THE WINTER SEA (Susannah Kearsley)

Author Bernard Cornwell describes The Winter Sea as "engaging" and "compelling," and I couldn't agree more.  From start to finish I was enthralled with the alternating stories of Sophia (1708) and Carrie (present time) and the beautiful setting, Cruden Bay in the north of Scotland.  Carrie McLelland is a novelist whose current work focuses on the struggle of the Jacobites to restore King James to his rightful throne in Scotland during the early 18th century.  When Carrie sees Slains Castle for the first time she is drawn to the area and inspired to include it in her story.  Her agent and good friend, Jane, suggests that her novel might be enriched by including a character from whose point of view the story is told, so Carrie chooses a female character that she names after her several-times-great grandmother, Sophia Paterson.  Suddenly Carrie is creatively inspired beyond her wildest dreams and Sophia's story flows swiftly from her fingers.  During conversations with her father, a genealogist, and through historical documents provided by a local retired physician, Dr. Weir, Carrie discovers that the story she is writing about Sophia is, for the most part, true.  Dr. Weir introduces her to the concept of genetic memory, the theory that memories, like physical traits and personality, might be passed down randomly through the generations.  As coincidences continue to pile up Carrie seriously considers that her writing may in fact be Sophia's actual memories rather than fiction.

Kearsley's sense of romance and love of history are evident in The Winter Sea.  The reader roots for happy endings for Sophia and John and for Carrie and Graham. Kearsley expertly weaves together the present and the past, leaving the reader feeling every emotion, almost experiencing firsthand the dedication and desperation of the Jacobites.  I couldn't put to wonderful book down and the one thing I regret about reading it is that it had to end!  Kearsley uses chapters of Carrie's novel, interspersed with Carrie's own story, to tell a magical, compelling story that I will not forget for a long time to come.  I've already read The Rose Garden and Mariana. Now I'm desperate to read more!