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Winter Siege

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Winter Siege

By: Ariana Franklin, Samantha Norman
Narrated by: Peter Wickham
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About this listen

Run, run, girl. In the name of God, run.

It's 1141 and freezing cold. Gwil, a battle-hardened mercenary, watches in horror as a little girl with red hair is dragged away by his own men. Caught in the middle of the fight for England she is just one more victim in a winter of atrocities.

But a strange twist of fate brings them together again. Gwil finds the girl close to death, clutching a sliver of parchment - and he knows what he must do. He will bring her back to life. He will train her to fight. And together, they will hunt down the man who did this to her.

But danger looms wherever they turn. As castle after castle falls victim to siege, the icy Fens ring with rumours of a madman, of murder - and of a small piece of parchment the cost of which none of them could have imagined....

Ariana Franklin's final, brilliant standalone novel, left incomplete at the time of her death, now finished by her daughter.

©2014 Samantha Norman; 2014 Ariana Franklin (P)2014 Isis Publishing Ltd, Random House Audiobooks Crime Fiction Historical Mystery Thriller & Suspense Crime Fiction Winter

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All stars
Most relevant  
Character relationships are what make this story interesting and it's a lovely listen in a traditional Ariana Franklin style. Perhaps not quite as good as her other books but still with a great female lead.

Slow start

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

i cried like a baby in parts,shocked and angry at others! Very vivid writing and telling of a fast paced story involving many lives and following their threads entwine and unravel. Excellent!

powerful emotional story telling

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An enjoyable prequel to her Mistress of The Art of Death series, focusing on Panda's back story. I eventually warmed the narrator but his falsetto Voice for Women was disappointing. Recording or digitisation errors Kept clipping the end of chapters which spoilt an enjoyable and moving Story that gives

Technical errors but a Satisfying Story.

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I have loved Ariana Franklin's books right from the very beginning and even though this wasn't featuring her usual medieval woman of medicine, it was a glorious read.

I was really saddened to hear of Ariana Franklin death and that this book was her last and finished by her daughter, Samantha Norman. I can only imagine how hard that must have been. But it has lost none of Ariana's touch and the story romped along at a fast rate.

The character's were finally drawn and I too cried at the end, you can only do that when you empathise with the character's and become involved in their lives. I felt like I was there. I loved the 'goodies' in the story and loathed the 'baddies', longing for their comeuppance and wondering, right to the end, who the traitor was.

Brilliant story, superbly written and a fitting testament to Ariana Franklin's work.

Sadly, Ariana's last performance

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A wonderful story from a much missed author with a great insight into 12th century Fenlands.

Read well, a joy to listen to.

a wonderful story

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Where does Winter Siege rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Not up there with the very best , but enjoyable just the same

Would you recommend Winter Siege to your friends? Why or why not?

Yes probably.

What does Peter Wickham bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Absolutely brilliant !! His female voices are superbe ,no squeaky high pitched tones. He made a very good job of things.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The ending perhaps.

Any additional comments?

I have listened to all of Ariana Franklin's books which were magical for me, but somehow this one seemed different. I know Samantha had to finish the book and that had to be very difficult and sad even for her. She done her best . However it didn't have Ariana's final touch for me. Thank you Samantha Norman ..

Beware ! Of the Monk..

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Would you consider the audio edition of Winter Siege to be better than the print version?

Don't know, I haven't read the print version.

What other book might you compare Winter Siege to, and why?

Any of Ariana Franklin's other books. It's an easy style.

What does Peter Wickham bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Probably, but I prefer Diana Bishop. For this book I can see why a man's voice was preferred.

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

No I usually listen in 1 hour chunks and this suited this book fine.

Any additional comments?

A joy to read/hear Ariana Franklin again, a shame it won't be again, unless the Norman household have any other gems in partial completion. I will look forward to listening to it again in a few years time!

Worth the listen and well done Samantha Norman

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Having read the other books in this series I was worried this would not be of the same standard but I was very surprised and delighted with the seamless way the story was written. I really could not tell where Diana stopped and Samantha started. Well done to all concerned. I hope their will be another in this outstanding series. Brian Mitchell

Brilliant. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

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I really enjoyed this book. A little predictable perhaps but the interchange between the two main characters was delightful.

Enjoyable listen

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I rattled through this. It’s entertaining and does what it says on the tin. My only reservation is that early sexual violence is rather dismissed in the latter part of the book like it didn’t really matter.

Perfectly good

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