A USA Today Bestseller!
“I’ve loved every one of Susanna’s books! She has bedrock research and a butterfly’s delicate touch with characters—sure recipe for historical fiction that sucks you in and won’t let go!”— DIANA GABALDON, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Outlander
“The house, when I first saw it, seemed intent on guarding what it knew; but we all learned, by the end of it, that … end of it, that secrets aren’t such easy things to keep.”
It’s late summer, war is raging, and families are torn apart by divided loyalties and deadly secrets. In this complex and dangerous time, a young French Canadian lieutenant is captured and billeted with a Long Island family, an unwilling and unwelcome guest. As he begins to pitch in with the never-ending household tasks and farm chores, Jean-Philippe de Sabran finds himself drawn to the daughter of the house. Slowly, Lydia Wilde comes to lean on Jean-Philippe, true soldier and gentleman, until their lives become inextricably intertwined. Legend has it that the forbidden love between Jean-Philippe and Lydia ended tragically, but centuries later, the clues they left behind slowly unveil the true story.
Part history, part romance, and all kinds of magic, Susanna Kearsley’s latest masterpiece will draw you in and never let you go, even long after you’ve closed the last page.
Praise for A Desperate Fortune:
“Susanna Kearsley just keeps getting better and better!” —Lauren Willig, New York Times bestselling author
“Susanna Kearsley deftly conjures both historical intrigue and a contemporary heroine as unique as she is memorable.” —Deanna Raybourn, New York Times bestselling author
“Enchanting! Beguiling! Gorgeously romantic! A truly brilliant book.” —Kate Forsyth, award-winning author
Praise for The Firebird:
“A lovely and memorable novel.” —Booklist, STARRED Review
“A glittering, bewitching tale.” —Kirkus
“The present and past come together as Kearsley masterfully merges paranormal elements with a wonderful dual story and a fascinating historical setting.”—RT Book Reviews, TOP PICK 4½ Stars
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I love everything Susanna Kearsley writes!
I almost always like everything Susanna Kearsley writes and this one does not disappoint. Great mix of past and present stories and excellent, believeable character development with a nice, quirky twist!
A family owned property was being made into a museum and one of the last young family ladies was given charge. The town kept saying the woods were haunted, but things kept happening inside that was strange…a fan continually came unplugged; a picture kept turning backwards; papers were opened to same page; doors locked; etc. Looking back in history and unraveling the story kept me reading.
Susanna Kearsley is a favorite author of mine and I enjoy her books. While Bellewether had a very strong historical story line with a sweet romance between Lydia and Jean-Phillipe, the modern-day romance between “Charlie” and Sam left me wanting more development, but not so much that I didn’t enjoy the story. If you have read many of Susanna Kearsley’s books then you will find this typical of her work.
4-4.5 stars
This was my first book by Kearsley and I loved it. I can’t believe I haven’t read anything by her before. But now she is on my radar and I will be on the lookout for anything by this author. Bellewether has everything that I love in a book- dual timeline (past / present), multiple POV narration, a little bit of historical fiction, a little bit of mystery and a little bit of a paranormal element all rolled into one heck of a great tale.
I thought that the characters were extremely well developed, even the secondary ones and the way that Kearsley tells the story, you just get so absorbed into this world and you don’t want to put the book down. I found myself many times saying “one more chapter” when it was well past the time I should have been reading. What I also liked is that even though we have the past and present timelines, both were equally interesting and I found that one did not outweigh the other. Kearsley did a great job with the transitions from Charley, Lydia and Jean-Phillipe. Each has their own distinct voice and I found myself liking all 3.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. Also, if you are a fan of Kate Morton, I would highly recommend this book! They have a similar style and I often found myself comparing the two; which by the way, is a total compliment. I haven’t read anything by Morton that I didn’t like and now I have Kearsley to add to my list.
Thank you to Sourcebooks for my copy of this book via Edelweiss
I find the story warm and comfortable to read. It’s like sitting down to enjoy a rainy day, you just want to snuggle up and enjoy.
Susanna Kearsley is unmatched in the way she brings the past into the present, showing how not only major events but the simplest things, the most relatable human interactions, impact the future. I’ve enjoyed all of her books and this one is spectacular in its depth of research, well developed characters and satisfying ending.
Susanna Kearsley’s books are always interesting, historically informative and original. I think I’ve read all of them, some twice. I really enjoy her books.
This book was fun, informative, intelligent, and just a plain old good read!
I love this author and never fail to learn something I didn’t know. I liked it and if you love historical fiction …/ this is for you!
Enjoyed the historical aspect and it was wholesome
I am a long time fan of Susanna Kearsley, and I’ve read all of her books, Bellewether is a wonderful story that I wholeheartedly enjoyed. The main story of Lydia and Jean-Philippe is probably one of her finest, unfortunately I can’t say the same for the subplot of Charley and Sam, it felt forced while the main story has much to offer.
We have a ghost as in The Shadowy Horses, but the interaction here is more “normal”, more plausible and that is nice.
Compared to The Winter Sea and The Firebird this is a slow paced book, the story is built slower and it’s not until the very end that you can really gasp the beauty of the story.
If you are reading Susanna Kearsley for the first time, this is a great read but I won’t recommend it for starters, read the Rose Garden, The Winter Sea or The Firebird first, and then come back to Bellewether so you can fully appreciate this particular story and her talent as a writer and storyteller.
“But sometimes what we see is what we want to see, and not what’s really there. And that’s what gets us into trouble.” —Bellewether
I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark, Susanna Kearsley and Netgalley for the opportunity.
I’ve read most of Susanna Kearsley’s books but I haven’t picked one up in a while and I forgot what a masterful storyteller she is. Her stories are always beautifully written, impeccably researched, romantic and captivating. She is the queen of historical fiction and dual time storylines and Bellewether was such a perfect combination of the two. If you love historical mysteries and fiction, if you love romance or stories about ghosts and gothic literature, don’t miss the Bellewether!
Bellewether is a beautifully-written, emotionally-captivating, richly-detailed blend of historical fiction and a great love story! This book takes place during the French and Indian War in the mid 18th Century, a time filled with emotional conflict as well as the conflict on the battlefield, and plays such an important part in this book. I was enraptured by the love story within its pages….the kind of love that grows slowly, simmering on the pages of the book, building to a wondrous revelation…a love story that completely captivated my heart. The story is told from three points of view: Charley, our modern-day heroine is a museum curator at Wilde House who is delving into the history, the secrets and the legends of the Wilde Family; Lydia Wilde, the daughter of the house who is struggling to maintain the peace in her fractured family; and Jean-Philippe de Sabran, the French officer who is confined at Wilde House.
Bellewether is set in two time periods a familiar theme for Susanna Kearsley fans. Excellent historical fiction based on real people and real history. Bellwether has adventure, mystery, history, and romance. Three main characters tell their stories, Charley in the present time and Lydia and Jean-Philippe during the war between the British Colonies and New France. Charley is researching Wilde House with all it’s history and stories. What really did happen to Lydia and Jean-Philippe tragedy or happiness? I recommend all of Susanna Kearsley‘s books and her newest Bellewether is a pleasure to read. I would like to thank the author, publisher and netgalley for making this book available for me to read and review.
Loved every word of it. Typical of Susanna Kearsley’s work: fascinating yet believeable.
Bellewether by author Susanna Kearsley is another wonderful historical fiction which will immerse the reader in a story rich with wonderful characters. Charlotte Van Hoek, Charley, has just begun a new position in Long Island at The Wilde House as curator for the museum which is scheduled to open in a year. As Charley settles into her rooms which are assigned to her in the old Colonial area of the building, she knows there is a presence which lives in the museum. It does not frighten her, she feels it is a peaceful ghost who has earned his right to live in the house. Charley is looking to discover the historical facts of a 1750’s family who was affected by the political and moral positions of the war. There are secrets she will need to uncover about the family of Benjamin Wilde to bring the museum into a living historical example of life during the French and Indian War or Seven Years War and how that time affected the Wilde family, especially the brothers, Joseph and Benjamin.
During the story, we are led back into 1750 and learn about the lives of Zebulon, Joseph, Benjamin, and Lydia Wilde. Their home was requisitioned to house some officers who had been taken prisoner but were paroled to live with the Wilde family. Lydia’s fiance’ has been killed in one of the battles and she is resigned to caring for the home and her father and brothers. This is a whole story just by itself!
Charley will have the opportunity to meet a grandmother she has only heard of and not met before. The stories she heard of the grandmother who disinherited Charley’s father when he left home and went to Canada seems to be a fearful force to Charley.
The author has woven a story of fact and fiction with wonderful characters. The story is rich in family drama, political and wartime intrigue, and a growing romance which has its own problems.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.