Narrated by Katherine Kellgren
I was first introduced to the writing of Susanna Kearsley when I listened to and reviewed The Firebird. Since then, I’ve read several novels from her backlist, loving some and being underwhelmed by others. I was excited when I learned that A Desperate Fortune, Ms. Kearsley’s latest offering, was being produced by Audible Studios with the incomparable Katherine Kellgren as narrator. I preordered it, and, as soon as it appeared in my Audible library, I started listening.
A Desperate Fortune is the story of two women. As is usual for Ms. Kearsley, one lives in present time, while the other lived hundreds of years ago. This time, we meet Sara Thomas, an amateur codebreaker with Asperger’s syndrome, and Mary Dundas, a young Jacobite exile who lived in France in the 1730’s.
Sara is hired by a famous author to decode Mary’s diary which is written in cipher. Sara agrees to journey from London to a small village in French to translate the diary. Her boss hopes to use its contents to finish his bestselling trilogy. Sara just hopes she can live up to his expectations.
At first, Sara isn’t sure why Mary bothered to hide the contents of her diary. She seems to live an ordinary life. Then, Mary’s brother, who she hasn’t seen in fifteen years, asks her to come to live with him. This proves to be nothing but a ploy, for the Jacobites have a plan for the unsuspecting Mary, a plan that will leave her forever changed.
As she gets to know Mary through her writings, Sara is forced to re-examine her own life. She is also forced to open her heart to the possibility of romance, something she never thought she’d experience. Luke lives next door to the house where Sara is staying, and he’s taken with her pretty immediately. Their romance is slow and pretty understated, but watching it develop is truly a pleasure.
What can I say about narrator Katherine Kellgren that people haven’t said over and over again? The truth is, she’s a master of her craft. Her cultured, well-modulated tones are pleasing to the ear. She’s incredibly gifted with accents, pulling off French, British, Scottish, and Spanish without a hitch. Her character differentiation was spot on; dialogue tags were completely unnecessary and I could allow myself to be completely pulled into the story. Ms. Kellgren did nothing I found distracting or jarring.
Both Sara and Mary are innocent women. Mary becomes less so, because of her experiences serving the Jacobites. Ms. Kellgren allows the listener to witness her growth. Sara, on the other hand, doesn’t become more worldly. Instead, her self-confidence increases, something Ms. Kellgren is also very adept at conveying. This, in my opinion, is something that takes a great deal of talent, for the changes in both women are subtle. Ms. Kellgren seemed to know exactly what the author intended for her two heroines. A Desperate Fortune contains just the right amount of intrigue, drama, and historical accuracy. If you’re looking for something steamy, you won’t find it here, but don’t let that keep you away. This is an audiobook with much to recommend it.
Shannon
Narration: A
Book Content: A-
Steam Factor: You can play it out loud
Violence: Escalated fighting
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Audible, Inc.
