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Title: The Firebird

Author: Susanna Kearsley

Narrator: Katherine Kellgren

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 39 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-04-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 3240 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Nicola Marter was born with a gift. When she touches an object, she sometimes glimpses those who have owned it before. When a woman arrives with a small wooden carving at the gallery Nicola works at, she can see the objects history and knows that it was named after the Firebird - the mythical creature from an old Russian fable.

Compelled to know more, Nicola follows a young girl named Anna who leads her into the past on a quest through the glittering backdrops of the Jacobites and Russian courts, unearthing a tale of love, courage, and redemption.

Members Reviews:

Beautiful Historical Fiction

Nicola Marter has a gift - when she touches an object, she can see into its past. When she beholds a small wooden carving called the "Firebird," her abilities transport her to 18th century Russia, where she finds young Anna Moray, one of the object's original owners. As impressive as time travel is, what I kept marveling at was author Susanna Kearsley's writing. She effortlessly entwines two narratives in The Firebird, and manages to make them equally compelling. Her beautiful, rich prose created such vivid images in my mind (enhanced by the always excellent narrator, Katherine Kellgren), that I feel as though I have actually met all of the characters and seen the places we journey to in this book. As soon as I finished listening, I immediately downloaded The Winter Sea, so that I could learn even more about Anna's family. Suffice it to say, Kearsley is quickly becoming my new favorite author.

More heavy on the romance than the historical

This review is tough because I am comparing it to "The Winter Sea", which I loved and gave 5 stars. This book is a worthy continuation of that story. I did enjoy this book, but not as much as The Winter Sea because "The Firebird" is much more involved in the romantic storyline of the past and present characters than on the historical times of Russia and the Jacobites while the Winter Sea was heavier on the historical times with the romance as a backdrop. I would have enjoyed more history in this one.

Additionally, whereas the narrator of the Winter Sea immediately engaged me, I had to get used to this one.

If you haven't listened/read the Winter Sea first, I would highly recommend it. I believe this book could be a stand alone, but I believe you get much more out of it reading it in sequence.

Overall, it is a solid 4 star read.

Narration was grating!

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I love Kearsley's stories. But the narration for this story was painful. The reader has a "haughty" tone when reading as the main character. Miss Jane Hathaway from Beverly Hillbillies came to mind while listening. Then there's the way she runs sentences together - as if punctuation is merely a suggestion that can be ignored. Makes it hard to follow the story. It's like she was in a rush to get through the book.

How could the performance have been better?

A different narrator.

Fine Writing

I love getting two books in one as the story jumps from the present to the past and back. The historical story is richer for its details, as well as its more diverse characters, but both stories were satisfying. As with all the best writers, Kearsley's prose seems effortless. She's a master of setting mood through description, and her characters are well delineated.