A Desperate Fortune

By: Susanna Kearsley

Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren

Beloved New York Times best-selling author Susanna Kearsley delivers a riveting novel that deftly intertwines the tales of two women, divided by centuries and forever changed by a clash of love and fate.

For nearly 300 years, the cryptic journal of Mary Dundas has kept its secrets. Now, amateur codebreaker Sara Thomas travels to Paris to crack the cipher.

Jacobite exile Mary Dundas is filled with longing - for freedom, for adventure, for the family she lost. When fate opens the door, Mary dares to set her foot on a path far more surprising and dangerous than she ever could have dreamed.

As Mary's gripping tale of rebellion and betrayal is revealed to her, Sara faces events in her own life that require letting go of everything she thought she knew - about herself, about loyalty, and especially about love. Though divided by centuries, these two women are united in a quest to discover the limits of trust and the unlikely coincidences of fate.

©2015 Susanna Kearsley (P)2015 Audible Inc.

Slow start

I have read several of Ms Kearsley's novels and have enjoyed them very much. This story is enjoyable, and follows her usual formula with past intermingling with the present. That being said, I had a hard time getting invested with these characters. I had listened to half of the book, before I really cared about what was happening with any of them. I can't put a finger on it, other than there was quite a bit of rambling on and on at times, and Mary's adventure wasn't much of an adventure. Our modern day translator, Sarah, was also a rather dull character.

Could not handle the narrator

I wish Audible had a function that pulled up previous reviews or notes we could make for specific authors and narrators to avoid purchasing the same book i returned years ago or a different title with the same narrator as a book I previously returned because I found the narration intolerable. In this case, the book itself is probably great and I’ll look for the kindle version. However, the author has this annoying and grating habit of telling as though a suspenseful moment is occurring while narrating something mundane. For example, in this book, the narrator began yelling as though the main character was in imminent danger while describing the characters love of scarves and how it graceful flowed etc. She similarly yelled to describe a tranquil scene of the people taking a stroll in the woods while playing fetch with a dog. I listen to audiobooks to unwind and relax as well as for the mental escape. This narrator ruins the experience and i never want to make the mistake of purchasing an audiobook narrated by her again. Unfortunately, it didn’t take long to recall that I returned a different book she narrated several years ago.

Sigh

It was like hearing two books at once, I liked both. That being said, Marie's story was especially beautiful. I will miss her.

unique historical perspective

great plot turns, character development and a good combination of emotional stories and historical emphasis.

Good, but Room for Improvement

I never felt glued to the story. The romance in modern times was boring. The book wasn't a terrible read, but given the reviews I expected more. The character Luc was just a two-dimensional Mary Sue. I don't have anything against him, but he didn't seem like a real person. He was cliche and had no backstory. I did like Mary's story, but I don't think it read like a thriller as said in the book. Some parts were a drag to listen. I liked the characters a little more as they felt more real and I felt for them, except for Thompson who I wanted to know more about. The author explains he is meant to remain a mystery.