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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
An intriguing mystery but it was too long. I think if the story had unfolded over about 400 instead of 600 pages the pace would have built the tension more and made it more exciting.
Not the best writing style
Not the best writing style
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book dragged on and had a lot of verbal fluff. The author could have written 1/3 less and it would have been way more impactful along with laying out the development further across the book vs leaving for the 75 pages. I could have just read that last bit and loved it versus forcing through and questioning if there was actually going to be anything impactful that developed. The reviews on the back were definitely misleading.
It takes too long to unravel what it's trying to say. There's a lot of unnecessay waffle in between the plot points.
Loved the plot but could have been half the length. Also the jumping around between current day and the past got confusing at times.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Adelaide Hills, Christmas Eve, 1959: At the end of a scorching hot day, beside a creek on the grounds of the grand and mysterious mansion, a local delivery man makes a terrible discovery. A police investigation is called and the small town of Tambilla becomes embroiled in one of the most shocking and perplexing murder cases in the history of South Australia.
Sixty years later, Jess is a journalist in search of a story. Having lived and worked in London for almost twenty years, she now finds herself laid off from her full-time job and struggling to make ends meet. A phone call out of nowhere summons her back to Sydney, where her beloved grandmother, Nora, who raised Jess when her mother could not, has suffered a fall and been raced to the hospital.
Nora has always been a vibrant and strong presence: decisive, encouraging, young despite her years. When Jess visits her in the hospital, she is alarmed to find her grandmother frail and confused. It’s even more alarming to hear from Nora's housekeeper that Nora had been distracted in the weeks before her accident and had fallen on the steps to the attic—the one place Jess was forbidden from playing in when she was small.
At loose ends in Nora's house, Jess does some digging of her own. In Nora's bedroom, she discovers a true crime book, chronicling the police investigation into a long-buried tragedy: the Turner Family Tragedy of Christmas Eve, 1959. It is only when Jess skims through the book that she finds a shocking connection between her own family and this once-infamous crime—a crime that has never been resolved satisfactorily. And for a journalist without a story, a cold case might be the best distraction she can find…
A beautifully written book, a great story and a satisfying resolution but not quite 5-star due to some overly-long sections which didn't really add much to the story. The scene setting was excellent, I could feel the sweltering Australian heat, hear the birds and see the dust; a truly immersive experience. It was easy to read and hard to put down but despite this I'm not too keen on the 'book within a book' idea as it does rather diminish Jess as an investigative journalist also there were some very convenient 'finds' which seemed like lazy writing. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the story and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it (but be aware that it's a loooong read at 605 pages).
Sixty years later, Jess is a journalist in search of a story. Having lived and worked in London for almost twenty years, she now finds herself laid off from her full-time job and struggling to make ends meet. A phone call out of nowhere summons her back to Sydney, where her beloved grandmother, Nora, who raised Jess when her mother could not, has suffered a fall and been raced to the hospital.
Nora has always been a vibrant and strong presence: decisive, encouraging, young despite her years. When Jess visits her in the hospital, she is alarmed to find her grandmother frail and confused. It’s even more alarming to hear from Nora's housekeeper that Nora had been distracted in the weeks before her accident and had fallen on the steps to the attic—the one place Jess was forbidden from playing in when she was small.
At loose ends in Nora's house, Jess does some digging of her own. In Nora's bedroom, she discovers a true crime book, chronicling the police investigation into a long-buried tragedy: the Turner Family Tragedy of Christmas Eve, 1959. It is only when Jess skims through the book that she finds a shocking connection between her own family and this once-infamous crime—a crime that has never been resolved satisfactorily. And for a journalist without a story, a cold case might be the best distraction she can find…
A beautifully written book, a great story and a satisfying resolution but not quite 5-star due to some overly-long sections which didn't really add much to the story. The scene setting was excellent, I could feel the sweltering Australian heat, hear the birds and see the dust; a truly immersive experience. It was easy to read and hard to put down but despite this I'm not too keen on the 'book within a book' idea as it does rather diminish Jess as an investigative journalist also there were some very convenient 'finds' which seemed like lazy writing. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the story and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it (but be aware that it's a loooong read at 605 pages).
Overall, a nice mystery with a few different timelines/narrators. It is a VERY long buildup, and while I liked the characters I'm not sure that the ending justified such a drawn-out backstory.
An absolutely beautiful and sweeping story. I loved it. Kate Morton is an amazing author with an unbelievable talent with words and this book and it’s characters captured me completely.
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes