Review: The Winter Sea

I first heard of  Susanna Kearsley several years ago after seeing her at an event and I think she may have been the first Canadian historical fiction author I took note of. So, it's ridiculously embarrassing to admit that it took me until 2021 to finally read one of her books. I've been told by friends for years that I would enjoy them. And, reader? They were right. Her novel The Winter Sea was first published in 2008. Simon & Schuster Canada has rereleased it this year for reasons I'm not entirely clear on BUT I am thrilled about because that meant I had the chance to read and review it. And oh my goodness, I adored it. "Could not put it down, thought about it when I wasn't reading, wanted to wrap myself up in the story and never leave" kind of adored it.

Here's the synopsis:

1707. The walls of Slains castle shelter Jacobite rebels, who are conspiring to sail the young, exiled James Stewart from France into Scotland to reclaim his crown—and a young woman caught up in their plot.

Present day. Writer Carrie McClelland is enchanted by an impromptu trip to Cruden Bay, Scotland, and decides to settle in the tiny village, hoping to find inspiration for her novel about the Jacobite uprising in the area’s evocative past—and in the haunting ruins of the castle.

She creates a heroine named after one of her own ancestors, Sophia Paterson, and quickly finds the words flowing, almost faster than she can write them down. But, discovering that her novel inexplicably contains more fact than she can remember researching, Carrie wonders if she could possibly be dealing with ancestral memory—in effect “recalling” what her ancestor lived.

The only way to discover the truth is to continue writing and to bring to light the whole of Sophia’s story. With each new chapter, Carrie uncovers the tale of an innocent entangled in a dangerous enterprise, the secret of forbidden love, and the final betrayal that cost James his throne—and may cost Sophia her heart.

I get really, really wary when books are compared to other books, especially when they're mega popular. The Winter Sea is said to be for fans of Outlander so I was curious to see if it would hold up to that comparison. And you know what? It totally does. It's very different, of course. It's present day vs early 1700s instead of 1940s and '60s and the mid-1700s. But the feel of it and the setting is for Outlander fans. Plus they both deal with Jacobite rebellions, which is interesting for the history nerds out there. Outlander is a tough series to describe. It's historical but it's also a love story with a dash of magic realism in the form of time travel. The Winter Sea could be described in almost the same way but the magic realism in Kearsley's novel is the fact that the heroine, Carrie, seems to have memories of her ancestors that she has no business knowing. It may sound like it's a combination that shouldn't work but it does. Oh, but it does.

I was head over heels in love with just about every character Kearsley wrote. Carrie, Graham, Sophia, and John, of course. (The first pair are the love birds in the present day story whereas the latter pair feature in 1707.) But also Jimmy, Graham's father, Dr. Weir, who helped Carrie with her novel, Jane, Carrie's agent, the Countess of Erroll, who seemed like one badass lady I would have loved to have a drink with, Kirsty, the maid at Slains, Colonel Graeme, John's uncle, and even Hugo, the giant mastiff at the castle. They all came alive in the story and I felt like I was wandering right alongside each of them throughout the story.

The history in the novel was, I felt, well researched and presented. Sometimes it got a bit convoluted but honestly, it's a very convoluted part of history. Who wanted which king on the throne? Which king was exiled? And which Stewart was he again? Who practiced which religion? Because that usually meant they were for one king or the other, but not always. And which Jacobite rebellion are we discussing again? The first? Second? Third? (The first, by the way. Outlander features the third.) But Kearsley does a really good job of giving the reader the background information they need without it being an info dump. Or, if it is, it's because the character's asked for it. I love, for example, how Carrie asked Graham, a history professor, for information on something. Kearsley used Stuart, Graham's brother, as the every reader and had him asking even more questions that the reader may not understand, especially if they're not from Scotland. For someone who has a lot of ancestors from Scotland (I'm a Stewart, after all) and is a fan of history, it was super interesting for me to read and learn.

Not only did I love the story and was completely hooked by it, but I liked how it was written, too. I was a bit worried at first because I wasn't sure how I felt about reading Carrie's novel as she was writing it. You see, you'd get Carrie's first person perspective as she came across Slains and started coming up with the idea for her novel. And then she would get to work and you'd be reading the story she was writing. It seems kind of odd but by the end of it I was completely invested in both storylines and gladly would have read the full novel Carrie wrote.

Historical fiction fans need to read Susanna Kearsley. I'm going to make an effort to get through some of her backlist this year, hopefully, because I loved The Winter Sea so much. I loved Kearsley's approach to history and the way she wove an amazing story full of lifelike characters. Trust me when I say The Winter Sea needs to be your next historical read. It's fantastic.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Simon & Schuster Canada, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*