Helpful Score: 2
During the long span of its life, Birchwood Manor has been many things, including a school for young ladies, but when Birdie Bell begins the tale of her residency in the Tudor manor house and tells us, "It was long ago; it was yesterday," that one Dickensian line put me firmly in Kate Morton's spell-weaving hands.
By the time I'd finished The Clockmaker's Daughter, I'd added Birchwood Manor to my list of favorite literary houses. Yes, over the centuries it has been many things to many people, but above all, it has been a place of refuge, a place of safety. In the dead of night, a light has been known to shine from an attic dormer, signaling sanctuary to those who need it. I fell in love with Birchwood Manor, every stone, every timber, every flower in its gardens, all the way down to its jetty on the River Thames.
Morton's novel is a slow-moving story told in multiple voices. I'm not complaining about the pace because this is the type of story that must build gradually. Once or twice while reading I did wonder if quite so many voices were needed to advance the plot, but for the most part, I found each character enjoyable-- especially young schoolgirl Ada Lovegrove and Birdie Bell herself.
In many ways, reading The Clockmaker's Daughter is like putting together a large, complicated jigsaw puzzle. The final image is so compelling that you just can't stop reading. As each clue to the mystery is uncovered, it's as though you've found a lost puzzle piece under the box lid or spied one under the sofa cushion and you can't wait to fit it into its proper place.
I have to admit that I didn't really find any great surprises in the plot of this novel, but I didn't care. Being a master storyteller isn't always about coming up with something brand-new. Sometimes it's just about being able to tell a story that fires the reader's imagination so that the person turning the pages can see themselves in each scene of the book and feel the emotions each character feels. If this is the type of book you're in the mood for, there's only one thing to do: pick up a copy of Kate Morton's The Clockmaker's Daughter and meet the people of Birchwood Manor.
By the time I'd finished The Clockmaker's Daughter, I'd added Birchwood Manor to my list of favorite literary houses. Yes, over the centuries it has been many things to many people, but above all, it has been a place of refuge, a place of safety. In the dead of night, a light has been known to shine from an attic dormer, signaling sanctuary to those who need it. I fell in love with Birchwood Manor, every stone, every timber, every flower in its gardens, all the way down to its jetty on the River Thames.
Morton's novel is a slow-moving story told in multiple voices. I'm not complaining about the pace because this is the type of story that must build gradually. Once or twice while reading I did wonder if quite so many voices were needed to advance the plot, but for the most part, I found each character enjoyable-- especially young schoolgirl Ada Lovegrove and Birdie Bell herself.
In many ways, reading The Clockmaker's Daughter is like putting together a large, complicated jigsaw puzzle. The final image is so compelling that you just can't stop reading. As each clue to the mystery is uncovered, it's as though you've found a lost puzzle piece under the box lid or spied one under the sofa cushion and you can't wait to fit it into its proper place.
I have to admit that I didn't really find any great surprises in the plot of this novel, but I didn't care. Being a master storyteller isn't always about coming up with something brand-new. Sometimes it's just about being able to tell a story that fires the reader's imagination so that the person turning the pages can see themselves in each scene of the book and feel the emotions each character feels. If this is the type of book you're in the mood for, there's only one thing to do: pick up a copy of Kate Morton's The Clockmaker's Daughter and meet the people of Birchwood Manor.
Another winner from Kate Morton. The story of various different groups of people who have lived in an old manor house in an English village from 1862 until 2017. Add a murder and a missing family jewel from the artists who lived there in 1862 through to the archivist who is researching in 2017 and finds buried treasure. And everybody in between - the artist's sister who builds a school for girls there, the student who becomes an archaeologist, the WWI veteran who is missing his brother, the WWII widow who escapes the London blitz with her children to the countryside - the connections and how the pieces all come together is beautifully written. And the main storyteller is a ghost. And her story is the one you wonder about the most and finally learn at the end. Spellbinding story, well written.
I too struggled with this Kate Morton book. I adored all her other books, so I automatically got this one. It seems to me that the story was told by too many characters, who seemingly aren't connected, till near the end of the book; I got lost several times. I will re-read it again, knowing now what I know!
Well, I had better hopes for this story. The story sounded so interesting and worth reading.
This story was very slow to start and stayed that way throughout the story, there were LOTS of characters and so much in the back story of each person that you seem to drown in information and the time frame skips around so you really, and I mean really pay attention to what year it is.
It seems to have about 200 extra pages that you could really live without.
Enter at your own risk.
This story was very slow to start and stayed that way throughout the story, there were LOTS of characters and so much in the back story of each person that you seem to drown in information and the time frame skips around so you really, and I mean really pay attention to what year it is.
It seems to have about 200 extra pages that you could really live without.
Enter at your own risk.
This book was so hard to get into. I always give books a 100 pages, this book needed just over the 100 pages. If I had read the reviews prior to reading, I probably would have skipped.
It does start to move along and click after the 100 pages but it is very slow going. At the end almost all questions are answered.
It does start to move along and click after the 100 pages but it is very slow going. At the end almost all questions are answered.
After thoroughly enjoying KM other novels , The Clockmaker's Daughter is a huge disappointment.
It is a mess of characters that are difficult to keep straight as the book jumps erratically around in a 150 year time period. 200 pages of almost 500 pages is enough for me. What a waste of time. SL
It is a mess of characters that are difficult to keep straight as the book jumps erratically around in a 150 year time period. 200 pages of almost 500 pages is enough for me. What a waste of time. SL
I always enjoy Kate Morton's books. Sometimes it's a little difficult to piece together who is who initially, but I always arrive at an "AHA"! moment when the pieces fall into place. This is another well written, descriptive read.
From the introduction:
In the summer of 1862, a group of young artists led by Edward Radcliffe descends upon Birchwood Manor on the banks of the Upper Thames. Their plan: to spend a secluded summer month in a haze of inspiration and creativity. But by the time their stay is over, one woman has been shot dead while another has disappeared; a priceless heirloom is missing; and Edward Radcliffe's life is in ruins.
More than one hundred and fifty years later, Elodie Winslow, a young archivist in London, uncovers a leather satchel containing two seemingly unrelated items: a sepia photograph of an arresting-looking woman in Victorian clothing, and an artist's sketchbook containing the drawing of a twin-gabled house on the bend of a river.
Why does Birchwood Manor feel so familiar to Elodie? And who is the beautiful woman in the photograph?
From the introduction:
In the summer of 1862, a group of young artists led by Edward Radcliffe descends upon Birchwood Manor on the banks of the Upper Thames. Their plan: to spend a secluded summer month in a haze of inspiration and creativity. But by the time their stay is over, one woman has been shot dead while another has disappeared; a priceless heirloom is missing; and Edward Radcliffe's life is in ruins.
More than one hundred and fifty years later, Elodie Winslow, a young archivist in London, uncovers a leather satchel containing two seemingly unrelated items: a sepia photograph of an arresting-looking woman in Victorian clothing, and an artist's sketchbook containing the drawing of a twin-gabled house on the bend of a river.
Why does Birchwood Manor feel so familiar to Elodie? And who is the beautiful woman in the photograph?
I have read numerous books by Morton and as usual she spins a story. This one seemed to lag, though; not only did it take over 100 pgs to set up the plot, it randomly jumped through so many time periods that it was sometimes difficult to remember the story to that time period. There is also background narrative through the voice of a ghost which was a bit odd. Story is entertaining and enjoyable, but not my favorite of Morton's books. received in goodreads contest with expectation of fair/honest review
