Women of the Dunes

A Novel

By: Sarah Maine

Narrated by: Ruth Urquhart

From the author of the acclaimed novels The House Between Tides and Beyond the Wild River, a rich, atmospheric tale set on the sea-lashed coast of West Scotland, in which the lives of a ninth-century Norsewoman, a 19th-century woman, and a 21st-century archaeologist weave together after a body is discovered in the dunes.  

Libby Snow has always felt the pull of Ullaness - a lush Scottish island enshrouded in myth and deeply important to her family. Her great-great-grandmother Ellen was obsessed with the strange legend of Ulla, a Viking maiden who washed up on shore with the nearly lifeless body of her husband - and who inspired countless epic poems and the island's name.  

Central to the mystery is an ornate chalice, and Libby, an archaeologist, finally has permission to excavate the site where Ulla is believed to have lived. But what Libby finds in the ancient dunes is a body from the Victorian era, clearly murdered...and potentially connected to Ellen.  

What unfolds is an epic story that spans centuries, with Libby mining Ellen and Ulla's stories for clues about the body, and in doing so, discovering the darker threads that bind all three women together across history.

©2018 Sarah Maine (P)2018 Tantor

interesting

found it to be a good summer read. interesting legends and parallels among the various stories and time periods.

Multiple timelines

There are 3 timelines running in this book and that might work better in an actual book than it did in an audio version. The story line is interesting.

Good story, bland narrator

I almost returned this book after listening to it for a short time. However, I was interested enough in the story to keep listening. I just had to put up with the narrator’s bland, no-personality reading style. I don’t think I’d get another book from the narrator, but would read more from this author.

Great story

I really enjoyed the story. Read with my book club and we really enjoyed discussing the different time lines. The narrator for audible was a little dry

the performance was a struggle for me

the lack of inflection by the narrator actually caused me to lose track of the story. the book is told through different characters in different time periods. I missed several changes in the plot because I missed the announcement that we were moving on to a different character/era.

the story itself is decent. probably would have been better read rather than listened to.