The Firebird

By: Susanna Kearsley

Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren

Length: 14 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

Nicola Marter was born with a gift. When she touches an object, she sometimes glimpses those who have owned it before. When a woman arrives with a small wooden carving at the gallery Nicola works at, she can see the object’s history and knows that it was named after the Firebird - the mythical creature from an old Russian fable.

Compelled to know more, Nicola follows a young girl named Anna who leads her into the past on a quest through the glittering backdrops of the Jacobites and Russian courts, unearthing a tale of love, courage, and redemption.

©2013 Susanna Kearsley (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

great read

Wonderful story. Held my interest through the whole book. Narrator did well. Loved the whole series

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel

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

The reader did a wonderful job with all the different charters, you could almost believe there were many different voices. Throughly enjoyed from start to finish.

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

I tried

Twists and tales from the past and present

Do you like to help people? Do you feel you have a gift? Then this book is just for you. I loved Ms Kellgren's switching between voices as much as I loved Ms Kearsley's story. You may find yourself listening to this tale more than once.

Fascinating & Intriguing story

I loved all the twists & turns of this story & the psychometric aspect of it! The blend of modern day & the eighteenth century was seamless & fascinating with lots of historical information. Just loved it!

Loved this book!

I love this book just like I loved The Winter Sea! Happy endings are the best.

Anna's Great Adventure.

I loved this book.

If that isn't enough for you allow me to elaborate. Susanna Kearsley is a great writer. She knows her stuff and her History is SPOT ON. I read The Winter Sea and liked it enough to try her second one, tried the second one and LOVED it enough to never want to read anything else ever again.

Do you need more?

Firebird has it all, light romance, heavy history, and interesting and funny running dialogue. If you like historical fiction steeped in character development you will love this book!

BUT you must read The Winter Sea first... YOU MUST!

Fantastic read.

The Winter Sea, part two

I have now read three of Susanna Kearsley's novels. Her new offering, The Firebird is something of a sequel to The Winter Sea, which I read in January of this year. I have not rated The Firebird as highly, however, because I found the story relies too heavily on the psychic ability of two characters and their ability to see the past, of 300+ years ago, with so much clarity. Also, the past that these characters relate is not as significant as the time period explored in The Winter Sea (the Scottish Rebellion of 1708). The action of The Firebird takes place AFTER James is defeated in his one attempt to land on Scottish soil and is forced to return to France. Most of the action then takes place in Flanders and in St. Petersburg, Russia, among supporters of James who fled Scotland to regroup and attract new military assistance.

I did not dislike this novel and, in fact, I found the language quite beautiful, more refined, and more poetic than the earlier novels. Also, the setting in St. Petersburg at the time of Peter the Great and his wife, Catherine, is quite well handled. The romantic themes are too prominent in this novel, however, and overshadow the history, which is my prime interest in reading this author's work.

Good Writing, but not that interesting of a story.

Enjoyed the writing the story was original and had some good unexpected turns. But nothing I wanted to rush through and finish. It was easy to put down after a chapter.

Mesmerizing in story and performance!

Ms. Kearsley has woven an excellent story that spans two time lines, and covers England, Scotland, and Russia with many unexpected twists and turns. The characters are well developed, and beg for a sequel to give the reader a continued view into the lives of the main characters....please!
Ms. Kellgren gives an expert and riveting performance, with wonderful flexibility in moving between English, Scottish, Irish and Russian accents, as well as between male and female speakers. Her reading adds much to the story, so I felt as if I were listening to a play. The author is superb in her use of descriptive language to really know, see and understand the characters, actions, and setting.
I really want more if this story....
I look forward to other stories by Ms. Kearsley.

couldn't stop listening to it!

I need a second book to come out. I miss my characters already! Great story and Katherine Kellgren is the whole reason I found it and listened in the first place.