Sophia's Secret

By: Susanna Kearsley

Narrated by: Carolyn Bonnyman

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

Critic reviews

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

A beautiful story

It’s a little slow at first, but looking back, I see why (she imparts a lot of important information at the beginning)..
so, give it a chance if you find it slow, because it picks up and is a really, really beautiful story.

Very Enjoyable Listen

I really enjoyed this audio book, both for the story which blended history and romance with a little mystery and fantasy, and also for the narrator.
I disagree with the other reviewer who did not enjoy the narration, although I understand that sort of thing is completely subjective so I can only express my own opinion. I thought the narrator was very engaging to listen to, but maybe that's because I am so partial to Scottish accents. She did a great job of the Doric accent, which is difficult to understand, let along speak if it's not your native tongue. (She's obviously Scottish herself) I had no trouble telling one character from another, even the men's accents didn't sound silly the way female narrators sometimes do when trying to deepen their voices. As for the main character's Canadian accent, being Canadian myself of Scottish descent, I thought she sounded very pleasant to listen, regardless of the occasional twinge of barely perceptible Scots in there, especially considering she was doing an East Coast Maritime accent, which is very different from Central or West Coast Canadians.
I loved the story as it wove back and forth between the current setting of the writer mysteriously drawn to Slains Castle while researching a book, which almost seems to write itself from her dreams, and the past - being the story she is trying to write that starts appearing more real than fiction. It has a satisfying conclusion, although I hated it to end. I listened to it too quickly as I could barely put my IPOD down until it was done.
I wish Audible had more of Susanna Kearsley's books available and I'd be very happy with them using the same narrator again.

A great read

I disagree with the negative comment on the narration, I loved her voice. When she narrated the historical scenes involving Sophie I thought she had one of the best Scottish accents I've listened to; equally easy to listen to for men and women and when she used her own voice for Carrie I thought her timing and melody was mesmirizing. As far as the story it was a beautifully rendered tapestry of past and future where Carrie's memories pour into a lovely book. This could have been a unbelievable tale but instead was handled with ease and credibilty. The romances of both Sophie and Carrie were realistic and sweet, however this is no "bodice tearing" story, it is more a historical journey and its impact on the current day. A great read and well worth a listen.

Disliked Narrator

What did you like best about Sophia's Secret? What did you like least?

Good story . Bad narration. It was like the narrator was whispering through and did not have character voices. It was very easy to get lost on who was speaking. Was very easy to fall asleep with the narrator being very monotone.

How could the performance have been better?

Different narrator.

Did Sophia's Secret inspire you to do anything?

No

The Winter Sea

Why hasn't it been pointed out anywhere that this is the exact same book as The Winter Sea. I have purchased both and am very disappointed that I got one book for the price of two.

Absolutely brilliant.

I so loved this story and these wonderful characters. This is one I will listen to again on time for it is that good.

great story

Would you listen to Sophia's Secret again? Why?

My only complaint about the story was the narrator. Her voice is so soft that it was very difficult at times to hear her. Other than that, I thought the book was excellent.

What three words best describe Carolyn Bonnyman’s performance?

she talks to softly. She was a wonderful voice, but too soft for the recording.

Waste of a Credit

I already had bought 'The Winter Sea', which was an incredibly rich story, beautifully narrated. When I saw 'Sophia's Secret', I took the synopsis to mean that this was a sequel. I was really annoyed to find that this was exactly the same book - word for word, only by a different narrator. I could have used my credit for buying another gem-of-a-read.

Ruined by the Narration

This was a mildly entertaining book, completely ruined by the narration. I'm not sure if Carolyn Bonnyman is a Scot trying to put on a Canadian accent, or a North American trying to put on both a Scottish and Canadian east coast accent -- whatever she's attempting it is a mess. It's a shame because although it is light reading, the book seems to be well written and historically interesting.