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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Slow at first but picked up towards the end. I appreciated how the author didn’t shy away from how miscarriage and infertility and loss can change a person.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Pregnancy
Christmas Eve 1959 at Halcyon, the estate of the Turner family in South Australia, is the site of a terrible tragedy.
Mid-December 2018, Jess Turner-Bridges is rushing home to Sydney, Australia from London, England where she has been living and working for the past 20 years. Her beloved grandmother, Nora, has had a fall and is in intensive care. As Nora's next of kin, Jess needs to be home.
The circumstances surrounding Nora's fall and comments Nora makes in her confused state, cause Jess, a journalist, to question what has been going on and what secrets Nora has been keeping. As she tries to figure things out, the connections between the terrible tragedy in 1959 and Nora and Jess' life become clear.
I will admit I figured out one of the "big" twists quite early on, but it did not take away from the enjoyment of the novel. The how of what had happened was still a revelation.
Mid-December 2018, Jess Turner-Bridges is rushing home to Sydney, Australia from London, England where she has been living and working for the past 20 years. Her beloved grandmother, Nora, has had a fall and is in intensive care. As Nora's next of kin, Jess needs to be home.
The circumstances surrounding Nora's fall and comments Nora makes in her confused state, cause Jess, a journalist, to question what has been going on and what secrets Nora has been keeping. As she tries to figure things out, the connections between the terrible tragedy in 1959 and Nora and Jess' life become clear.
I will admit I figured out one of the "big" twists quite early on, but it did not take away from the enjoyment of the novel. The how of what had happened was still a revelation.
I feel like once you've read one or two Kate Morton books, you can figure out the plot twists really quickly. This was the case for me with Homecoming. I figured it out very early on and was bored throughout the rest of the book.
The pacing was off, the middle was very, very long and the ending rushed. Also I had trouble following the timelines. There seemed to be big jumps in time in the middle of a paragraph even.
I found Jess and Nora unlikeable characters, it was really hard to invest and root for them. Polly's character was explored too late.
I have enjoyed Kate Morton books in the past. I couldn't put down the Secret Garden, but this one just wasn't for me.
The pacing was off, the middle was very, very long and the ending rushed. Also I had trouble following the timelines. There seemed to be big jumps in time in the middle of a paragraph even.
I found Jess and Nora unlikeable characters, it was really hard to invest and root for them. Polly's character was explored too late.
I have enjoyed Kate Morton books in the past. I couldn't put down the Secret Garden, but this one just wasn't for me.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was the pick for my work's book club and to be honest I STRUGGLED with this one. After digging some I found Kate Morton can tend to be long winded and I can confirm. I felt like I was Sisyphus trying to get through this book. There were quite a few twists and turns, but every answer was just a confirmation of what you guessed 300 pages before. I also am not sure what the intent was in the end. You have all this buildup of drama and murder and betrayal and yet the author tries to put a Halmark bow on it at the end. Something about all that doesn't sit right with me.