Narrated by Lucy Rayner
I know a lot of people who have raved about Susanna Kearsley’s writing but, for some reason, I never picked up one of her books. When I ran across Brilliance Audio’s production of The Firebird
Nicola Marter has a gift, a gift her family has warned her to hide. She can touch an object and see the lives of its past owners. She works at an art gallery, where it’s normally easy for her to keep her gift under wraps. Things change though when a woman comes into the gallery, trying to sell a carving that has been her family for centuries. Just by touching it, Nicola knows that the woman’s claims of authenticity are true but how can she prove that the carving had once belonged to Empress Catherine of Russia? Nicola can think of only one place to turn.
Rob McMorran works as a police officer in a small, Scottish village. He, too, is gifted in psychometry but, unlike Nicola, he uses his abilities whenever he can. In fact, he can read Nicola’s thoughts, even from a distance, something which doesn’t necessarily please her. They had a short, passionate relationship two years prior but, for reasons that are never really explained, Nicola broke things off. Now, she’s asking Rob for help, and hoping she can keep him at arm’s length. As one might expect, things don’t work out quite the way Nicola hoped they would.
The story sweeps us back to Russia, under the rule of Peter the Great and his wife Catherine and we meet a cast of colorful characters. Nicola and Rob single out Anna, an ancestor of the carving’s owner. Anna’s story is complex, filled with intrigue, passion, and enough action to keep this listener from getting bored. When I think about Anna, there are numerous things I want to say, but each has the potential for a spoiler. As a result, I will only say that Anna was my favorite character, even though there were plenty of others I really liked.
I can’t say enough good things about Lucy Rayner’s narration. The Firebird is a book that couldn’t have been easy to narrate as there are so many dissimilar characters to voice. Her accents are amazing. She’s British, but she manages to perform marvelous Irish, Scottish, Russian, and East coast American accents effortlessly. Each character has his or her own manner of speaking, separate from their accent. We first meet Anna when she is a child of seven or eight, and Rayner gives us the impression of a child speaking without making herself sound shrill. By the same token, she gives Rob an outstanding Scottish burr, Nicola a clipped English accent, and the Empress Catherine is clearly Russian.
I also enjoyed the fact that Rayner took her time with the pacing. She slowed down certain scenes to show their importance. As I listened, I got the distinct impression that she really loved what she was reading, and wanted me to do the same. She is not a speed reader – it’s obvious that her goal isn’t just to finish the book. Instead, she savors it, and encourages the listener to follow her lead which I did ever-so-willingly.
Listening to her performance made me wonder if Rayner might have a background in theater. She is capable of delivering the author’s words with emotion without causing me to roll my eyes. When Anna is alone and afraid, we know it. When Nicola is proud of an accomplishment, I sensed it, and, when Rob and Nicola finally let themselves give in to the love that has never really left either of them, we hear an incredible warmth in Rayner’s voice that tells us that this is exactly what was meant to happen.
The story moves seamlessly between past and present. It seems to linger a bit longer in the past, but, since I love anything historical, this was no hardship for me. Kearsley is incredibly accurate when relating historical events, which adds an extra level of satisfaction to the story.
Rob and Nicola’s attraction takes a back seat to Anna’s story, but we definitely know it’s there. Nicola isn’t sure she wants it, and Rob is respectful of this. Still, it’s easy to see that these two are drawn to each other, and it’s not hard to see why.
If you like history, romance, and a touch of the paranormal, I highly recommend The Firebird, and I definitely recommend Rayner’s narration. I know another company produced the book with a different narrator, but Raynor impressed me greatly. I’ll definitely keep an eye out for more of her narrations, and I doubt this will be the last Kearsley book I read.
Shannon
Narration: A
Book Content: A
Steam Factor: You can play it out loud
Violence: Fighting
Genre: Historical Romance/Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Editor’s Note: If you are thinking that Katherine Kellgren narrated The Firebird, she did. That’s the version you will find at Audible released by Audible, Inc. on 6/04/13. However, Brilliance released the hard copy on that same date and both Amazon and Barnes & Noble list Lucy Rayner as narrator.
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