Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
I felt this book was very hard for me to follow the story and the characters. I needed to look up some listings of characters because there were so many! I couldn't remember who was who because the way the story was written was in pieces and back and forth through time periods and although that was quite interesting to me, it was also very confusing to keep track of the storyline. I did enjoy it and I wanted to know what was going to happen next, but it was very hard for me to keep track of it.
All the things I liked about the book also were the things that confused me. But I enjoyed the story! I absolutely loved the descriptions of the house, the city, the river, all these kinds of details were great! I was a little disappointed in the ending. I was expecting a different choice to be made. But I understood why it ended as it did. But it was funny, I felt sad for the ghost! I hope that is not a spoiler!
I would recommend it and I was interested in trying to read something I would have never chosen on my own. I am happy I read it all the way through. Reading usually puts me to sleep and I did struggle a bit while reading this story, but not every time. But, as I said before, the story kept me coming back! This was a book chosen by the Book Club I recently joined.
I did not know we could discuss the books here on this site. I think that would have been helpful to be able to ask questions on it while I was reading too! I also was reading this along with the audiobook version at the same time. I really think this helped me to focus more on the story and stay on track reading it. I started without the audiobook reading and I get distracted a LOT. So even though I felt like I was cheating by doing this (not sure why that is!), I think it was a great help to me too!
All the things I liked about the book also were the things that confused me. But I enjoyed the story! I absolutely loved the descriptions of the house, the city, the river, all these kinds of details were great! I was a little disappointed in the ending. I was expecting a different choice to be made. But I understood why it ended as it did. But it was funny, I felt sad for the ghost! I hope that is not a spoiler!
I would recommend it and I was interested in trying to read something I would have never chosen on my own. I am happy I read it all the way through. Reading usually puts me to sleep and I did struggle a bit while reading this story, but not every time. But, as I said before, the story kept me coming back! This was a book chosen by the Book Club I recently joined.
I did not know we could discuss the books here on this site. I think that would have been helpful to be able to ask questions on it while I was reading too! I also was reading this along with the audiobook version at the same time. I really think this helped me to focus more on the story and stay on track reading it. I started without the audiobook reading and I get distracted a LOT. So even though I felt like I was cheating by doing this (not sure why that is!), I think it was a great help to me too!
Fantastic! I couldn't put this one down. A very complicated story over several generations of the people who lived in England's Birchwood Manor. Morton has a gift of weaving story lines and characters. It is a story of relationships and love. Then throw in a murder, a ghost, a drowning, and a disappearance. What more could a reader ask for? This book is well worth the effort it takes to keep track of the relationship of one character to another (I confess keeping a list to help me keep it all straight).
The book was just way too slow for me. I got a quarter of the way through and I didn't feel like the plot had moved anywhere
2 stars-
Probably would have DNFd this if it wasn’t for a book club. I can imagine some people loving this, but I felt like it was just all of the weak parts of Kate Morton without a lot of the redeeming qualities.
This pains me because I have enjoyed a book by Kate Morton and generally enjoy her writing, but this was just a big miss for me. Her prose is as lovely as ever, but this novel is just completely overwritten. Unnecessary plot legs that don’t add to the story, ditching the most intriguing POV’s for hundreds of pages at a time, etc. Not even to mention the 3 page recaps of the chapter you JUST finished!!!
By the end of it, I also just had to wonder what the point was. I just don’t really feel like I know what Morton was trying to say here. It just felt frivolous, and while certain parts of the mystery were revealed in satisfying ways, other elements had me scratching my head.
I’ll probably still give her another shot. I’ve got one of her books on my shelf that I haven’t read, so I’ll probably get back to it after I forget how much of a struggle it was to finish this book.
Probably would have DNFd this if it wasn’t for a book club. I can imagine some people loving this, but I felt like it was just all of the weak parts of Kate Morton without a lot of the redeeming qualities.
This pains me because I have enjoyed a book by Kate Morton and generally enjoy her writing, but this was just a big miss for me. Her prose is as lovely as ever, but this novel is just completely overwritten. Unnecessary plot legs that don’t add to the story, ditching the most intriguing POV’s for hundreds of pages at a time, etc. Not even to mention the 3 page recaps of the chapter you JUST finished!!!
By the end of it, I also just had to wonder what the point was. I just don’t really feel like I know what Morton was trying to say here. It just felt frivolous, and while certain parts of the mystery were revealed in satisfying ways, other elements had me scratching my head.
I’ll probably still give her another shot. I’ve got one of her books on my shelf that I haven’t read, so I’ll probably get back to it after I forget how much of a struggle it was to finish this book.
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I have mixed feelings about this one. It is very well written. The story and the melancholy atmosphere really captured my attention.
The many perspectives make the plot a little hard to follow. All the characters are quite similar. The ending is a bit abrupt and we don't get to be there with the characters for the big revelations - something I find especially frustrating in a book this long.
The mysterious and ghostly parts work really well here. There was potential for a tighter, better story!
The many perspectives make the plot a little hard to follow. All the characters are quite similar. The ending is a bit abrupt and we don't get to be there with the characters for the big revelations - something I find especially frustrating in a book this long.
The mysterious and ghostly parts work really well here. There was potential for a tighter, better story!
not as engrossing as her other stories but still enjoyable. Took me a long time to get into the story wheras her other books sucked me in right away. Not sure if thats a reflection on the story or the limited time I had to read it.
With This books I had much fun but after finishing it I felt like author left some stories unfinished like what happens Elodie wedding and many stuff were left out I would have like this book if it had 200 more pages
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
As usual for Kate Morton, this was a rich and complex tale, spanning many eras and different people. I loved the fascinating idea of time being non-linear, played out by the jumping around of time dates within the book.
I’m left with questions (which I won’t put here as there would be some spoilers!) which I think is the best way for a book to leave us.
A must for anyone who loves tales interwoven with others; stay away if you prefer your fiction very linear.
I’m left with questions (which I won’t put here as there would be some spoilers!) which I think is the best way for a book to leave us.
A must for anyone who loves tales interwoven with others; stay away if you prefer your fiction very linear.
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
This book focuses on one house over ~200 years and it’s iterations of occupants and their lives, struggles and loves. At times the sub-stories feel disjointed and like too many characters to keep track of. But individually each sub-story pulled me in with beautifully detailed writing. The last ~20% really picked up in pace and pulled all the stories together. Overall, I enjoyed the book and the unique storytelling concept.