Title: The Vanished Days by Susanna Kearsley
Category: Adult Fiction, 544 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada
Release date: April 26, 2022
Content rating: PG-13 (violence not graphic)
Book Description:
There are many who believe they know what happened, but they do not know the whole of it. The rumours spread, and grow, and take their hold, and so to end them I have been persuaded now to take my pen in hand and tell the story as it should be told...
Autumn, 1707. Old enemies from the Highlands to the Borders are finding common ground as they join to protest the new Union with England, the French are preparing to launch an invasion to carry the young exiled Jacobite king back to Scotland to reclaim his throne, and, in Edinburgh, the streets are filled with discontent and danger.
When a young widow, Lily Aitcheson, comes forward to collect her lost husband’s wages, former soldier Adam Williamson is assigned to investigate her petition and the veracity of her claim. As Lily tells her story, Adam has only days to discover if she’s being honest, or if his own feelings are making him blind to the truth. But sinister figures lurk in the background—is Adam being used as a pawn in an increasingly treacherous game?
Told in dual timelines, The Vanished Days is a captivating story of intrigue, adventure, romance—and the bold courage to hope when it seems all hope is lost.
My Review:
Reviewed by Laura Fabiani
The Vanished Days is the sweeping saga of a woman named Lily Aitcheson and her coming of age during the turbulent time in Scotland's history, the Jacobite rebellions. The story is told by Adam Williamson, a soldier who is assigned to verify if her claim to collect her lost husband’s wages is real or false.
The story begins in 1707 and goes back and forth between that time and late 1600 when Lily was a child. For the most part, I found the story compelling but sad. As is Kearsley's trademark, there is lots of history here, sometimes it bogged down the story, but there is also mystery, intrigue, and great storytelling.
There is a great twist at the end that I did not see coming, which delighted me and made the whole story worthwhile because it gave the otherwise sad story a happy ending. It's a memorable tale but I did feel that it could have been a little shorter. The comparison of it to Outlander is misleading, as the only similarity is the time in Scottish history.
I've read many of Kearsley's books and enjoyed them all, including this one, however, it's not my favorite by her. This is the 3rd book in the Slain series, (The Winter Sea being #1 and Firebird #2) however all three books are standalone with different storylines. The Firebird was my favorite. If you've read any of Kearsley's other books you may want to look into this one too.
Post a Comment
Thank you for commenting! I appreciate your feedback.