You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I just cannot get into this book. Having read another book by Kate Morton (The Clockmaker's Daughter), I am aware of her style, especially as I am seeing it unwind a second time. At 48 years old, I just cannot commit to a 500-page book that takes 400 pages of slow build to finally reach a point where I care about what's happening in the last 125. There is nothing driving me to pick up this book, much less to get any solid reading done. I know there are plenty of readers who love Ms Morton's writing. It just isn't for me, and that's ok.
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Morton is an ‘every now and then’ sort of author for me. Her style is like a slightly jazzed up Lucinda Riley - super easy to read, slow-paced, mysterious, and incremental release of information crescendoing to being unputdownable for the last 200 pages or so. It did take about 120 pages for me to really commit to this book though - I was so annoyed at how slow it was at ~100 pages in, that I took her other books off my WTR list (I will likely put them back on… She redeemed herself 🤣). I do think her novels are worth reading, but you have to be in the right mood because they’re an odd combo of being light and easy but a huge commitment at 600+ pages. Having said that, they’re still fairly quick reads because of the formatting and writing style.
A good murder mystery/historical novel that will keep you guessing until the end.
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I liked this story okay, though the ending left me slightly dissatisfied. I generally like stories that flip through time like this one does, so that you get perspectives from different points in time. And I enjoyed that this story is set in Australia, which I'm not terribly familiar with.
It was really interesting how Morton made the characters you liked at first the worst ones in the end, and the ones you didn't think were great the ones you have the most sympathy for by the end of the story. If you like a family saga, or stories that are told from contemporary and historical perspectives, you might like this one.
It was really interesting how Morton made the characters you liked at first the worst ones in the end, and the ones you didn't think were great the ones you have the most sympathy for by the end of the story. If you like a family saga, or stories that are told from contemporary and historical perspectives, you might like this one.