Season of the Sun

Viking Era, Book 1

By: Catherine Coulter

Narrated by: Anne Flosnik

Dear Listener: Season of the Sun first appeared in 1991. Zarabeth, with hair as red as an Irish sunset, is chosen by Magnus Haraldsson, a Viking on a trading visit to York, to be his wife. She is both stunned and fascinated by this man’s bluntness, his arrogance, his absolute belief that she is meant to belong to him. He also makes her laugh and ultimately she gives him her trust, not only with her future but with that of her little sister, Lotti. But Zarabeth’s stepfather, Olav the Vain, has no intention of setting a bride price on Zarabeth.

Zarabeth does eventually return with Magnus to his farmstead in Norway, but as his slave, not as his wife. She wears the slave collar around her neck for all to see, but hides her own pain deep within her.

It is the season of the sun in Norway, the clear midnight life of summer, the season of growth and flowering, of treachery and malice. It was the season of growth for a man and a woman to learn of each other - and themselves.

©2000 Catherine Coulter (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Print was way better!

Ann Flosnik has a habit of giving the heros all the same kind of voices.
Read this book in print a long time ago, thought it would be good...Not that much!
The voice she gave the hero who is to be a big/enormous warrior turned out to make him sound like a nitwit/stupid guy.

Great Listen

I was completely engrossed in this story from the very beginning. The narrator performed well, changing voices enough to distinguish characters. The story was very interesting, I felt like I really understood the everyday life of the period. I will look for more from Catherine Coulter and Anne Flosnik.

Sad, violent, depressing, abusive

The Vikings were a violent people living in violent times. Rape, murder, and pillage. It's what they did best.It's a very sad disturbing story. A very dark book brought to life by one of my favorite narrators Anne Flosnik,

Good story, distracting Narrator

For an historical romance, the story rings true, but the narrator has a very different voice and her distinction between characters is poor. And, I had to slow the blood down to be able to understand her. I seldom write reviews, but felt this had to be shared.

Story good, narration not so much.

The story was pretty good but the narration performance was detracting to the point that I debated canceling my order.

Viking dread

As A Father of 4 daughters... I can't get passed 2nd chapter, my rage over the Viking, fiction tempting my emotion for protection.
Unbelievable response, thought I knew myself.

a season of ups and downs at a record pace...

What made the experience of listening to Season of the Sun the most enjoyable?

I could "see" the characters. When I thought a specific character was at first cheesy and it turned me off I was glad I stuck with it. The story quickly used the ridiculousness of it into a very meaningful aspect of that character. He was introduced to the story so you saw him thru those eyes so your reaction as the story developes is set into the right frame of mind. I didn't see that coming and am glad I didn't give up on it at that awkward moment.

What did you like best about this story?

Zarabeths perseverance...

Have you listened to any of Anne Flosnik’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes I have. I actually get tired of her voice and the way every book she narrates seems to have the same characters at first. This one however was much more individualized and I heard the characters of this specific tale.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes... but there were several and I am not about to offer up the spoiler that this question begs for!

Any additional comments?

Worth a credit? I say buy it.... its cheap enough and I would definitely save that credit for something that costs more... isnt that why we buy credits after all?

A viking story

If you could sum up Season of the Sun in three words, what would they be?

This era when the men ruled and women really had no place.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Season of the Sun?

The night she slipped away and met him at his ship and the way they were happy to see each other

That was just wow!

This is a must read for fans of books with Vikings. Definitely not a soft people, but resilient and strong. Great story really gave some authentic viking situations and resolutions.

Back when I devoured Catherine Coulter.

If you liked this one, having read it back when, then you might enjoy the audio. I could not, really. I usually don't mind A. Flosnik narrating a historical but with this one, I was like, "Pass!"

Still, this is a throwback (bodice-ripper-like) Viking, alpha-male*I-see-woman-I-take* type of drama. And it features a trope Coulter did (maybe still does) well: heroine goes through hell as a mistreated woman and/or captive (see Fire Song), and the hero's an asinine p****(male body part) who turns into her greatest love, who learns to appreciate her and/or grovel (hopefully, both, LOL).

Ah well, ...onward.