. Overall the love story well both love stories felt hallow or lack of depth. The author is amazing at painting wonderful scenes with words. Good beach read but not a story to get lost in.

enjoyable historical fiction

I enjoyed this story set across generations - as well as how the characters were woven together. The storyline set in the Scottish castle kept my interest throughout - however, the storyline of the "writer" caused more than one eye-roll. The narrator sped through a few times - but otherwise was fine.

OMG!

If you don't read this -- you are so really missing out on such an incredibly heart warming story of love and devotion that we all could only wish for. What an incredible well written, awesomely narrated story!

Better than meh...

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

This book is a good listen for people who like historic fiction. I wish it had 2 ratings, one for the historic part of the book and one for the present day story. It is well written, but the main historic character is not well fleshed out at all. She just seems like a poor kid, who fell into horrible circumstances but was able to avoid complete tragedy thanks to her older sister. Not sure why Murray falls in love with her unless he needs to rescue someone.
The history seems well researched and is well presented. A good primer for anyone interested in the Jacobite uprisings.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I liked Graham, smart, sexy, low key, handsome. The history professor every girl dreams of. Fortunately he has the good sense to fall for a contemporary, not one of his students.

Have you listened to any of Rosalyn Landor’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No. She does an admirable job, especially with the men. Not as well read as Outlander in my opinion, (which I thought was read exceptionally well.)

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

The stormy sea and scottish coastline unite to create danger and romance...

A Tale in Two Time Periods

What made the experience of listening to The Winter Sea the most enjoyable?

The performance is well done if you enjoy Scottish accents like I do and a good but simple love story.