INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “An ambitious, compelling historical mystery with a fabulous cast of characters…Kate Morton at her very best.” –Kristin Hannah “An elaborate tapestry…Morton doesn’t disappoint.” –The Washington Post “Classic English country-house Goth at its finest.” –New York Post In the depths of a 19th-century winter, a little girl is abandoned on the streets of … Post
In the depths of a 19th-century winter, a little girl is abandoned on the streets of Victorian London. She grows up to become in turn a thief, an artist’s muse, and a lover. In the summer of 1862, shortly after her eighteenth birthday, she travels with a group of artists to a beautiful house on a bend of the Upper Thames. Tensions simmer and one hot afternoon a gunshot rings out. A woman is killed, another disappears, and the truth of what happened slips through the cracks of time. It is not until over a century later, when another young woman is drawn to Birchwood Manor, that its secrets are finally revealed.
Told by multiple voices across time, this is an intricately layered, richly atmospheric novel about art and passion, forgiveness and loss, that shows us that sometimes the way forward is through the past.
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Kate Morton is one of my favorite authors, and when The Clockmaker’s Daughter came out this year, I was one of the first to jump on NetGalley to get a copy. I was so excited to be awarded the book and added it to my August reading queue. It made for a good alternate style given I’m also running a children’s book readathon this month! Although not my favorite of all her novels, it’s an enchanting story and covers a lot of beautiful generations within a couple of families.
What I loved the most about this book was how you never quite knew who was speaking in the beginning of a chapter. It took a few paragraphs or a page or two before it became obvious. Some might be bothered by this approach, but it added to mystery and ambiance for me. The Radcliffe family was quite peculiar, and I wondered whether it would turn out to be accidental death or murder for one or two characters. As the story unfolds and we learned about Elodie in 2017/8 discovering the past, everything comes flooding forward. There are memorable characters in this book and I recommend it for that reason alone. On the flip side, there are over 30 main characters, so it gets a tad difficult to keep focused if you have to put the book down for more than a day at a time. Don’t read it with anything else like I did.
Morton is the queen of lyrical words and astounding settings. The plot is strong, and the twist at the end is great. Along the path, it’s much lighter tho… less about the mystery and more about hearing what happened to people over a century. I found myself eager for more action than present in the book. But it still captured my heart and attention. A solid 4 stars.
A ‘book hangover’ is a condition resulting in an inability to begin a new book because one is so absorbed by the last. THE CLOCKMAKER’S DAUGHTER has given me a terrible case, and I don’t see an end in sight.
Kate Morton is the master of the multi-period mystery. Every time I pick up one of her novels, I’m eager to see if she’ll be able to weave her magic, and every time she succeeds. Morton knows her characters so intimately, the reader is safe in her capable hands to explore the mazes of time and place without getting lost. It is her deep empathy for the human condition that allows her to create such full, memorable worlds.
In THE CLOCKMAKER’S DAUGHTER, each time I thought I found my favorite storyline, the next section would come and I’d think I’d again found it. Over and over this went, until the sad moment when I reached the last page. I did not want the book to end, and that is saying a lot for a nearly five-hundred page novel.
From fans of historical fiction to multi-period drama to mystery, Kate Morton’s novels are for book lovers of all genres. I caution you, however: THE CLOCKMAKER’S DAUGHTER is so absorbing, you’ll get very little done once you start. Even with that word of warning and in spite of the fact that it will leave you with a book hangover, I give THE CLOCKMAKER’S DAUGHTER my highest recommendation.
If you look up book hangover in the dictionary, it should say The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton. This book was so very beautifully written. It spans from the 1800’s until 2017. The Birchwood Manor is the thread that ties all the characters and all the years together. This book has it all love, loss, murder, and mystery. The characters are amazing and I enjoyed all the characters and their stories. The descriptions of Birchwood Manor and the grounds were so descriptive I felt like I was there. It was a beautifully written book and I would recommend it highly. I received an advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Atria Books. All opinions are my own.
I love Kate’s books and this is my favorite so far. Complex, imaginative and so evocative.
This book was such a surprise – not that I enjoyed it, or that the writing was remarkably beautiful. That’s a given with any Kate Morton book. But if you’d asked me halfway through to explain what the book was about, I couldn’t have. I felt like I was meandering through each chapter, caught up in the words but not sure where they were going. I loved the characters, but they kept coming out from nowhere, seemingly unrelated and in worlds of their own. But sticking through and giving the book it’s full chance was so rewarding – the conclusion of the book is lovely and the pieces that slip together into one work as perfectly as the gears of a clock. I loved this book and the house at it’s center, and I would absolutely recommend it to both seasoned and new Morton fans alike.
THE CLOCKMAKER’S DAUGHTER by Kate Morton is a story of love, romance, murder and mystery spanning one-hundred and fifty years, numerous timelines, several generations and various perspectives all connected to Birchwood Manor on the Upper Thames.
One-hundred and fifty years earlier artist and painter Edward Radcliffe fell in love with his muse, a woman everyone came to know as Lily Millington, a woman who wasn’t whom she purported to be. The purchase of a country estate known as Birchwood Manor would bring together Edward and his fellow artists –the Magenta Brotherhood- wherein their lives where about to change forever. A murder, the presumed departure and guilt of Lily Millington, and the disappearance of the Radcliffe Blue Diamond would kick-off a century and a half of rumors, innuendo, heartbreak and loss that followed one family from 1862 to 2017.
In 2017, Archivist Elodie Winslow went in search of her past, a past mired in secrets and death, but a past that Elodie was desperate to discover. With only a damaged photo, an old leather satchel, and stories of a time long ago, Elodie heads to Birchwood Manor to unearth the true about her mother’s life but Elodie isn’t the only one in search of the past as Birchwood Manor’s secrets are about to be exposed.
THE CLOCKMAKER’S DAUGHTER is a slow building story line that follows several paths, and numerous timelines; of one family’s history of secrets and lies; and the spirit who is witness to everything and all. THE CLOCKMAKER’S DAUGHTER is a story of ghosts, fairies and queens; of betrayal, loss, heartbreak and love as one family meanders a path between the present and the past.
Kate Morton weaves an intricate and detailed story that at times is difficult to navigate as the perspectives and timelines invariably overlap between the present and several pasts. An intriguing story, THE CLOCKMAKER’S DAUGHTER is a beautiful tale that will captivate and entertain; challenge and inflame.
The Clockmaker’s Daughter is a beautifully written, multi-layered story that centers around seemingly unrelated characters. Just as the reader becomes emotionally involved with one character, the narrative shifts to someone else. But, in time, the intricate connections between the characters are revealed, and all the separate threads are woven together, making for a satisfying conclusion.
This story was particularly winding and woven tight with several different POV’s and timelines. There’s one particular character who’s quite the surprise and it takes a bit to put your finger on what she’s all about. The book takes time to settle into because of all the elements involved, but that’s exactly what I love about Morton’s books–the rich density of them. Loved this.
Another fine story by Kate Morton. I love the way she layers events through different time periods. Her characters are incredibly nuanced and believable.
I wasn’t sure what to make of this book at first; it starts with one set of characters, then jumps to another set in another time period, and then again to someone else. But each section was so beautifully written, I kept wondering what had happened to the characters in the earlier sections. They all start to intersect as the novel unravels to reveal the secret at the core of a haunted house on the Thames. I genuinely did not see the ending coming until the last couple of chapters, and even when you work it out you won’t be able to stop reading to find out more.
Cleverly woven, multiple view points with a surprise element, this is vintage Morton: a big house, secrets, ghosts and love in all its guises. Rich, evocative, romantic – a rainy Sunday afternoon book to lose yourself in.
The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton is different from all the other Kate Morton books I have read. I have enjoyed her previous books and was excited to read The Clockmaker’s Daughter. The story moves very slowly. There are several different time periods and external stories linked to Elodie, the archivists’ search for the woman in the picture and the drawing of the house. At times I was just confused and I wanted to ask, “Where is this going?” Case in point: Ada, the child left in a boarding school who is bullied and drowns??? This whole side story is only referred to once later in the book.
I am so sorry to not post a glowingly positive review, but I was bored, although I kept reading hoping for something that would be a turning point. The characters were not interesting and there was no real suspense but an ancestral/historical mystery.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
My new favourite of Kate Morton’s novels; she exceeded all of my expectations. It’s a tricky story to summarise as there is so much going on, but the book follows a cast of extraordinary characters over a two hundred year period, all of whom are connected by a house, and the ghostly voice of Birdie Bell. If you love grand narratives, tragic love stories, artistic mysteries, and the dramatic sweep of history, then I can thoroughly recommend losing yourself in this book.
The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton a four-star read that will whisk you away. If you like historical fiction then this is one read you need in your life, I’m not a huge fan of the genre but have enjoyed the authors work before so gave it a go and enjoyed this one also. This can be a little confusing at times as it covers a lot of characters and different time periods, but one character that will keep you steady is the house Birchwood Manor its set on the banks of the Thames and almost the most powerful character, it almost keeps you on track or it did me at least during the time changes. If you do get lost I would suggest going back a chapter and reading it again as that’s what I did, and it really helped me keep a track of it all. Like I said if you like historical writing that will take you to another time, this will be a book for you.
Morton is one of my favorite contemporary writers and I’ve been waiting for a long time for her next book!
An old house, an old sketch book, an old murder, an old photograph, and a lot of mysteries. Who doesn’t love all of those?
THE CLOCKMAKER’S DAUGHTER has it all.
THE CLOCKMAKER’S DAUGHTER goes back and forth in time looking for clues to connect Elodie’s present-day questions and findings to the time when her mother was alive and how a country manor and other mysteries seem to have a connection to her mother. She KNOWS there is some connection with everything she finds circling around Birchwood Manor.
Ms. Morton definitely makes you “work” for the clues. Her writing is beautiful as always, but the story line was difficult to follow.
Each chapter began without the identification of the person talking so the reader has to figure out who has appeared on the scene now.
I always enjoy Ms. Morton’s books because of the gothic atmosphere and marvelous connection between the characters and the story line, but THE CLOCKMAKER’S DAUGHTER had me confused most of the time. Finding the connections was similar to solving a difficult math problem.
Once the chapter got started and you became interested in the story line, it was over and another thought and character appeared.
I can’t say I didn’t like the book. THE CLOCKMAKER’S DAUGHTER had a skillfully constructed story line, but it wasn’t an easy read.
Once you were connected, though, it all started to come together in her marvelous Kate Morton style with a brilliant ending.
I LOVE her books, her beautiful writing, and her involved story lines so I kept reading because I wanted to find out how it all fit together and what the ending would reveal. The revelations were marvelous as always.
Anyone who loves Kate Morton, who likes to unravel a book’s story line, and who can wait until it all comes together will not want to miss reading THE CLOCKMAKER’S DAUGHTER. 4/5
This book was given to me as an ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I listened to this book, read by the fabulous Joanne Froggatt (Anna in Downton Abbey), and I just didn’t want it to end. Gorgeous writing, amazing ability to juggle timelines in a way that brought the reader along. I’m sure it’s a great read, but for me it was also a great listen. Highly recommended!
I love (and envy) Kate Morton’s writing, so I will probably always read anything she writes. This story was wonderful as usual, but it was a bit harder to get into than her others–and maybe a little too long. Nevertheless, the classic Kate Morton elements were there to draw me on: a rich past full of mystery, a wonderful house haunted by time, a full cast of interesting characters, a satisfying conclusion.
I quickly became hooked on the story, although at times it was hard to follow. The narrative, set in England, frequently changed viewpoints, as well as timeframe, switching back and forth between present and the past. This haunting mystery offers a unique premise, with no tidy resolution, but the attentive reader won’t need everything spelled out. Recommended for those who love an intriguing puzzle and unique characters.
A very well-written, convoluted plot which as the pieces drop together, I enjoyed the read more and more. Extremely clever, Ms Morton! Kudos!