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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
Great story! The story unfolds gradually bit by bit until you audibly gasp as you realize the whys to the questions you've carried along. Ms. Morton does an excellent job weaving together various time periods all connected to one house and one main story. I highly recommend this story!
Genres - historical fiction, romance, mystery, ghost story (not scary)
Genres - historical fiction, romance, mystery, ghost story (not scary)
Fell kind of flat, to be honest. The writing style and formatting seemed a little ... off, at least in the first few chapters. It wasn't until maybe halfway through that the main story line seemed to take place -- or at least what I think was the main story line? There were so many characters and plot lines running through the book that it could be difficult to remember each character's significance. Unfortunately, this book was not my favorite, which is a bummer because I felt the Lake House fell short as well.
Kate Morton does it again. Masterful storytelling, captivating plot. Must read!
I love a book where I think I know what is happening and then I don't...this is one of those books. I can't wait to read more of her work.
Another beautifully written piece that weaves numerous historical stories into present day tale. I enjoy Morton's thoughtful, lyrical writing though I admit that I must be in the right frame of mind to dive in. Her novels are far from fluff and the reader must be ready to commit to investing time and thought into her chapters. I particularly enjoyed her foray into the supernatural. This may not make it as my favorite of all of Morton's books, but not for lack of trying. This is a wonderful read.
This book could have easily been 100-ish pages less. Took me forever to get into. It redeemed itself toward the end by tying the story lines together.
Woof. Long and tedious for a pretty disappointing and stupid ending.
This book was so boring. She switched between way too many characters stories. I was just praying for this book to end.
Have you ever come across an old photograph, say from the last century or earlier, and been haunted by it? I certainly have, in gazing at Victorian era photos in my family or of my family's friends. I've been haunted by a photo of my great-grandmother's sister Margo, beautiful in a white dress with elegant puffed sleeves, her hair up, looking the very picture of a Gibson girl. Who was this woman? What was her life like? If you've ever had a similar experience, The Clockmaker's Daughter is a story sure to engage you.
This is my first foray into the work of Kate Morton. (Yes, I'm late to the shelf!) I was intrigued by the synopsis of the book and its interplay between the present, WWII, and a Victorian era past, and the interplay of art, music and mystery. In all honesty I went in expecting historiographic metafiction, like that in A. S. Byatt's [b: Possession|41219|Possession|A.S. Byatt|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1391124124s/41219.jpg|2246190], where in this case an archivist's research into a recently discovered sketchbook and photograph would be the entrée to the Victorian era story of a fictional artist and his muse. I wasn't disappointed in that expectation, though there is a lot more going on in this story than a Elodie, the archivist, being haunted by the mystery of Edward Radcliffe and his "Lily." Morton has developed an almost Dickensian backstory for Lily and the large host of characters in this lengthy novel. The reader gets clued in to one aspect of the story early on when there is the apparent anachronism of a character watching a man use a mobile phone in the wrong century. I won't say more than that, since there would be spoilers. But there is romance, a stolen jewel, murder, a mysterious manor, and a complex web linking the present day (Elodie Winslow and her family) to the past (Edward, Lily, and their families).
At times I felt I was getting lost in the narrative of all these characters, a few of whose presences felt evanescent. In some respects I felt the book should either have been more tightly edited, or should have been longer to clearly resolve the fate of some characters. I also confess that I had to make a character diagram, to keep everyone straight. No harm in that, though!
This is an enjoyable, albeit lengthy, read that should appeal to lovers of historical or literary mysteries.
I received a Digital Review Copy from Atria Books, along with a paper review copy, in exchange for an honest review.
This is my first foray into the work of Kate Morton. (Yes, I'm late to the shelf!) I was intrigued by the synopsis of the book and its interplay between the present, WWII, and a Victorian era past, and the interplay of art, music and mystery. In all honesty I went in expecting historiographic metafiction, like that in A. S. Byatt's [b: Possession|41219|Possession|A.S. Byatt|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1391124124s/41219.jpg|2246190], where in this case an archivist's research into a recently discovered sketchbook and photograph would be the entrée to the Victorian era story of a fictional artist and his muse. I wasn't disappointed in that expectation, though there is a lot more going on in this story than a Elodie, the archivist, being haunted by the mystery of Edward Radcliffe and his "Lily." Morton has developed an almost Dickensian backstory for Lily and the large host of characters in this lengthy novel. The reader gets clued in to one aspect of the story early on when there is the apparent anachronism of a character watching a man use a mobile phone in the wrong century. I won't say more than that, since there would be spoilers. But there is romance, a stolen jewel, murder, a mysterious manor, and a complex web linking the present day (Elodie Winslow and her family) to the past (Edward, Lily, and their families).
At times I felt I was getting lost in the narrative of all these characters, a few of whose presences felt evanescent. In some respects I felt the book should either have been more tightly edited, or should have been longer to clearly resolve the fate of some characters. I also confess that I had to make a character diagram, to keep everyone straight. No harm in that, though!
This is an enjoyable, albeit lengthy, read that should appeal to lovers of historical or literary mysteries.
I received a Digital Review Copy from Atria Books, along with a paper review copy, in exchange for an honest review.
Kiehtova arvoitus, mielenkiintoisia hahmoja mutta ei - kirjoitustyyli tökkäsi ja pahasti. Pitää kaivaa tämä englanniksi esiin ja kokeilla uudelleen, sujuisiko paremmin.