Mariana by Susanna Kearsley

The first time Julia Beckett saw Greywethers she was only five, but she knew at once that it was her house. Now, twenty-five years later, by some strange chance, she has just become the new owner of the sixteenth-century Wilshire farmhouse. But Julia soon begins to suspect that more than coincidence has brought her there. As if Greywethers were a portal between worlds, she finds herself abruptly transported back in time. Stepping into seventeenth-century England, Julia becomes Mariana, a beautiful young woman struggling against danger and treachery, and battling a forbidden love for Richard de Mornay, handsome forebear of the present squire of Crofton Hall. Each time Julia travels back, she becomes more enthralled with the past, falling ever deeper in love with Richard...until one day she realizes Mariana's life threatens to eclipse her own--and that she must find a way to lay the past to rest, or risk losing a chance for love in her own time.

Mariana is my third book by Susanna Kearsley, who quickly became one of my favourite writers just after reading The Winter Sea. I was never quite a fan of "time slip"/ time travel novels and, at first, I wasn't very sure I would like her books. For me, this was one more proof that I need to step out of my comfort zone more often.

Since she was a child, book illustrator Julia Beckett always felt a connection with Greywethers, a 17th century manor. Unexpectedly, she becomes the owner and immediately feels at ease with her new house, the village and her news friends and neighbors. But suddenly Julia starts to have some strange experiences who take her to another era and another life as Mariana Farr.

The scenes in the 17th century are richly detailed transporting you back in time along with Julia. The transitions between present and past were smoothly done, something that I really appreciated. I could perfectly imagine Mariana’s daily life at her uncle's strict house, while struggling with her feeling for the handsome Richard.
Both Mariana and Julia are characters easy to like and it's impossible not to admire their strength and passion for life.

One of my favourite aspects of this story is the charming small town atmosphere. The descriptions of the local daily life and Julia's interaction with her new neighbors make you want to live there and meet everyone. The secondary characters are also one of the treasures of this novel! You want them to be also your friends and go to the pub with them for a pint and a good chat. I have a soft spot for Julia's brother who won me over with his constant support for his sister and his quirky sense of humor!

Like in the previous books I read by Susanna Kearsley (Winter Sea and Shadowy Horses), the hero in this story is simply divine! I won't say much more, but until now this seems to be a constant in this author's books. You cannot help but to fall for her handsome and mysterious heroes.

Mariana is one of those beautiful stories that will remain in your thoughts for a long time after you finish reading the last page. I simply couldn't put it down while trying, at the same time, to make it last. Definitely a recurring problem with Kearsley's books.

Some final scenes were deeply emotional and I found myself with a box of tissues in my hand and wishing I had the author's entire backlist next to me to read them all in a row.

Grade: 5/5

Susanna Kearsley Week - Why I Love Time Slip

I blame Rod Taylor. That long-ago Saturday when the Twin Cinemas in our small town played a matinee show of The Time Machine, I had just reached an impressionable age. I emerged from that theatre completely enthralled, and not just with the dashing Australian, but with the whole concept of time travel. Reading the book made it worse. As did reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, a book that still, all these years afterward, makes it impossible for me to pass by a wardrobe without that small wondering moment, that impulse to open the door and make certain the back of the wardrobe is actually solid.

For me, the idea that, if I could find the right vehicle, or the right doorway, I might leave the place and the time I was in and wind up somewhere else…well, that seemed like a magical thing to me, then. It still does.

The Traveller in The Time Machine goes forward to the future, and the children in the chronicles of Narnia discover a completely different world, but if I’d had my choice I would have journeyed to the past. My love of history started early, with the stories and the myths my mother read to me at bedtime, and the family history that my father introduced me to, the tales of our own ancestors, so well-loved and familiar that the faces gazing out at me from all those faded photographs seemed utterly alive.

Time-slip novels, with their tandem narratives, allow me to explore that past while keeping one foot firmly in the present. And they let me explore, too, the ways that the present is shaped by the past, and the way what is happening now can be rooted in seeds that were sown generations ago. Straight historical novels can do this as well, of course – readers can spot the connections themselves – but I love how the use of both present and past, side by side, can make each one more interesting, just as complementary colours make each other more intense and vivid.

Sometimes connecting my modern-day characters with a past story, whether those characters physically enter the past or just study it, lets me more naturally bring certain details of history to life, since those characters, like us, are not of that world, and will notice the things that are strange to them.

Time-slip, for me, is the best of both worlds: I can pass through the wardrobe and back again, freely, whenever I want; send the time machine spinning to places unknown and return to my starting place, just like Rod Taylor did those years ago on that Saturday in the Twin Cinemas, when he first made me believe such a thing might be possible.

Susanna Kearsley is the author of several novels. Her novel, The Winter Sea, is being published in the United States for the first time. For more information on the author and her books you can visit her website and don't forget to check out all the other great posts during Susanna Kearsley week

Susanna Kearsley Week: Breaking News

We are very pleased to announce that Susanna Kearsley's UK publishers (Allison and Busby) have contacted us, and in addition to the 3 copies of The Winter Sea that we are giving away courtesy of Sourcebooks, we are now also giving away 3 copies of Sophia's Secret (which is the same book, just with a different title), so there are now six chances to win as part of Susanna Kearsley week.

The contest ends on December 3, 2010. If you have already entered, then there is no need to enter again. If you have not already entered then please, click on the link below and complete the form to do so!

Giveaway Entry Form

Susanna Kearsley Week - An Interview

Today we are lucky enough to have an interview with Susanna Kearsley for you to enjoy! She is the author of numerous novels including The Winter Sea, Marianna, Splendour Falls, and Named of the Dragon. Here are some of her thoughts on things that we at Historical Tapestry were wondering.

Photo by Ashleigh Bonang

What is it about the UK, specifically places like Scotland and Cornwall that provide such good settings for novels?

For me, it’s the layers of history they give me to play with. Because I like to interweave the past and present in my books, I’m drawn to places where the history stretches back a little further than it does in my own part of Canada. Here, we consider a house to be ancient if it’s from the mid-1800s. In Britain, that’s practically modern! Besides which, the history itself is so interesting. And there are parts of the UK – especially some of the more remote areas along the coastlines – that lend themselves more easily to stories of suspense, because they’re already so far removed from everything that’s commonplace, and have a certain magic all their own; a certain atmosphere.

As one of our two Canadian HTer’s Kelly specifically would like to know do you have any plans to write anything set in Canada?

Actually, in spite of what I’ve said above, I do have an idea for a story set in Canada, in one of the few places in this country where the history does stretch back into the mists, and hasn’t all been well-recorded. But since I’m not sure how long it will be before I get around to writing it, the best that I can offer Kelly is my thriller Every Secret Thing, which is set partly in Toronto and around it, in the present and the past, and has a few scenes at the secret wartime training camp for spies, Camp X, that lies not far away from where I live.

I have seen you mention that one of your major influences is Mary Stewart. Can you tell us a little bit about her influence, and your favourite books by her? What other books would you consider your ‘Books of a Lifetime’, books that have shaped you as a reader and a writer?

My mother and I often joke that it’s her fault I’m such a great fan of Mary Stewart, because my mother was reading This Rough Magic (newly published, in those days) while she was pregnant with me, so we figure my love of Mary Stewart’s writing must have seeped in at some elemental level while my brain was being formed. Either that, or else genetic memory was at play and I inherited my mother’s taste in writers. Whatever the reason, Mary Stewart did turn out to be my very favourite author, and This Rough Magic remains my favourite of her books, followed closely by Touch Not the Cat, The Moonspinners, Wildfire at Midnight, Nine Coaches Waiting, Madam, Will You Talk?, The Ivy Tree, My Brother Michael, and The Gabriel Hounds, though their order as my favourites sometimes shifts around depending on my mood.

As for her influence on me as a writer, well, I think it’s probably self-evident. One of the kindest compliments anyone can pay me is to say that my novels remind them in any way of hers, although I’ve never consciously set out to imitate her storytelling style. I did, however, grow up wanting to be a Mary Stewart heroine, imagining I, too, was one of those wonderfully resourceful, intelligent, ordinary women who travelled alone to the islands of Greece, where while sipping my wine in an outdoor café I’d be suddenly caught up in some unexpected adventure. It sounded so marvellous.

But other authors helped shape my imagination, too. The major books, I think, that had the most effect on me as both a reader and a writer would be A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh & The House at Pooh Corner, the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, all the stories of Gregory Clark, Nevil Shute’s A Town Like Alice, and Bride of the MacHugh and My Lord Monleigh by Jan Cox Speas. There have, of course, been countless other books I’ve read and loved, and many that I still re-read and treasure, but the ones that I’ve listed above lodged more deeply, I think, in my heart, and I don’t think I’d be the same person I am now if I’d never read them.

How do you feel about your books finally being published for a wider audience?

In a word, I feel fortunate. Luck, not only good but bad, plays such a large part in a writer’s life, and certainly I’ve had my share of both, but through my whole career I have been carried by the kindness and encouragement of readers who have taken time to write and tell me they enjoy my books, and I have had my friends and family there to anchor my priorities and see that I don’t lose my sense of balance, and my agents in the UK and America have worked to find me editors and publishers who seem to share their faith in me. So as I say, I’m very, very fortunate.

One of the interesting things about your work is the backgrounds you give your contemporary characters. For example, in The Shadowy Horses, Verity is an archeologist with an interest in Legion IX and in The Winter Sea, Carrie is an author researching the Jacobite rebellions. How much research does it require for you as an author to make these roles feel real to the reader?

Well, Carrie was easier than most, because I simply let her do what I do. But for the others, I did do a lot of research. It’s important that my heroines be independent women, and their jobs are often central to the plot, so I do try my best to get the details right. In Verity’s case, that meant having a real archaeologist be my advisor and lead me through the daily tasks that Verity, as finds supervisor on a dig, would really be doing. And when I wrote Season of Storms, with a young stage actress as my central character, I contacted an actress here in Canada who’s known for both her work in television and on stage, and she sat down with me and shared the inner workings of rehearsals and the staging of a play.

I don’t do this only for heroines, I do it for any character who does a job I’ve never done before myself. I’ve talked to fishermen and artists, former spies from World War II and, for my latest novel, rose growers. I’ve found most people, if politely asked, will very generously answer any question I might throw at them, and many of them, afterwards, will take the time to proofread sections of the book before it goes to print.
Finding these people, talking to them, sometimes even meeting them in person, is a fun part of my research.

Due to the timeslip aspect of your novels, and also with the contemporary strands of your story, you have to write more than one leading man. What are the key elements required to make a convincing leading man?

It all starts, for me, with the name. I like plain, solid names for a man, not only when it comes to the historical heroes, where plain, solid names were the norm, but in my modern-day men as well. David and Richard and John – these are names of the men I might meet on the street every day, and that makes them more real to me.

I also like it when a hero isn’t perfect, since real men always have their imperfections and their blind spots, though that doesn’t stop us loving them. And physical perfection isn’t necessary, either. Because I write in the first person, when a hero in one of my books is described as being handsome, we’re seeing him through eyes of the heroine, so while to her he might be the most handsome man she’s ever met, that doesn’t mean he has movie-star looks, only that he fits her own definition of what makes a good-looking man. We all have different views, on that count.

I can only draw from men I’ve known in my own life: my grandfathers, my father, and my husband and my friends, all different men, and yet with certain commonalities. If my heroes tend to be quieter men, it’s because the real men I know don’t go emoting all over the place – as a rule, they don’t talk much at all (though to be fair, I talk so much myself it may just be that they can’t get a word in edgewise). They don’t always say the right things, but they’re there, really there, when you need them the most. They’re dependable, trustworthy, decent, intelligent, honourable men with a good sense of humour. So I give these traits to my own leading men.

You also have written crime novels under the name Emma Cole. How does writing a crime novel differ from writing a historical novel, and do you think that your writing style changes depending on which kind of novel you are writing?

I’ve actually only written one and a half crime novels, of what I hope will one day be a trilogy, and the Emma Cole name seems to have fallen by the wayside now, since my UK publisher has re-issued the first thriller as a Susanna Kearsley title. But the process of writing the thrillers is definitely different.

For one thing, they take a lot longer to write! The first took me four years to finish, and the sequel to it is taking even longer. Which is rather ironic, because with a thriller I have to make the book move faster, be much more aware of pace, and cut from scene to scene instead of making the more leisurely transitions that I’m used to. Because of this, I have to make an outline for the crime novels, instead of simply sitting down and letting my subconscious lead me where it will.

But when I get the characters in motion on the page, the writing feels the same, to me. As for the voice, I confess that I honestly don’t see a difference, to me it’s the same voice I always tell stories in, but I do know that some readers have commented otherwise.

Can you give us a sneak peek about what you are working on next?

I have a new book, The Rose Garden – a time travel story set on the Cornish coast – that’s coming out this spring (though not till autumn in the States), and right now I’m working on a book that continues the story of the eighteenth-century characters from The Winter Sea, characters I grew to love so much I wasn’t ready to let go of them.

Susanna Kearsley Week: The Winter Sea discussion

In honour of Susanna Kearsley Week Kelly, Marg and Alex discuss The Winter Sea, a book that they all loved!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Marg: When I first read a review of The Winter Sea, I added it to my list thinking I would read it one day. When I finally had read it, I regretted not having done so earlier. It had lots of elements that I love - some gothic elements, set in Scotland, time travel! Kelly and Alex, what prompted you to want to read it?


Kelly: I have to admit that my first reaction to this book was that I probably wouldn’t like it. It just didn’t seem to be my sort of book. I read a few enthusiastic reviews of it, though, including yours Marg, and I thought maybe I should ‘think outside the box.’

Marg: I told you you would like it! lol

Kelly: Well, the first time I brought it home from the library I couldn’t get beyond the first chapter. I think I was just worried I wasn’t going to like it and that point I really wanted to! So, I took it back and got it again about a month later. That time I loved it! It flowed very the beginning. I actually recommended it to a friend and when I was talking to her the other day she said she had just read the first chapter online and loved the book all ready!

Marg: That’s exactly how it was for me! A couple of pages, and I just KNEW I was going to love it. It was just a case of whether that feeling would last to the end of the book. I am trying to think of the right description - maybe like I was thirsty and that this book was the book that could quench my thirst fully!

Kelly: That’s a good way of looking at it! There is just something about Kearsley’s writing that draws you in and makes you feel comfortable. She has a very readable style and can capture characters and setting in such a way that you easily get drawn into the world she is spinning.

Alex: Last year I decided to visit Scotland and I have this habit of taking with me books set in the country I’m visiting. This time I decided to travel with The Winter Sea, especially after reading Marg’s raving review. From the first pages I knew I was going to love it! I remember being in the middle of the story and I was so curious that I decided to make a little break during my visit to the Edinburgh Castle. I just sat in a bench, enjoyed the sun and read a few pages. This is one of my best memories of this trip!

Marg: Alex, I love that you read books set in the countries you are visiting. So awesome! And I am a little bit jealous that you got to go to Scotland so recently. I haven’t been there for years.

Kelly: Well, I have never been to Scotland, so I am jealous period! I think it is great that you have books to tie in with your trips. That would really add to it!

Marg: This book has been published under different titles in the US and the UK - The Winter Sea and Sophia’s Secret. Which one do you think fits the story better?

Kelly: I like The Winter Sea better myself. It might be because I live near the sea, but I really liked the mystery to the title. It is more in keeping with her other books. She tends to find something briefly mentioned in the book, but still important, for her title. Sophia’s Secret is a strange title for her because it reveals more about the plot. It is still mysterious, but maybe The Winter Sea is a more atmospheric title... I might think differently if I had read a copy with the title Sophia’s Secret because I would have connected with the title because I loved the book so much. It is really hard to say.

Alex: I read the UK edition, Sophia’s Secret, and to be honest, I find the name The Winter Sea more poetic and more suitable to this story. The sea is an omnipresent element and when I look at Sophia’s Secret cover, I think of a garden and Spring.

Kelly: Yes, I agree about that, Alex.

Marg: Clean sweep of preferences for The Winter Sea as a title because that is my favoured title as well. I am glad that the new US edition has maintained that as the title, given that the sea was a key element in the story.

Kelly: One of the things I really like about this book is the mixture of different things that are happening in it, but managing to work together. There is a bit of science-fiction, romance, historical fiction, small-town charm, etc. What are your thoughts?

Marg: There is a bit of everything! I love the idea of being drawn to a specific place, like a falling down castle in Scotland, and ending up being in the right place to achieve so much, even if you aren’t sure that that is the right place when you first get there. The town, and the castle in particular, were so important to the storyline, almost to the point of being a character.

One thing that I really loved was the fact that the past storyline revolves around a little known incident during the Jacobite Rebellions. Having read quite a few books about the events around Culloden, I was surprised to find out that there were these other events that are so little known now.

Alex: I think that’s the reason why the story is so wonderful! Susanna Kearsley gets everything perfectly balanced. The Winter Sea will certainly please to someone who enjoys historical fiction, but also to those who are more into romance or even mystery.

Kelly: I liked that it was natural. When you read about everything that is happening in the book, you might think it sounds a bit far-fetched or hard to pull off, but it wasn’t like that at all. When I was trying to describe it to my friend I almost didn’t know what to call it because I didn’t want to limit it in such a way she wouldn’t want to read it.

Marg: By very definition, timeslip novels are really a bit far-fetched, but some are definitely better done than other. Over the years, I have seen various techniques used to facilitate the time travel, from drugs to hypnotism to dreams and more, but the technique that Kearsley chose to use felt very organic.

Kelly: Yes. I just worry that the moment ‘timeslip’ leaves my mouth that someone will not read the book because they are worried it is going to be science-fiction. The funny thing is that I thought this was a romance novel, and it does have romance in it, but if I had heard timeslip from the very beginning I would probably have read this book faster!

Alex: That’s the thing, I was really not into those kind of “timeslip” novels and I avoided them as much as I could. This book not only taught me that I should step out of my comfort zone more often, but that I do like one kind of “timeslip” novels: the ones written by Susanna Kearsley (just read Marianna and it was fantastic!).;-)

Marg: When I read this time slip type of novel, I generally prefer one strand of the story over the other, and I spend my time wishing we could get back to my favourite part. That didn’t happen here because whilst I liked reading about Sophia, I also couldn’t wait to see what happened next for Carrie! I have to ask you both, which strand of the story did you enjoy most? Past or present?

Kelly: That’s a hard one! I was captivated by both storylines, so I am not sure that I could pick a favourite. Sometimes when I read there are parts of a book that I am not so excited about, or characters I am not so interested in learning more about, but everything interested me about this book. There was no disappointment. I found myself savouring every word and I wish that happened more often!

Alex: I’m much like you, Marg, I was cheering up for both girls! I immediately fell in love with Carrie. The first scene when we met her is simply magical and I could perfectly imagine her looking at that impressive fallen castle and being interrupted by a mysterious handsome stranger. She is very down to earth and a very warm person, so it’s impossible not to like her. Sophia is more mysterious, but also quite attaching. For me the answer is easy: Past and Present.

Marg: Kelly, you aren’t a romance fan as such. How did you feel about the romantic aspects of this book?

Kelly: Well, like I say above, I thought this was a romance novel. I didn’t really look into it a lot in the beginning, so that was all I knew about it. When there is romance in a novel it has to be done really well. I need a story to keep my interest. If it is just a bunch of romantic scenes then I am not usually very interested. In this book, it was a story. There was romance involved, but there was so much more offered that it didn’t really seem like a problem for me. I actually found myself liking it, and for me, that takes some really good writing! It is not a very large number of books that are technically romance novels that I can safely say that I loved!

Marg: Our fellow HT’ers Teddy and Ana have not yet read The Winter Sea (to which I say “What are you waiting for?”) What one thing would you both say to them to convince them, and our readers, to pick this up and read it?

Kelly: I would probably say that I have yet to see a negative review of this book, really. I think it is a book that if you take a chance on it, you are pretty much guaranteed to enjoy the experience.

Alex: Kelly is not into romance and I was definitely not into “timeslip” stories and this book became one of our all time favourites. For me, The Winter Sea is one of those beautifully weaved stories who will please to anyone who enjoys the genres mentioned previously.

Marg: Just talking about this book again during this discussion makes me want to put down the book I am reading now and pick this one up for a reread despite the fact that I only rarely reread a book! It is a book I can see myself rereading again and again in the future! And watch out if you ask me for a reading recommendation because there is every chance that this book will be one that I mention!

Kelly: I know! A mark of a favourite book, for me, is that when I finish it I want to start it all over again. There haven’t been a lot of reads like that for me this year, but this is definitely one of the few! I can see myself rereading it, too, but I always say that and then never seem to do so! I plan to buy a copy of it for myself for Christmas, though, so I don’t have to rely on the library.

Alex: Absolutely! Two friends of mine are so curious about this novel after listening to me talking about Carrie and Sophia (oh well and all those yummy heroes of Kearsley’s novels!) that I’m planning to give them a copy of The Winter Sea.

You can actually read the first chapter of this book on her website if you are interested in learning more!

Susanna Kearsley Week - An Introduction

When you really love an author a day to celebrate them really will not do! Alex, Marg, and Kelly have all become very big fans of Kearsley over the last couple years, so in tribute to her, and in honour of the U.S. release of The Winter Sea, we have dedicated a week to her.

Over the next week there will be reviews, an interview with Susanna Kearsley, a guest post, and a give-aways! We hope that everyone enjoys learning more about Susanna Kearsley and her body of work.We are also hoping that Ana and Teddy will be inspired by this week and read The Winter Sea, too!

To get things started, though, I am going to announce the give-away. We are giving away 2 U.S. copies and 1 International copy of The Winter Sea. To enter simply clink on the link below to take you to the entry form!

The contest ends on December 3, 2010

Giveaway Entry Form