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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
I'm not sure why I didn't love this (the combo of fantasy and history is usually a good one for me), but I really didn't. There was a kind of chicken and egg situation of dislike for me. It took me about 6 months to read this, and I'm not sure if I didn't like it much because I took so long to read it (making it difficult to connect with and invest in characters) or whether it took me so long to read because I wasn't that into it. Without spoiling the ending, I didn't like it, and found it fairly unbelievable. It made this book go from a fine, if mediocre 3.5, to a 2 star rating. Also, I found some of the characters, especially the modern day one, to be fairly useless to the plot, and I didn't like her very much either since she was quite one dimensional.
After reading a few pages of The Clockmaker's Daughter, I wasn't sure I was going to love it. I was concerned I may get confused by the traversing of time, location and character. I was worried about the pace of the novel, knowing the length (and thickness) of the book. While it took quite a bit of time, after about 2/3 of the way through reading, I was in hook-line-and-sinker. I loved the characters, swooned over Birchwood Manor and hungered to solve the mystery between the pages.
The story mostly bounces between Elodie Winslow, a London-based archivist who uncovers a leather satchel containing items to which she just can't help but feel connected, and the artistic community surrounding the ever-talented Edward Radcliffe as they set out to spend a summer at the secluded Birchwood Manor on the Upper Thames river.
Throughout the novel, no one's itinerary ever seem to go quite as planned–we learn early on that Edward Radcliffe's life falls to shambles by the time summer is over. His fiancée has been shot dead, a family heirloom is missing and his lover has seemingly fled the country. In the modern world, Elodie is struggling to come to grips with her upcoming nuptials and how to deal with emotions mounting from her years-deceased mother. With the leather satchel top-of-mind, she decides to start connecting the dots on the one thing she might be able to sort through: why do its contents feel so familiar?
This book is that it didn't leave me wanting more; it left me feeling satisfied, whole, complete. We get the answers to all of our questions and author Kate Morton does a beautiful job of weaving the stories together. Well worth the time it takes to get to the last page.
The story mostly bounces between Elodie Winslow, a London-based archivist who uncovers a leather satchel containing items to which she just can't help but feel connected, and the artistic community surrounding the ever-talented Edward Radcliffe as they set out to spend a summer at the secluded Birchwood Manor on the Upper Thames river.
Throughout the novel, no one's itinerary ever seem to go quite as planned–we learn early on that Edward Radcliffe's life falls to shambles by the time summer is over. His fiancée has been shot dead, a family heirloom is missing and his lover has seemingly fled the country. In the modern world, Elodie is struggling to come to grips with her upcoming nuptials and how to deal with emotions mounting from her years-deceased mother. With the leather satchel top-of-mind, she decides to start connecting the dots on the one thing she might be able to sort through: why do its contents feel so familiar?
This book is that it didn't leave me wanting more; it left me feeling satisfied, whole, complete. We get the answers to all of our questions and author Kate Morton does a beautiful job of weaving the stories together. Well worth the time it takes to get to the last page.
Sadly, I was distracted with COVID and other life changes that I had a hard time really focusing on this book. The storyline was nice, but I had a harder time keeping track of who was doing when what where.
I was really excited to get this ARC copy from Goodreads! The book was one of those that keep you reading well past your bedtime. An engrossing tale spanning 150 years told from varying points of view but always coming back to the ghost that presides over the house in a bend of the Thames river. I think I enjoyed this one even more than The Forgotten Garden.
4.5 stars. I do love Kate Morton’s writing. She writes beautifully, lovely languorous (in the best way) pace where you slowly get to know the characters and the story as it evolves. I wanted a more satisfyingly tied up conclusion and a couple of times lost track of some things. However I enjoyed her story being told by disparate characters over 150 years. Time is clearly an element she writes well with.
I love Kate Morton and had this pre-ordered, but it wasn’t amazing. Too many characters, and I hardly ever think it’s a good idea to make the main storyteller a ghost.
Review to come. Slow to get into, a few too many POVs for me, but Kate Morton is a master at her craft. The way she weaves characters and plot strands together!! I need to process what I read.
Beautiful writing, interesting subject matter, plot with many possibilities. Unfortunately, it needed better editing - the pacing was off, the build up was long and at times confusing, and there were too many characters. After so much time invested, I thought the characters (and the reader) deserved a much more satisfying and less confusing conclusion. Hard to read in short bouts as I do.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated