Review: The Winter Sea - Susanna Kearsley

Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 576
Published: December 2010 Sourcebooks Landmark

Carrie McClelland came to Scotland to research her next book. Renting a cottage in the same town where her story takes place, Carrie embarks not only on her novel, but on a romance with her landlord's handsome son, Graham Keith. When the boundary between past and present begins to blur, Carrie finds herself channeling memories not her own. Pulled deeper and deeper into the memories of the past, Carrie realizes these visions are more than the means to another bestselling novel, but also a way to right the wrongs of the past and create a future with the man whose love is her destiny.

Plot:

Carrie McClelland is in France writing a story about the French-Jacobite invasion at Cruden Bay, but the story is not evolving so she comes to Scotland to put the pieces together. Here she is drawn to Slains Castle and stays in the nearby village to write. The words come by themselves and she soon realizes that it's not a story she is writing, but the truth.

My thoughts:

Genetic memory, now would that not be so cool. You could see the past from the eyes of your ancestors.

This book is a two part book. First there is Carrie writing, and finding out how handsome both sons of her landlord is. So she is dealing with her own things, and falling in love. I do like romance. Then there is the book she is writing and we see history from Sophia Paterson's eyes. She is staying at Slains Castle by the grace of a distant relative. Scotland wants their true king back so there is a lot of politics and betrayal going on. And she falls in love in the midst of it all.

Which story did I enjoy the most, for some reason Carrie and when she found her man. The Sophie parts were of course interesting, and it is an era I do not know much about. Sophie was also a very sweet heroine, and her man, him I really liked. Carrie's man was a bit more at peace. Anyway in the end I did like them all. And side characters like her landlord, he was a sweetheart. No horrible people in this book, I saw all sides of them.

One thing I was not to keen about was something at the end, I felt, oh I can't say because then i will spoil things. I had just wanted one more thing, even if everything was all peachy anyway.

My final thoughts and recommendation.

A book for historical fans, and I know it is not time travel or anything, but hey close enough so something for everyone really since there is the contemporary parts too. I think is a 3,5 cos I would recommend it. It was a very interesting approach to seeing the past.

I did have big fears at one time, this book does get really sad, and you know it from the start. But life has a way of turning out for the best in the end.

Reason for reading:

It sounded intersting

Cover:

I am so stupid, I saw it and did not get it, then many many times later I realized it was hair! duh

Review copy from Sourcebooks

PS.
There will be an interview with Susanna next week :)