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Island of Whispering Winds
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Australia, 1845: On the way to Kangaroo Island a ship strikes a hidden reef in a storm and sinks. Only two young women survive: Amelia Divine and Sarah Jones. But Amelia suffers a bad head injury and loses her memory. She cannot even remember her name. Sarah jumps at the chance to change her fate and to escape her grim future. This will change the life of both women dramatically...
Australia, 1845: On the way to Kangaroo Island a ship strikes a hidden reef in a storm and sinks. Only two young women survive: Amelia Divine and Sarah Jones. But Amelia suffers a bad head injury and loses her memory. She cannot even remember her name. Sarah jumps at the chance to change her fate and to escape her grim future. This will change the life of both women dramatically...
494 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2006
62 people are currently reading
116 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Haran
32 books46 followersElizabeth Haran was born in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe (known as Southern Rhodesia.
Afterwards, her family moved to England and wandered from there to Australia. Today she lives with her husband in a seaside suburb of Adelaide in South Australia. She has two grown sons. Her passion for writing she discovered early 30s.Previously she worked as a model, owned a nursery and worked with young children in a primary school.
facebook. Elizabeth Haran Australian Author
Afterwards, her family moved to England and wandered from there to Australia. Today she lives with her husband in a seaside suburb of Adelaide in South Australia. She has two grown sons. Her passion for writing she discovered early 30s.Previously she worked as a model, owned a nursery and worked with young children in a primary school.
facebook. Elizabeth Haran Australian Author
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 29 reviews
February 3, 2016
This is my second book by Elizabeth Haran, and she is an amazing writer. Her writing takes you away into the book, and makes you feel you know each character personally. You know the landscape, the people who live there, everything as if you were there. I could picture everything the whole time I read this book.
Her ideas for stories are perfect, they keep you not wanting to put the book down. Her mind is genius.
This book was great, it was in a beautiful setting, and had everything necessary to make a book great. Love, lies, compassion, heartache, and much scheming.
I would recommend this book to anyone, it's a clean book, no swearing, sex, or violence.
Her ideas for stories are perfect, they keep you not wanting to put the book down. Her mind is genius.
This book was great, it was in a beautiful setting, and had everything necessary to make a book great. Love, lies, compassion, heartache, and much scheming.
I would recommend this book to anyone, it's a clean book, no swearing, sex, or violence.
April 22, 2018
Although the plot and setting were interesting, the characters were not believable, and I did not think the story very historical accurate. I enjoyed the character of Amelia, and her growth from a spoilt brat to a caring young lady. The other character of Sarah Jones, the convict was entirely unbelievable, the depth she went to trick everyone making them think she was Amelia was far fetched and that every one believed her. Women of that time period would not have had jobs outside of the home, especially the upper class. They would not have been nurses, dance instructs or worked in a bank. Overall a good read it you aren't looking for any depth.
February 19, 2024
Ich habe schon viele Bücher gelesen, die als Spielort Australien hatten, aber dieses hier hat mir wirklich am Besten gefallen. Die Autorin schafft es, dass die Charaktere des Buches mehrdimensional geschrieben sind, statt in "gut"-"böse" einzuteilen. Mein Highlight des Buches war die starke Charakterentwicklung von Amelia.
July 3, 2025
Dentro de las novelas aburridas y predecibles, Susurros en el viento se lleva la palma. No has llegado a las primeras 100 páginas cuando ya sabes de que va a tratar toda la novela y, por supuesto, como va a terminar todo. Pero obviamente, queda el giro moral del tipo "los malos no son tan malos" y esas cosas que resultan pesadas y absurdas.
Elizabeth Haran es la autora de esta espantosa novela. No la conocía y espero no volver a cruzarme con ella jamás. Y es que Haran es una autora profundamente mediocre con un estilo de escritura simplón, tedioso y con una ejecución penosa. Esto se debe a una prosa lenta, vacía, con un desarrollo lamentable, un lenguaje funcional y, lo que probablemente sea lo único bueno de todo el libro, las descripciones, tan concisas, coloridas y visuales que te parece estar disfrutando de los paisajes de Australia. Por otro lado tenemos a los personajes. Su construcción no termina de convencerme. Si, todos ellos están bien perfilados pero no hay realmente evolución o ese "algo más" que caracteriza a los grandes caracteres de ficción. Así que se quedan en un "quiero y no puedo" resultando obvios, estereotipados y superficiales.
La historia que nos narran en Susurros en el viento es un cliché de la novela romántica. El clásico " el amor ha cambiado mi vida y antes era mala y ahora la experiencia me ha hecho ser mejor persona". No hay nada nuevo, ni original, ni meramente entretenido. Y lo entenderéis mejor con la sinopsis. Estamos en 1845 cuando un barco en dirección a la isla Canguro naufraga y solo sobreviven dos personas: Amelia Divine, una caprichosa y mimada heredera, y Sarah Jones, una expresidiaria que va a Australia a cumplir condena. Ambas son salvadas por Gabriel, el encargado del faro. Y ese encuentro cambiará la vida de las dos mujeres de manera que ninguna de ellas podría haber supuesto. Pero tu, como lector avezado ya sabes por donde van los tiros. A esta estúpida historia hay que añadirle dos tramas amorosas secundarias correspondientes a cada una de las protagonistas. ¿Puede el amor redimir o puede ser capaz de que una persona cometa el peor de los delitos? Si, no, ni idea. Leed el libro si queréis saberlo. Aunque ya os digo yo, que cuando lleguéis al final, no encontraréis la respuesta solo el clásico final feliz de manual.
Definitivamente, Susurros en el viento es una obra soporífera cuya lectura no compensa. Todo el exotismo australiano se diluye en una trama típica de la peor novela rosa, donde los juicios morales y sus consecuencias son tratados muy por encima y los personajes a duras penas aprenden la lección. Todos tienen una excusa perfectamente razonable y válida, aunque hayan hecho cosas horribles y el perdón siempre se tiende sin distinción. Me cuesta creer que esta arcadia ideal se encuentre en algún lugar del planeta tierra. Si a eso le añadimos una historia de amor pegajosa y un par de tramas de acoso y manipulación afectiva, tenemos una novela con la que dan ganas de gritar, que no susurrar, al viento o a cualquiera que pase por tu lado.
Elizabeth Haran es la autora de esta espantosa novela. No la conocía y espero no volver a cruzarme con ella jamás. Y es que Haran es una autora profundamente mediocre con un estilo de escritura simplón, tedioso y con una ejecución penosa. Esto se debe a una prosa lenta, vacía, con un desarrollo lamentable, un lenguaje funcional y, lo que probablemente sea lo único bueno de todo el libro, las descripciones, tan concisas, coloridas y visuales que te parece estar disfrutando de los paisajes de Australia. Por otro lado tenemos a los personajes. Su construcción no termina de convencerme. Si, todos ellos están bien perfilados pero no hay realmente evolución o ese "algo más" que caracteriza a los grandes caracteres de ficción. Así que se quedan en un "quiero y no puedo" resultando obvios, estereotipados y superficiales.
La historia que nos narran en Susurros en el viento es un cliché de la novela romántica. El clásico " el amor ha cambiado mi vida y antes era mala y ahora la experiencia me ha hecho ser mejor persona". No hay nada nuevo, ni original, ni meramente entretenido. Y lo entenderéis mejor con la sinopsis. Estamos en 1845 cuando un barco en dirección a la isla Canguro naufraga y solo sobreviven dos personas: Amelia Divine, una caprichosa y mimada heredera, y Sarah Jones, una expresidiaria que va a Australia a cumplir condena. Ambas son salvadas por Gabriel, el encargado del faro. Y ese encuentro cambiará la vida de las dos mujeres de manera que ninguna de ellas podría haber supuesto. Pero tu, como lector avezado ya sabes por donde van los tiros. A esta estúpida historia hay que añadirle dos tramas amorosas secundarias correspondientes a cada una de las protagonistas. ¿Puede el amor redimir o puede ser capaz de que una persona cometa el peor de los delitos? Si, no, ni idea. Leed el libro si queréis saberlo. Aunque ya os digo yo, que cuando lleguéis al final, no encontraréis la respuesta solo el clásico final feliz de manual.
Definitivamente, Susurros en el viento es una obra soporífera cuya lectura no compensa. Todo el exotismo australiano se diluye en una trama típica de la peor novela rosa, donde los juicios morales y sus consecuencias son tratados muy por encima y los personajes a duras penas aprenden la lección. Todos tienen una excusa perfectamente razonable y válida, aunque hayan hecho cosas horribles y el perdón siempre se tiende sin distinción. Me cuesta creer que esta arcadia ideal se encuentre en algún lugar del planeta tierra. Si a eso le añadimos una historia de amor pegajosa y un par de tramas de acoso y manipulación afectiva, tenemos una novela con la que dan ganas de gritar, que no susurrar, al viento o a cualquiera que pase por tu lado.
January 24, 2020
Susurros en el viento me hizo sentir desesperación en cada página, me mantuvo entretenida y enganchada. Me enamoré por completo de los personajes, crecí con Amelia y odié a Susan a lo largo del libro.
Es la primera vez que leo algo sobre Elizabeth Haran, y me ha encantado la forma en como te hace adentrarte en la historia y formar parte de ella.
Es la primera vez que leo algo sobre Elizabeth Haran, y me ha encantado la forma en como te hace adentrarte en la historia y formar parte de ella.
February 20, 2024
Predictable storyline for some light reading
April 14, 2022
Island of Whispering Winds is a wonderful historical novel based in Australia. I have loved every book I have read by this author and this book is no exception.
The amount of research that must go into each book is unfathomable. The way that the landscape, the fauna and flora and the people are described really sets the scene. You could easily imagine yourself on Kangaroo Island.
The main female characters were as different as chalk and cheese and they both developed throughout the story. Amelia made the biggest changes and goes from a spoilt young woman to a more caring, hard-working one.
There are some really frustrating moments in the story where Sarah dupes everybody with her lies and every time you think she might get caught out, she doesn't. But it definitely built the suspense for when she eventually does get discovered and I couldn't read the book quickly enough to find out what happened when the truth came out.
I think the ending was just right and worked out well for all concerned. It was a great finish to a great book.
The amount of research that must go into each book is unfathomable. The way that the landscape, the fauna and flora and the people are described really sets the scene. You could easily imagine yourself on Kangaroo Island.
The main female characters were as different as chalk and cheese and they both developed throughout the story. Amelia made the biggest changes and goes from a spoilt young woman to a more caring, hard-working one.
There are some really frustrating moments in the story where Sarah dupes everybody with her lies and every time you think she might get caught out, she doesn't. But it definitely built the suspense for when she eventually does get discovered and I couldn't read the book quickly enough to find out what happened when the truth came out.
I think the ending was just right and worked out well for all concerned. It was a great finish to a great book.
October 7, 2021
Estuvo muy padre, me gusto mucho, tiene una buena historia y un buen concepto, me gustaron mucho los personajes, (algunos mas que otros), terminé con un nuevo crush literario. Al inicio, no se si fue solo a mi, pero me parece que avanza un poco lento el libro, tiene algunos capítulos o escenas que al menos a mi me aburrieron un poco, así mismo, creo que le falto un poco de drama o mas intensidad en el asunto, creo que la historia se presta para eso, pero en general fue una buena lectura, bastante entretenida, la recomiendo.
BTW AMO A GABRIEL!!!!
BTW AMO A GABRIEL!!!!
October 3, 2022
Una historia que demuestra que siempre podemos ser mejores, independientemente de nuestros fallos anteriores.
Toda la historia te mantiene muy entusiasmado y atento a los hechos que van ocurriendo, pero al llegar al final da la sensación de que la narración deja de tener los mismos detalles que a lo largo de toda la historia .
Toda la historia te mantiene muy entusiasmado y atento a los hechos que van ocurriendo, pero al llegar al final da la sensación de que la narración deja de tener los mismos detalles que a lo largo de toda la historia .
February 27, 2024
4.5 si eres latinoamericano haz de cuenta que es como como una telenovela donde está la protagonista desafortunada y la antagonista aprovechada jajaj pero con una buena escritura y personajes secundarios bien desarrollados ya tiene unos años que lo leí pero sigo recordando que la pase enganchada leyéndolo el final si es un poco Disney
February 7, 2019
Heeft een veelbelovend plot, twee meisjes lijden schipbreuk, een lady en een gevangene, de lady loopt geheugenverlies op, de gevangene wisselde met haar van indentiteit. Vanaf de helft van het boek valt de schrijfster heel veel in herhaling.... daarom maar twee sterren.
December 15, 2019
Loved it!
Really enjoyed this one. Really liked the switching of identities,and as you read,your feelings for the characters switch also. Very entertaining to see how devious and conniving a woman can be to get what she wants.
Really enjoyed this one. Really liked the switching of identities,and as you read,your feelings for the characters switch also. Very entertaining to see how devious and conniving a woman can be to get what she wants.
October 26, 2024
Una historia que disfruté mucho. Intriga, romance y drama son los ingredientes principales de esta hermosa novela ambientada en los agrestes paisajes de la Australia del siglo XIX Entretiene y emociona. Una lectura recomendada. 👏👏👏
March 6, 2019
I enjoyed the book, liked the story... I just found the dialogues a bit repetitive. The characters were also not very clever.
May 13, 2020
Amelia y Sarah, Australia.
May 1, 2021
Entretenido. Empieza muy bien pero va perdiendo fuelle hasta convertirse en una historia previsible. Recuerda a una de esas películas de televisión de sobremesa de los fines de semana
December 25, 2024
Love it. Couldn’t put the book down.
March 25, 2025
Una historia romántica muy entretenida, sin muchas pretensiones. Perfecta para pasar el rato.
December 18, 2025
ein dicker Schinken, der in Australien spielt - sehr schön zu lesen
May 13, 2016
When we first meet Amelia Define who had lost her parents and younger brother in a tragic accident and she and her companion Lucy she is traveling from Hobart Town, Australia to Kangaroo Island, New Zealand to live with her guardians that she had not seen since she was a child. On the same ship is Sarah Jones, a young woman the same age as Amelia but from entirely different circumstances. Sarah is very bitter because she was framed for a crime in England she didn’t commit and sentenced to serve seven years hard labor in Australia. Having served fives years she is on her way to New Zealand to work for a farmer taking care of his six children and home. She hates Amelia on site because she is just like the two girls who had her framed for stealing. While they are the same age and share some similarities in appearance Amelia is beautiful and Sarah is plain which Sarah also resents; she feels that she should have the same opportunities as Amelia. She has befriended Lucy who is a very sweet girl and while she loathes Amelia, she would change places with her in a heartbeat if she could. When the ship wrecks theory are the only two survivors. After surviving for hours by clinging to a rock they are finally rescued. They have to be winched up and Amelia hits her head against the rocks losing her memory. When she doesn’t get them back Sarah decides to change places with the spoiled, selfish young woman. She blames her for Lucy's death and she decides to make her pay for that and everything that has happened to her because of spoiled, selfish girls just like her.
The novel is beautifully written, the characters well drawn and the descriptions of different places make the reader feel that they are there. Amelia struggles to come to grips with her situation, she doesn’t believe she’s a criminal but has no choice to accept what has happened to her. The reader watches as she grows into an amazing human being.
Sarah manages to continue with the ruse because she has been taught how to read, write and speak properly. Even after gaining the life she feels she’s owed, she becomes even more loathsome and despicable, contemplating murder, not once but twice. She constantly lies and manipulates everyone. She is no longer content with just assuming Amelia’s identity, she wants the fortune the young woman has inherited and once she gets it she wants she plans to return and help her family in England. Then she decides that she wants to marry a certain man who does not feel the same and once again she does everything she can to get what she wants. There is nothing about her that the reader can like and we keep waiting for her to get caught and punished for what she’s done. Eventually, her identity is discovered and she’s forced to admit what she’s done. She’s returned to the prison but they’re not aware of what she’s done and attempted to do. The other things that happen are what made me rate this book as I did. Amelia’s growth and the thing she does as a result are wonderful, I love the person she becomes and the things she does, but I feel cheated because of Sarah’s fate. I know many people love this book because of the endings, but I did not.
3.75/5 STARS: **I want to thank the author and/or publisher for providing me with a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review; all opinions are mine.**
The novel is beautifully written, the characters well drawn and the descriptions of different places make the reader feel that they are there. Amelia struggles to come to grips with her situation, she doesn’t believe she’s a criminal but has no choice to accept what has happened to her. The reader watches as she grows into an amazing human being.
Sarah manages to continue with the ruse because she has been taught how to read, write and speak properly. Even after gaining the life she feels she’s owed, she becomes even more loathsome and despicable, contemplating murder, not once but twice. She constantly lies and manipulates everyone. She is no longer content with just assuming Amelia’s identity, she wants the fortune the young woman has inherited and once she gets it she wants she plans to return and help her family in England. Then she decides that she wants to marry a certain man who does not feel the same and once again she does everything she can to get what she wants. There is nothing about her that the reader can like and we keep waiting for her to get caught and punished for what she’s done. Eventually, her identity is discovered and she’s forced to admit what she’s done. She’s returned to the prison but they’re not aware of what she’s done and attempted to do. The other things that happen are what made me rate this book as I did. Amelia’s growth and the thing she does as a result are wonderful, I love the person she becomes and the things she does, but I feel cheated because of Sarah’s fate. I know many people love this book because of the endings, but I did not.
3.75/5 STARS: **I want to thank the author and/or publisher for providing me with a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review; all opinions are mine.**
April 26, 2024
El modo de escribir está autora es increíble, hace que te puedas imaginar todo el escenario, y los personajes, hace ya tiempo que había leído este libro, hace como 3 a 4 años.
Lo he vuelto a leer y he sentido la misma experiencia que cuando lo leí por primera vez, se había convertido en uno de mis favoritos y sigue siendo uno de mis libros favoritos. Es un gran libro, que trata de muchos temas algunos más sensibles que otros. 5/5
Lo he vuelto a leer y he sentido la misma experiencia que cuando lo leí por primera vez, se había convertido en uno de mis favoritos y sigue siendo uno de mis libros favoritos. Es un gran libro, que trata de muchos temas algunos más sensibles que otros. 5/5
July 22, 2015
Ideja - apmainīt vietām atšķirīgu sabiedrības slāņu sievietes - tradicionāla un laba, sākums arī cerīgs. Taču līdz beigām lasīju tikai aiz pavājas ziņkāres par atrisinājumu. Principā neiesaku, vērts lasīt kā pludmales lubeni 'pilnīgi nav, ko darīt' dēļ. Sižeta ātrums 'nāvējošs', dialogos nepārtraukti tiek malta viena un tā pati tēma uz riņķi. Un, ticiet man, vārdi 'cietumniece', 'noziedzniece' un 'rafinēts' jums, maigi sakot, piegriezīsies ātri. Vienīgais jaukums ir nelielā vēsturiskā un ģeogrāfiskā informācija par Austrāliju. Un uz ģeniālām beigām varat necerēt!
July 15, 2016
Quite an enjoyable story with 2 girls shipwrecked on Kangaroo Island, one losing her memory and the other taking her place in life. The expose was a little rushed and the ending a traditional happy ending for all.
July 7, 2009
really liked this book, although it was very predictable.
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August 1, 2010spannend! Die Sprache ist leicht zu verstehen, auch für die Deutschlernende in C1-Stufe.
January 26, 2015
Visai vienmuļš, plakans mīlasstāsts ar detektīva pieskaņu. Piesaistīja tikai 19.gadsimta vides apraksti, kas man "sirdij tuvi", citādi laikam līdz galam neizlasītu.
June 7, 2016
Susurros en el viento
Finalizado el libro, creo que necesito al menos uno más. Quiero saber más de la vida de Amelia, de Gabriel, de EvAn y sus niñas.
Finalizado el libro, creo que necesito al menos uno más. Quiero saber más de la vida de Amelia, de Gabriel, de EvAn y sus niñas.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 29 reviews