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)

My favorite by this author

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

Up at the top. I've already suggested it to others, and I'll do so here. My rating: PG (for the parents out there), as there is very little language or sex, and what violence there is tends to be removed and not gory.

What did you like best about this story?

The entirety of it... I like the storyline, the narrator, the time, the place, the descriptions, and it made me want to learn more about the historic time period. Any book that calls me toward research it a book worthy of rereading. I enjoy research, but I have so many other things to do that I rarely have the time.

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

Yes! I was so pleased to hear her voice again. I didn't even look at the name of the narrator when I downloaded the book, but she also read the Sevenwaters series, and she did such a wonderful job there, that I knew it would be like having tea with an old friend the moment I heard her again. She is wonderful, and her ability with different accents is unmatched. She is also one of the few women narrators who understands how to read a man's part without sounding too forced.

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

While I would love to pick John Moray's brain over a meal, I think I would probably prefer to sit down with Sophie. Her ability to befriend those from all walks of life would make the meal so comfortable.

Any additional comments?

This is my favorite of Ms. Kearsley's novels to date, though I have liked all that I've listened to so far. I enjoyed the overall story, the backstory, the narrative, and the plot devices so much. It all ran smoothly, and the beauty of the writing made me nearly feel the sea spray on my skin and smell the salt in the air. I would love to visit Scotland.

Outlasted listeners!

This takes place during the 1708 favorite uprising. Great story and great narration! Enjoy during Droughtlander

Great book!

This is one of my favorite books and I just finally purchased the audible version. Reading the book gives you one visual to the story but listening to it really brings the book to life. Ms. Landor has a wonderful speaking voice and was so easy and enjoyable to listen to.

The story in itself has a bit of history, wonderful characters and a little bit of romance. There are also a few surprises along the way that make the story that much more enjoyable. As I stated above, this is one of my favorite books and I've read and re-read it. Now I am fortunate to be able to listen to it also.

Worth It

After a long, slow start, The Winter Sea turned out to be an incredibly beautiful story. Part of my issues with the first half is that the pace is so slow, the rest lays on the narration. I did eventually warm to her, but her take on the Scot accent was not good (particularly when I consider what the amazing Davina Porter can do with a Scot). 

The Winter Sea contains a story within a story —with present day Carrie's heroine writing the story of her ancestor Sophia. I actually preferred Sophia's tale, particularly since it was set around the time of the first Jacobite rising attempt. Sophia's story was heartbreaking, interesting, and bittersweet. Be on the lookout for an amazing twist. The happy tears were flowing freely. ;-) 

The Winter Sea was a lovely story, and has pulled me as a fan of Susanna Kearsley. If you decide up read this one, take your time. It's worth it. 

Excellent

I really enjoyed the movement of the the main characters through the centuries it flowed well, not my normal type of book but a Very Enjoyable story . I shall buy more by Susanna Kearsley

4.75 Stars

I’m finding it hard to believe I am the only one that figured out how this book was going to end. It ended just the way I wanted it to! The historical fiction was interesting and I will seek out more of Susanna Kearsley’s work. The narration was excellent. The two plots were well intertwined and the end also leaves the possibilities of another story; if it comes that would be nice, but if it doesn’t that would be ok too. The romance was very well done and not graphic. There were some twists but all in all the bad guys were the bad guys, and the good guys, the good guys. I don’t understand the seemingly explosive genre of Scottish Highland stories but now I do want to visit some day. Is it a new tourist attracting gimmick?

I would have liked more development of Carrie and Graham’s relationship since it seems to have just begun and developed with little reason. Ok – stunning good looks and a non-abrasive personality would get things started for me too, but I didn’t catch the sudden reason for the love match… Possibly Ms. Kearsley was more concentrated on the history part. I’ll have to listen again.

I loved this story !

This is a really unique storyline in that it takes time travel to a different place and gives it an unexpected twist. The narrator is highly skilled and I sat enraptured by her voice. This is worth the time and I will be listening to the authors other books.

What a memorable story!

I loved this story with all the twists and turns as well as the great characters. What a talented narrator too!

A wonderful book

I found this title on a list of books to read if you love outlander, I left the narration, and the two stories with in this novel. The whole time I couldn’t wait to listen to more to find out what happened.

Loved it

4.5 audio version with Rosalyn Landor. Wow...I am not sure why it has taken me so long to get to this Susanna Kearlsey book. I have read two others, Bellewether by Susanna Kearsley and Mariana by Susanna Kearsley and like those two, I did prefer the storyline that took place in the past. Sophia and John Moray's story was so heartwarming and intriguing. This book has been around since 2008 so I am definitely late for the party but better late than never! I was so excited after finishing it to discover there is a "Slains 2" The Firebird (Slains, #2) by Susanna Kearsley featuring Anna that I can soon dive right into. And something else to look forward to as well...per the author's website, she is currently writing "The Vanished Days" that she describes as a sort of prequel/companion book to "The Winter Sea" with members of the Moray and
Graeme family. I will be watching her website for updates as to when that will be published. On her website, she also wrote that she is one of four authors (with Anna Lee Huber, Christine Trent, C.S. Harris) for a book to be released in September of 2020 called "The Deadly Hours", something she described as a mystery in 4 parts. She revealed that a few characters from previous books, including Anna from "The Firebird" would make an appearance. I will be watching for that as well since C.S. Harris is definitely another favorite author and I have been curious about Anna Lee Huber as well. At least in these crazy times there is something to look forward to as I escape into another world/time. (less)