Windswept

by Suilyaniz Cintron

The year is 1912, and Lady Amelia Williams is one of the wealthiest women in Manchester, England and mother to the lovely Abigail. When James Thomas, the son of a family who has recently moved to the countryside, is invited to dine at the Williams manor, he encounters the secret that Amelia has long kept hidden behind the walls of her home: a woman enslaved into servitude and beautiful beyond words but donned in rags and treated in the cruelest, most appalling way. Her name is Magdalena, and one look into her eyes, so full of pain and sadness, is enough to capture James's heart.

A story of tragedy, sorrow, loss and love, how much can two souls endure when there are those bent on tearing them apart?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance

576 pages, Paperback

First published April 23, 2014

About the author

Suilyaniz Cintron (pronounced sue-ill-janiece) is a Puerto Rican author. She has been writing since she was twelve and Windswept is her first published novel. She hopes it will be the first of many. Apart from writing her interests include music, old movies especially silent films and reading books, mostly historical fiction. Below is the link to her author page. Please follow for all updates!

https://m.facebook.com/100063868667612/

Reviews

[Joshua Grant]

Windswept by Suilyaniz Cintron is a powerful tale of pain, healing, and beauty of the human spirit. After moving to the countryside in 1912 England, James is invited to dine with the rich and powerful Lady Amelia Williams. While there, he discovers Magdalena, a woman secreted away and forced to work. This is a powerful story full of mystery and touching moments. Cintron’s writing hits you right in the heart adding weight to the novel’s name Windswept!

[Please Pass the Books]

I didn't have any monumental expectations when I selected Windswept for an impromptu read. The cover is simple and the author is a debut indie novelist, but the star ratings it has already received and the blurb were enough to pique my curiosity. I'm glad I went ahead because it was well worth the loss of a couple quiet afternoons.

We first meet Isabelle after a violent attack leaves her wandering the streets of Manchester. Near death and with nowhere to go, she is taken into the manor she has literally collapsed into and employed. There is a breech of protocol here where she is brought before Lady Amelia and not simply hired by the head housekeeper, which is what would have really happened (as the Lord and Lady would never reduce themselves to interaction with understaff). Still, the scene does what it was intended to and introduces us to Charles and Amelia, who become deeper characters as we read on and are, really, the foundation of the arc. This is something I have to give the author mad props for. Isabelle, Charles, Amelia, Abigail, and Magdalena are all exceptionally well drawn out. There is a genuine sense of who they really are for the reader, and because we understand them we can understand their choices (even if we don't agree with them). I could even empathize with Amelia, although I obviously can't condone her enslaving a child. Still, to have the beautiful daughter of your husband—with your own daughter neglected—birthed from a stunning housemaid, working under your nose and constantly in your face? Yeah, I probably wouldn't be the kindest patron either. And this is where Cintron shines. The humanizing of her characters.

We then progress to natural shifts in character attitudes and perception, alongside tragedy and love. Windswept is an epic, so if you are going in for a light and fluffy read, you won't find it here. If, instead, you are looking for a good and beefy Edwardian read, look no further.

[Saradia Chatterjee]

Windswept is a historical romance set in the early twentieth century. It tells the story of Lady Amelia and her beautiful daughter Abigail. It tells the story of Isabella, a woman who is abused and kept as a servant at the manor because of her affair with the master of the house. It tells the story of Isabella’s daughter Magdalena whose future looks bleak. Finally, it tells the story of James Thomas, who has recently arrived in the locality. He finds out Magdalena’s secret and falls in love with her. Will their love stand the tests that are constantly put in their way?

Windswept is a memorable book. It takes us on a journey back in time, to an epoch much different from ours. I, as a reader, didn’t have any trouble picturing the time and place in my mind. The descriptions are just about perfect—neither exceedingly verbose nor sketchy. The characters are very real; they develop with the progress of the novel. It is difficult to antagonize any particular character in the novel but one has to feel for Magdalena. While some parts are tragic, some others are uplifting. I’m an admirer of classics and when I finished reading this book, I felt I’d read something akin to a classic. The emotions are well expressed without much philosophizing and these emotions will touch you. A simple story is made eternal by its depth and its ability to move the reader. There is both ecstasy and despondency in a memorable work of fiction. This book combines joy and sorrow, cruelty and kindness. The central romance blossoms gradually and I’ve got to appreciate how the author portrays this romance. There aren’t too many flowery adjectives in the narration. The language is beautiful and some passages even poetic! Read this book, the story will be etched in your mind.

[Yuleidy]

Windswept is a romance set in early twentieth-century England. It recounts the tale of a beautiful, young lady named Magdalena who, because of her mother’s actions, has turned into a slave in her own family unit. She perseveres through both physical and psychological mistreatment on account of her dead father's wife, Amelia. Her life is only hopelessness until the day she meets James, a young gentleman from a well-off family living close-by.

I felt Windswept wasn't exceptionally unique. The story starts with Isabelle, a poor, simple-minded young lady with a dull past meets a rich gentleman that is despondent with his marriage. And it repeats itself again with Isabelle’s daughter, Magdalena. Education, culture, these are male attributes. It’s all about a young girl being valued for her looks. Yet how come beauty lasts after the life as a servant?

It was a very basic story, nothing that I haven’t read before. To be quite honest, I found the entire story to be extremely predictable and cliché. Character tropes abound, and the writing was not good enough to make up for that, and keep me engaged. In the end, I just wasn't very invested or interested in how things went. Mostly, I think the characters could have been a little more tridimensional and the situations a little less trite.

Read more here: http://fullofbooks.com/windswept/

[Rose]

As a lover of historical fiction I was intrigued by the summary of this novel and when I started reading it I found I couldn't put it down because I loved it! It is not only well written but the story draws you in like a magnet and I couldn't wait to see what happened at the end. Windswept begins in the late 19th century and progresses through the Edwardian era telling of a beautiful woman named Magdalena, the daughter of a maid and Lord who is through circumstances I won't give away here, enslaved by her father's wife who treats her with absolute cruelty. At first it focuses on the relationship between Magdalena and her father before turning to that of the novel's male protagonist who is called James. Their love story is beautiful, touching and tested by difficulties that they encounter. I saw on the author's page that there will be a sequel and I can't wait to read it because this truly is one of those rare romance novels that steal's you away and does not leave you alone until you reach the last page. Highly recommend it to anyone who loves a great romance set in another time and place.

[Jewel]

The very emotional story of a young girl living in tragic circumstances and how strives to hold on to hope through the years, despite the hatred and mistreatment she suffers. My heart went out to Magdalena. I felt anger for her abuse and joy when she finally found love. It is a story that spans the years with a happy conclusion.

[Stephanie]

This Historical fiction was a great and emotional book that left me kind of overwhelmed. I normally don't like historical fiction but this was one of the better ones. Everything was perfect! I couldn't ask for more, but it still seems a little too emotional for me. I would still recommend this book to those who like historical fiction!

[Donna Chadwick]

this book was really good and easy to get in to and l loved reading this book and l highly recommend it to anybody and l was sent this book for review and l rated this book 5 stars and wish l could rate it more then the 5 stars

[Kylen]

First off, let me clarify this - I haven't been a fan of historical fiction in some years. That being said, I was a bit apprehensive about reviewing this book. Simply in terms of the book, I found that it was perhaps longer than it really needed to be, but only by a little bit. I was, however, very impressed by the author's clear familiarity and knowledge with the chosen time period. The biggest flaw in historical fiction is often a lack of intimacy with the time. This was not the case for Cintron. She created a work that fit seamlessly into her chosen period, for which I applaud her. To fans of historical fiction, I recommend it.