Precious Bones

By: Irina Shapiro

Narrated by: Verity Burns

Length: 6 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

When the skeletal remains of a young woman and her baby are found entombed behind the kitchen wall of a historic Tudor house, Cassandra is overcome with grief. She seems to know who the young woman was, but not how she knows, or how she came to be there. Cassandra becomes inexplicably drawn to the house and the mystery of the bones of Blackfriars. As she begins to learn the truth about the Thorne siblings who occupied the house during the reign of Elizabeth I, her own life takes an unexpected turn, and she finds out that her fate is linked to the Thornes in ways she never imagined.

©2011 Irina Shapiro (P)2017 Irina Shapiro

Can’t get enough!

When a body is found in an old Tudor house in London, successful author Cassandra is stunned at her reaction to the skeletal remains. She's brought to tears by the news report, although the death would have taken place hundreds of years before. Her boyfriend doesn't understand her fascination with the story, and as she begins to write a tale based on the Tudor house she buys impulsively, she unravels a tale that's almost too close to home.

Constance is a Catholic in the time of Queen Elizabeth II, making her very religion dangerous to publicly claim. While her brother prepares to marry and her little sister flirts with a highborn man, she's left wondering what her role is in a world where women don't have many choices. A brief encounter with a spy leaves her rattled and she embarks on a journey of secret letters, arrests, and a marriage to the man she least expects.

While Cassandra reveals more of Constance's life through her writing, her own life spirals out of control. She begins to question her own sanity and the realness of her haunting visions.
As in her Echoes from the Past series, she blends the past and present to perfection in a way I didn't expect. Both time frames hold enough drama, intrigue, and romance to be books in their own right. I was hooked from the first page and the non-stop twists left me on the edge of my seat. Waiting to see how the lives of such different women turned out was nearly torture!

I enjoyed the parallel timelines. The fantasy aspects weren't overdone and I felt as if everything that happened in Cassandra's story was completely believable. Her emotions were real and her reactions to things were easy to relate to. I hope there's more of her story one day.

I've never listened to anything narrated by Verity Burns, but I thoroughly enjoyed her work with this book. She had different inflections when reading for Constance and Cassandra, making it clear what time period the story was in. She's very talented and I know this won't be the last of her work I'll listen to.

Overall, I'm thrilled with my latest Irina Shapiro book. I highly recommend it to all book lovers, no matter their favorite genre.

Best Read

This book was amazing! I loved every minute! Irina Shapiro masterfully created a parallel of time. Absolutely brilliant!

interesting turn of events

it was interesting, story of old and new. It's a beautiful love story of tragedy.

Good Story, Not-so-Good Narrator

This was a tragic story and a bit predictable, but it ended well enough. I love historic, atmospheric stories, and this delivered. The narrator was OK, but she read through the book rather quickly and with little-to-no expression or emotion. This would have been better if I read it on my Kindle instead.

Tudors+Reincarnation = winner! Narrator is awesome

The story ARC is brilliantly done. A different story than I’ve read before. I love Tudor times. Then add in reincarnation and you have a winner.
Not saying more as no spoilers. I highly recommend this audiobook to everyone.
The narrator is awesome. Her voice is perfect for the story.

Great Historical Fiction

Precious Bones was a fascinating read. I loved the different timelines and the overall idea of the story. I enjoyed some characters more than others, but overall, they were written well. I loved the time period that the "current day" ran along side. It is a time period I have always wanted to learn more about but have not yet. I think for fans of this time period, the story would be even more enjoyable. Just an overall, fascinating and enjoying read. I did find a few bits a little slower than others. The beginning was the hardest part for me to get through but important for the overall story.

Verity Burns did a great job with the voices. I wish there had been more emotion in her voice acting as some places I could have used a little more to keep me going.

I received a copy of this audiobook at my request, and I have voluntarily left this review.

Parallel Stories

I was able to listen to this book as a part of a free trial of Audible Escape, but would’ve paid for it! I loved it! The story is actually 2 stories in one- they are set 500 years apart. Much like Tracy Chavalier’s book, The Last Unicorn, these stories build a rich tapestry of events and you can see both stories so clearly. Constance’s story is one that Cassandra is feverishly finding out. It seems she is almost obsessive to write Constance’s story, only to realize it was in her the whole time. I loved this book!!! The narrator was perfect! An excellent escape!

Amazing!!!

This was one of the best books I’ve ever experienced. I did not want to put it down. Or stop listening. I felt for Constance, Pippa, Richard and the Thorne family. I absolutely adore Cassandra and Adrian. Very beautifully written. The narrator was the perfect voice to bring life to these characters and I hope very much to hear her narrate again. Thank you.

Thumbs up

Time travel novel with murder, betrayal, suspense, intrigue taking place in Tudor and present day England.
Verity Burns tells this love story with a twist.

Nice change of pace

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a nice change from what I usually read. I’d recommend it to anyone who reads ‘romance’ and mystery.