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Sophia's Secret cover art

Sophia's Secret

By: Susanna Kearsley
Narrated by: Carolyn Bonnyman
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Summary

When best-selling author Carrie McClelland visits the stark and beautiful Slains Casle, she decides to use the castle as the setting for her new novel, and one of her own ancestors, Sophia, as her heroine. Then Carrie realises her writing is taking on a life of its own and the lines between fact and fiction become increasingly blurred. As Sophias' memories draw Carrie more deeply into the intrigue of 1708, she discovers a captivating love story lost in time. Please note this title was previously recorded as The Winter Sea
©2009 Susanna Kearsley (P)2009 Oakhill Publishing Ltd

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Looking to fill an Outlander-shaped void? Diana Gabaldon’s popular Outlander series, and the TV adaptations, are full of danger, steamy passion, and Scottish history. We’ve compiled a list of listens for fans of the Outlander series bringing you time travel romance, Scottish historical fiction and more...

Critic reviews

"A deeply-engaging romance and a compelling historical novel ... Susanna Kearsley has written a marvelous book." ( Bernard Cornwell)

What listeners say about Sophia's Secret

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A well written story.

Being interested in family tree research was my original attraction to this story. It tuned out to be one of the most beautiful stories I have listened to. I found myself 'plugging in' frequently! I am not sure how authentic the Scottish accents were, but I found them acceptable. I enjoyed the mix of the historic and the modern romance as well as the historical data. I have no doubt that I shall listen to this story again.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • AZ
  • 23-01-13

Pleasant but Ponderous

Having enjoyed 'Rose Cottage' by Susanna Kearsley enormously I had great hopes for this book. You know what they say about great expectations? ... Carolyn Bonnyman was skilled at accents and has a lovely voice. However, the many characters and meandering plot made some characters harder to single out or let shine. The attention to detail within the story was such that sometimes I could only see the wood and not the trees or the path through them. The story within a story approach allows some self-reflection by the author on the writing of historical fiction. I found this gently witty and revealing, if also self-indulgent. As a journey between times this story covered less trodden ground and shared interesting views but spent a little too much time pondering over the map.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Really enjoyable

I just loved this story and was drawn into the drama and romance of both the past and present storylines. I was enjoying it so much I was quite happy to suspend disbelief over the contrivance of the inherited memories. The narrator is excellent at accents and it was beautifully read. I would like to hear more from this author.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it.

I absolutely loved this story though it was a bit predictable at times. It kept me in thrall throughout though and I loved the historical context as well as the romance. I was rather interested in the Jacobite risings having listened to the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon, and it was very interesting to hear of the earlier rising and the history surrounding it in this novel.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

I gave up...

I usually love this kind of book, but I couldn’t hear this one... I simply couldn’t understand the Scottish accent... I couldn’t follow the story because I didn’t understand it. This book should not be categorized as an English book.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

A lovely story

I liked this timeslip style romance and would probably seek out the author's other work after a bit of a break. The narrator had a nice voice and seemed to have the correct Scots (Doric?) dialect for the story (the dialect was mentioned more than once in the story itself). The plot was a tiny bit unconvincing in parts, and you'll probably see the denouement coming a mile off, but it was a nice, easy listen. Perfect for plugging the ears while doing the housework.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Jumps and stops abruptly

I want to enjoy this book, but it jumps and stops unexpectedly. I dont know whether im coming or going with the it. Deleted it, re-downloaded, deleted app and re-installed. I dont think it likes my phone!!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Lovely story, masterfully read

Couldn’t stop listening to this wonderful story. And Carolyn Bonnyman did an incredible job switching accents to accommodate the different narrators, which brought the story across so much more nicely.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful.

Lovely winding tale with a great narrator. Really satisfying ending. This book was relaxing, not entirely predictable and gave me solace at a hectic time.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A perfect Autumnal read!

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I'm a huge Outlander fan and had heard that Susanna Kearsley is quite similar to Diana Gabaldon so I gave this a go and so glad I did! Sophia's Secret, or otherwise known as The Winter's Sea, was a real joy to read. I was transported back in time while Susanna was exploring Sophia's story. I loved her character and felt as if I was at Slaines along side her. I listened to this book read by Carolyn Bonnyman who has a wonderful voice but felt it was a bit odd in places. I believe Carolyn Bonnyman portrayed Sophia fantastically with her native Scottish accent (love this accent!) but was a little puzzled when she portrayed Carrie. It sounded a bit funny to me, being Canadian myself so I did struggle with that a bit. I won't spoil this book but will say the ending was brilliant. So if you are looking for a cozy read by the fire or candlelight and looking for a historical fiction book with a hint of romance, than this is the one for you! Looking forward to the next book in the series, The Firebird!

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