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The Firebird

By: Susanna Kearsley
Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren
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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 object’s 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.

©2013 Susanna Kearsley (P)2013 Audible, Inc.
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What listeners say about The Firebird

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    2,481
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    1,320
  • 3 Stars
    523
  • 2 Stars
    115
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Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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  • 1 Stars
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

An ingenious approach!

Without giving away spoiler, which you will discover in the first few pages, I liked the instrument she used to move back and forth between story lines. Yes the story is a little heavy on romance and all too predictable, with the men being something out of a yard sale romance novel. However, the story itself moved along quickly enough that this was not a serious drawback.
The narrator was absolutely a dream to listen to and I wouldn't mind hearing more of her. There were lots of different accents to handle, Scottish, Russian, Irish, British, American- and they may not have all been "strictly authentic, ( I am not an expert) but her ability to move quickly between them was amazing as well as her ability to handle both men's and women's dialog.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wow! I loved loved it.

What did you love best about The Firebird?

This book had the right amount of history and romance. From Start to Finish you wanted to know, needed to find out about the firebird and the story behind it..

What other book might you compare The Firebird to and why?

this is my first book by this author and I will listen to more.

Have you listened to any of Katherine Kellgren’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I love Katherine Kellgren. I first listened to her in the Bloody Jack Series by L. A. Meyer and she made the story come alive.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, I wanted to listen to this story in one sitting.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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. The only fault I can find in this one is that all of the young males are stock Romance characters (tall, well-muscled, enigmatic, masterful and never crude). That may keep the ladies coming back for more. As for me, I'll try anything Miss Kearsley puts her hand to, because the power of her writing overcomes any cookie-cutter characters that may insinuate themselves into her stories.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Dissapointing narrator voice

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Not in auditory form, because the narrator's style is so unemotional and detatched that it makes it difficult to connect with the story at all, and becomes more and more painful to listen to as the story progresses. Another review said the narrator is like listening to Miss Jane from The Beverly Hillbillies, and that about sums it up. Ruins the whole thing, I would read it rather than listen to it read like this.

Would you recommend The Firebird to your friends? Why or why not?

Yes, I do love all of Susanna Kearsley's books, and have enjoyed many through Audible. I am sure this one is just as good. Just not in as an auditory read.

Was The Firebird worth the listening time?

No. Not because of the story itself. It was painful to listen to the narrator style. Couldn't get past it.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Can't believe I got this for 4.50

The book moves a little slower than my ADD wishes (:)) but I loved the two romances mixed into one. If you are looking for just romance this book has it mixed heavily with historical background and building structure descriptions. The love stories are sprinkled and not the main focus of this historical romance. I would have not purchased it had I known this because I want all the focus on the romance except for this book. I loved every long description and historical background and felt it added so much to the story. Even if not on sale this is a book well worth a credit.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Kept falling asleep throughout narration.

Had a hard time focusing on the book. Kept falling asleep. Not sure if it was the narrators calm voice or content but I wasn't interested enough to rewind after missing some of the content.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

The Firebird

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

An interesting premise & while pleasant, also dull & completely forgettable.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Katherine Kellgren?

Yes.

Was The Firebird worth the listening time?

Kind of, if you want mindless entertainment.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Mesmerizing!

I have so many books/Audible books to read, but I'm already planning to re-read this one. Katherine Kellgren's narration is absolutely superb. I never would have "heard" all the different accents properly if I was just reading the text. The novel itself has everything I love: historical fiction, supernatural elements (without going over the top), a mystery to solve, and a touch of romance without getting sappy. This is the second book in the "Slain Castle" series, and I loved it even more than the first (which I also loved). This is well worth your listening time.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Good story and history, strident narrator

I loved learning about the early history of St. Petersberg, briefly the lives of the Czar and his wife, and the role St. Petersberg played in the Jacobite era of English history. The modern day romance was predictable, but the Jacobite era story was a satisfying continuation of the first book. The narrator was very loud and strident and didn't match the personality of the modern day heroine at all. Her accents were good, though, and I give her lots of credit for pulling off English, Scottish and Russian accents quite well. It is very hard to not compare this series to Diana Gabaldon's work. It pales next to that, but if you have finished all of Gabaldon and long for more, this is a reasonable replacement. Also, if you are interested in telepathic communication, you may find this interesting.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Gorgeous — Everything I Could Have Hoped For

If you could sum up The Firebird in three words, what would they be?

Gorgeous, Fulfilling, Interesting

What did you like best about this story?

What I liked best was the that The Firebird was a continuation, of sorts of The Winter Sea.

Have you listened to any of Katherine Kellgren’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not listened to this narrator before. I really enjoyed her work. Her Irish accent was great, but her Scottish accent was perfection.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was happily shocked at the surprised ending. Cried happy tears.

Any additional comments?

The Firebird was lovely lovely lovely. Anna "Jamison" was the most delightful character, and although hers is the story within the story, she is exactly what made this book as gorgeous as it was. As did her long-awaited, much-needed HEA. I wasn't as keen on the contemporaries portion of the book —Nicola and Rob's story. This is par for the course with me and all of Kearsley's books. I never love the present timeline. It was nice and all, and I liked how it ended, but it didn't have the emotional pull that Anna's held. Also, I never *got* their supernatural ability. WHY were they able to read the history of an object; HOW were they able to focus on a particular person and skip through that person's timeline? I listened to Nicola's English accent. She was great with Irish.

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