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)

Truly captivating story

I have been trying to branch out on types of books I read and I'm so so glad I decided to try this one. The authors writing style is amazing and I can't speak to the authenticity of the historical references because I'm not well versed in Scottish history but even without that it wasn't hard to follow. I agree with the other reviews that the narrator is simply wonderful at what she does. I only wish she did more of the kearsley books. I look forward to the next one.

Holy Cow ... Best Audio Book Ever

What did you love best about The Winter Sea?

It was an amazing story with wonderful fun characters that had so much personality I could see their facial expressions and jesters in my mind’s eye

What other book might you compare The Winter Sea to and why?

Well I just started reading the rose garden

Which scene was your favorite?

I couldn't possibly pick one

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I actually called in sick from work because I had to finish it

Have read this 5 times

I love this book!!! I have listened to this story 5 times and still love it every time. This was the first book I read if Susanna kearsley, and as a result I have read or listened to everything. She truly a wonderful storyteller and writer.

I loved The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

If you could sum up The Winter Sea in three words, what would they be?

Magical, romantic, Oh My!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Carrie McClelland was my favorite character.

What about Rosalyn Landor’s performance did you like?

I thought that Rosalyn Landor did an outstanding job narrating this story.

If you could rename The Winter Sea, what would you call it?

The Winter Sea is the perfect title for this story.

Any additional comments?

This book was one of our Book Club choices. It was my first Susanna Kearsley book. It is exactly the sort of Gothic, Historical Fiction I enjoy reading. I was hooked immediately and have read or will read all her books. I have even preordered her The Firebird for release in June 2013 in the US.
Highly recommend all her books.

Excellent book

I absolutely loved it. It was so deep and thought provoking that even when I wasn't listening to the book I was thinking about it.

It was easy to get lost in this story.

Performance was wonderful and brought the story to life for me. I especially like the link to history.

Felt like I was on the shores of Cruden Bay myself

Such a wonderful book! It originally drew my attention not only because I like historical fiction, but because I've actually visited the castle and harbor town where most of it is set. They were drawn expertly, with details from the landscape I remember from my visit, and even the speech patterns of the locals were reproduced well (all the more effective in audio form), bringing back my memories of traveling the Scottish coast. It had me gripped from the very first chapter, not just by the evocative imagery, or the foreshadowing during the snowy drive, but the promise of rich characters and of compelling events unfolding in the past. I laughed and cried with both Carrie and Sofia. It was wonderfully woven, and as the rebellion progressed, I predicted several of the events, and nearly had my hopes dashed by a battle. But I clung to how I thought the story would have to end, and it followed just as I had hoped for the heroine. I enjoyed this very much, think what you will of genetic memory or the coincidences of the mirrored instances between the past and present. Wonderfully narrated, too, with the myriad accents. I was particularly impressed with the Doric. I will definitely be rereading this not only for a good book, but whenever I have a mind to visit the shores of bonnie Scotland.

Loved it!

At first I thought the switching between storylines was going to be annoying and that maybe I really didn't want to get into the story. Something made me continue listening and I am so glad I did. Really good. You do have to pay attention though, as I found myself going back to replay some of the chapters. I will purchase other books from this author.

Loved it

Loved every minute. It held me in.
Susanna books are always good and well written

Great story, terrible narration

Would you listen to The Winter Sea again? Why?

Yes, with a different narrator.

What did you like best about this story?

It's a wonderful story. I enjoy historical fiction, particularly stories set in Scotland and Ireland.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Rosalyn Landor?

Davina Porter

Any additional comments?

The narrators cadence was very strange. At first, I thought it was a computer generated voice until I continued listening. Her Scottish accents were also terrible, especially when doing male characters. I will probably end up reading the book myself because it is a wonderful story but the narration detracts from it.