Mariana

Mariana

By: Susanna Kearsley

4.5/5 Star

From Goodreads:

The first time Julia Beckett saw Greywethers she was only five, but she knew that it was her house. And now that she’s at last become its owner, she suspects that she was drawn there for a reason.

As if Greywethers were a portal between worlds, she finds herself transported into seventeenth-century England, becoming Mariana, a young woman struggling against danger and treachery, and battling a forbidden love.

Each time Julia travels back, she becomes more enthralled with the past...until she realizes Mariana’s life is threatening to eclipse her own, and she must find a way to lay the past to rest or lose the chance for happiness in her own time.

My Thoughts:

I absolutely love Susanna Kearsley's writing. Her narrative and description are beautiful and captivating. The progression of the story is realistically written and the switches between the two time periods are natural and charming. Each has believable dialogue and setting. 

I LOVED Richard and Mariana. I wish there had been even more flashes from their time together. Their interactions were some of the best I've read, romantic without being cheesy or silly. 

In general, I am not crazy about stories involving reincarnation, but this one was sweet, heartbreaking, and almost seemingly possible. The delivery of the topic was spot on, the characters were all lovable, and the plot was incredibly engaging. It was a very difficult book to put down and almost impossible to stop thinking about even after finishing it. I liked the ending, but my only complaint is not having enough resolution with the characters and their present story.