Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance—the perfect beach book. Stars: ****
It is a dark and stormy night in Draper, Utah as I sit down to write a review of Susanna Kearsley’s The Winter Sea. The fabulous lightning makes it even more fun to ruminate on the delightful evenings I got to spend with Carrie and Graham (set in modern time) and Sophie and Moray (18th century Scotland).
Both stories revolve around New Slains Castle on the coast of Aberdeenshire, Scotland, overlooking the North Sea.
Our protagonist, Carrie McClellan, is a bestselling author of historical fiction who rents a cottage near Slains castle in Scottland where one of her ancestors, Sophie McClellan, lived circa 1708 through the Jacobite rebellion. The book is two great stories—Carrie’s and Sophie’s—with a lot of fabulous history to tie them together.
Carrie is disturbed when her latest project, a story about her own ancestor, appears to be writing itself, and the details she thinks she’s fabricating are confirmed in what few records remain from the period. Carrie’s life takes on an added complication when her landlord’s two sons take an interest in her. I’ll let you discover the rest at your leisure.
A few reasons I thoroughly enjoyed this book:
- The History ~ She makes it easy to follow and interesting. What little I’ve read about the Jacobite rebellion in the past has been from the perspective of the other side. So this was really fun to consider the Scots who were loyal to “The Pretender” (as the English like to call him).
- “Genetic Memory” ~ Loved the concept of “genetic memory” and the strong pull of family history that connected the two stories. (Quick thank you to Kearsley for the honorable mention of Family History centers in Mormon churches. She even made a point to use our real name: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.)
- The Perfect Man ~ Loved reading the perfect man. Who cares if it’s not realistic? Hope springs eternal . . . I like reading about a perfect love interest, and this book had two of them—strong, savvy, silent (but not too silent), and fiercely committed. (Yes, I’m a sap.)
Why I didn’t give it 5 stars:
- The History ~ Just a couple of times, we got a history lecture. I actually enjoyed these; they were short and clear, but it did wrench me out of the story a bit. I kept hoping that we’d get some of it by witnessing one of Graham’s lectures.
- “Genetic Memory” ~ Wanted a little more closure/exposition on the concept.
- The Perfect Man ~ Just because I like reading the perfect man, doesn’t mean it makes for 5-star writing. The love interest in a 5-star novel must have a flaw or two.
- It’s not Jane Eyre.
Still, I highly recommend it for airplanes and beaches everywhere. *Sigh*
If you’ve read it, what did you think? Please add to these lists.
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This incredible picture is posted on the website of landscape photographer, Michael Fellowes. Visit his sight for more spectacular images of the area.
Location: Slains Castle, Cruden Bay, Scotland.