Caledonia: A Novel

Caledonia, Book 1

By: Sherry V. Ostroff

Narrated by: Savanna Sinéad Kenny

Anna Issac's choices are bleak. Suicide is more appealing than marrying the revolting Frenchman her spiteful brother has chosen for her. The only other option is to beg a man she barely knows, a Highlander, to help her run away. Escape would be a challenge for any 15-year-old, but it is particularly difficult for a Jewess living in 17th century Scotland. Anna's tale would have remained a secret, except three centuries later the death of Hanna Duncan's father on 9/11 unleashes a chain of events that leads her to an ancient key with a peculiar etching. Once deciphered, the clue points Hanna toward a safe deposit box in Edinburgh where Hanna uncovers Anna's role in the creation of Scotland's only colony. Caledonia promised to be the trading hub of the New World, but starvation, ship's fever, and incompetent leadership dogged the 1,200 colonists from the moment they left Scotland. More than half would be buried at sea or in the colony's muddy cemetery, and Anna would not be immune from the dreadful conditions. The outpost was deserted in less than a year.

Caledonia is a tale of these two strong women separated by time but bound by mysterious circumstances. Twenty-first century Hanna keeps uncovering evidence linking her to 17th century Anna. Both women experience romance, adventure, and tragedy as the listener witnesses them becoming more and more connected.

©2019 Sherry V. Ostroff (P)2021 Sherry V. Ostroff

Critic reviews

Chanticleer International Chaucer Awards - Finalist Indie

B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree

Indie Diamond Book Award - Winner in Adult Fiction

Mesmerizing!

This book was Amazing! The storyline and historically accurate details make sure you can not put the book down! The Characters are very real, personal and their endeavors become the readers. The Narrator is perfection! Her depictions are absolute. I can not say enough about the book. You will not be disappointed!

Brilliant

Absolutely loved this book. The storyline kept you interested all the way through and the narration was fabulous. Loved the Scottish accent throughout. Gave great authenticity. I highly recommend this book.
Wendy

The narration is killing the story.

I'm only in the first chapter... it may have to go back.

1. The main character only stays in her 'accent party of the time.

2. Anna's father has no accent and it feels like there's no attempt to give him masculine voice.

3. Anna's says IAN and her father pounces it as EAN. As father and son, they should have the same speech.

I feel like I'm stuck in an Ireland, Scotland & English swirl of language. The story takes place (at l r art at this point) in Scotland in the 1600s.

I'll update once I decide whether or not I'm going to persevere and finish the book.

I love this book!

I couldn't stop listening the story is well written and the narrator just does such a good job you don't want to turn it off. It has a little romance but it has alot to do Scottish colonist and their journey to the Americas. It's so very good! I'm on to book two it picks right up so far excellent!

I loved this book

I was interested in this audible book from beginning to end. I loved the characters and even the moving back and forth in time to represent their "real time" events. I never knew about the colonization of the Scots to the Panama. I appreciated the fact that the author explained, at the end, what in her story was based on actual historical events and locations, and what she took liberty with to develop the story. She did a great job of researching for this book. I think the narrator did a wonderful job and the only detail that I will criticize was sometimes I had to adjust my volume, as when she stopped and restarted it ran from whisper quiet to loud. Minor detail though. I am so glad that this is a series as I want to know what eventually happens to both Anna and Hannah. I will download the book 2 this week!

EVEN BETTER THE SECOND TIME 'ROUND

I read CALEDONIA when it first came out and loved the book. Read the sequel, Mannahatta, and loved that even more. Then I decided to listen to this audio version and I was astounded how much I loved it the third time! Listening to the narrator's lovely lilting Scottish accent really helped immerse me in the world of the characters. It also opened my ears to the nuances of the writing, the skill of the author. It was almost like watching a movie--only better, because I could picture the protagonists any way I wanted to. I now realize why radio plays were once so popular. They engage the listener as an active participant. I highly recommend downloading this audio book, even if you've already read it. And, if you haven't moved on to the sequel, what are you waiting for?! Like I said, it's even better!

Never knew about Caledonia. Interesting

SeEmed to stray as a story of relationships and family, but story turned out to be historical an Caledonia. Both were goog, but the mixing of them was mildly discombobulating at times. Story of Caledonia was very interesting. An song was rather quick and I'm not sure if all the threads were tied up.
Good narrator. The Scottish brogue was beautiful, and understandable. Not too heavy.

One of the best historical novels I have read

WOW! I absolutely loved this book. The book jumps back and forth between the past and today. The ending was great . The last part that told a little more about Caledonia,

The narration is understanding too. The accent makes the book appear more authentic. It is easy to understand tis narrator.

I received this book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Fact and Fiction

This is a new to me author. I was blown away with this book. I like history and this bookis all about Scottish heritage and colonization. Iiked the present day relative goes to Scotland to find out about her ancestors and learning where the Jewish customs came from.

The narrator was stupendous. She had the Scottish accent perfectly. She kept my interest from the first to the last. I wish I could give this book ten stars.

Decent story, mediocre narration, minor annoyances

Books like this are the reason Americans think Scotland is dreary, cold, and uninhabitable. Early on, the author actually claims that Edinburgh is cold and uninhabitable, and later that in summer, it is cold and snowy! In the summer! Maybe up in the Cairngorm Mountains, but not the city of Edinburgh. That annoyance aside, the story is compelling and well written. The narration, which the author claims is by a genuine Scot, is often annoying and slow. Early on, the main character, Ana's father, and a servant are voiced so slowly that I had to turn up the playback speed to 1.25. The voice for the hero, a Scottish highlander is so heavy with rolled Rs that it is, at times, hard to understand. Even Scots make fun of the Sean Connery exaggerated accent, so I found this a bit comical. The main female characters are done fairly well, but this young lady cannot voice men. Ana's brother sounds like a whiny little girl with a voice higher pitched than the girls. Chapters are also abruptly started, with no pause after the last sentence of the previous chapter, but that may be down to editing. There are a few other issues with sound quality changing. Otherwise, it rolls along okay and is only distracting occasionally.
Okay, maybe a bit more than distracting. I just had to stop when Hannah pulled out her bent sunglasses but that was ok because it's rarely sunny in Scotland. Come on!!! Also, not sure why it took them 7 hours to drive to Skye. Even without taking highways, it's not 7 hours. We're the roads really bad in 2005? I finally stopped it with about 6 HOURS to go when the claim was made that most modern Scots don't want independence and it was kinda written as a right wing fringe thing full of super religious people. Granted, this is supposed to be 2005, but the 2014 referendum was really close! If inaccuracy in details, and recording quality don't bother you, it's an okay story. I get that it is so hard to write a book. But at the very least, get the weather right.