Susanna Kearsley’s THE SPLENDOR FALLS – A Hunt for a Medieval Treasure in a Town in France

October is Medieval month so look for stories that harken back to the distant past. Up first is one set in Chinon in the picturesque Loire Valley in Anjou. It’s the story of Emily Braden who goes on holiday, ostensibly with her brilliant but unreliable cousin, Harry. Harry wants to explore the old town and the castle, where Queen Isabelle, child bride of King John, had withstood the siege of Chinon many centuries ago, and where, according to legend, she hid a treasure of great worth.

 

When Emily arrives in Chinon she finds that Harry never arrived (in fact, not to appear for much of the book). So, Emily decides to spend time with the other guests at her hotel. There, she learns of star-crossed lovers in the German occupation during the Second World War that also hid a great treasure of jewels. The young woman, another Isabelle, who was a chambermaid at the hotel, fell in love with a German soldier, but it did not end well.

 

Two treasures, two Isabelles, and lots of intrigue.

Generally I love Kearsley’s unusual stories but this one seemed lacking somehow. Not that the writing wasn’t wonderful, even lyrical at times, but I kept waiting for more of the medieval tale, of which there were only glimpses. To be sure, mystery and evil lurked in abundance, and there is tragedy, but it’s more a contemporary story than a medieval one.

 

The love story between Emily and Neill (a violinist staying at the hotel) is well done and I did enjoy that. And Kearsley’s writing is brilliant as always. But I kept waiting for Harry to show up and I kept waiting for more from the past. A good story but not quite what I expected.

 

 

Susanna Kearsley’s THE ROSE GARDEN – Smugglers, Time Travel and Love Across the Centuries

Eva Ward has returned to Cornwall from Los Angeles, following her sister’s death. She remembers Cornwall and happier times where they spent their childhood summers. In Cornwall, Eva meets old friends. Yet, from the beginning, something is different. She hears voices in the old house and, one day, she is transported back in time to the 18^th century where she encounters the Butler brothers and their Irish friend, all smugglers held in high esteem by the villagers.

 

She cannot control when she slips from one century to another. Soon finds herself falling for Daniel Butler, a man who lived - and died - long before she was born. Eva begins to question her place in the present, and in sending her sister’s ashes to the wind, realizes that she too must decide where she really belongs, choosing between the life she knows or the past she feels so drawn towards.

 

Kearsley paints a vivid world of both now and then. The secondary characters and the villain come alive on the page. I could see myself walking the cliffs above the sea. There is mystery, too, and that is well done. The only confusing part was toward the end when more time travel is piled on and it was hard to hold it all together. Still, it’s a wonderful story and held my interest throughout. I recommend it.

 

Susanna Kearsley’s THE WINTER SEA – A Brilliant Story of Scotland’s Past Affecting its Future & Two Intertwined Love Stories. A Keeper!

This was an unusual story for me. With a few notable exceptions, I don’t generally read time travel historical novels. And it’s difficult to characterize this one. It’s not straight historical romance, nor is it historical fiction, nor is it paranormal/fantasy or even time travel as such, yet it has elements of all these.

 

Part of the story is set in modern Scotland and part in early 18^th century Scotland where, in the spring of 1708, an invading Jacobite fleet of French and Scottish soldiers nearly succeeded in landing the exiled James Stewart in Scotland to reclaim his crown. The story is also told in two voices, one in the first person (Carrie, the writer in modern times) and the other in the 3^rd person, the voice of the heroine from Carrie’s family’s past and Scotland’s, Sophia Paterson.

 

Key in the telling of both stories is Slains Castle, a ruined castle in Aberdeenshire, overlooking the North Sea from its cliff-top site east of Cruden Bay (pictured below as it was).

 

As her writing proceeds, Carrie begins to realize she is not just inventing a story set in history but experiencing the memories of her long ago relative. Sophia meets and falls in love with Mr. Moray, the Jacobite who works to bring the king back to Scotland. And Carrie develops a tendre for Graham Keith, the oldest son of her landlord. The parallels of the two stories and the two romances are uncanny and add to the intrigue. Both are well told and had me turning pages. Even though the ending dawned on me early on, the author kept me in suspense, wondering if it would be.

 

The characters are richly drawn, Graham (Carrie’s love interest) and Sophia being my favorites. I relished the thought that those who loved both Sophia and Moray were pulling strings for them. The language is beautiful, the descriptions vivid and all are woven together in marvelous fashion.

 

This is one for the keeper shelf.