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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In the year 1862, a group of artists gather at Birchwood Manor at the request of Edward Radcliffe one summer to create beautiful works of art without the prying eyes of London. By the end of the summer, there’s a murder, missing artwork, theft and a disappearance.
Archivist Elodie discovers historical artifacts in modern London. The more she stares at the aged photograph, the curiouser she becomes. Who is this woman and why does she feel such a connection to Birchwood Manor? She’s determined to get to the bottom of this mystery, even if it means uncovering hidden secrets within her own family.
The Clockmaker’s Daughter is a historical mystery teeming with captivating characters, intricate twists and turns not to mention a group of artists escaping to an oasis in the country. While I enjoyed the multiple POVs, I found the transitions too quick and choppy. The mystery, however, kept me invested until the very end.
If you’re a fan of Kate Morton and/or historical mystery, you’ve got to read this book!
Disclaimer: I received an ARC from Simon & Schuster Canada/Atria Books via Netgalley in the hopes I’d review it.
Favorite Character/Quote: This was the proposal that he made: an entire summer month of paint and poetry and picnics, of stories and science and invention. Of light, heaven-sent. Away from London, away from prying eyes. Little wonder that the others accepted with alacrity. Edward could make the very devil pray, if such were his desire.
The Clockmaker’s Daughter is the first book by Kate Morton that I’ve read even though she has been on my radar for awhile. I love historical fiction so I had high expectations for The Clockmaker’s Daughter and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is an exquisitely written tale of murder, love, and loss, set mostly in the artistic world of Victorian era. There are multiple timelines with a lot of different perspectives, all united by an enchanted old house, The Birchwood Manor, and what happened there during the fateful summer of 1862.
I was invested in some characters and timelines more then others. I loved reading about Elodie, our present day heroine, who discovers a lost sketchbook, full of unfinished drawings, together with an old photograph of a beautiful young woman. I also loved reading about Lucy, Edward Radcliffe’s younger sister. And I loved Birdie’s chapters most of all. I loved reading about Edward and Lily, the artist and his muse, through Birdie’s eyes. I found some other timelines and characters less interesting but they were all important pieces of the puzzle, revealed piece by piece by the end. The Clockmaker’s Daughter was hard to put down and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves historical fiction.
Enjoyed it a lot.
I have read all of Kate Morton’s books.This is my new favorite. The way she ties all the characters together is amazing. I can’t wait until her next book.
First, let me tell you what I liked! Morton is a master at weaving together disparate story lines into a compelling whole. And when the REAL main character is a HOUSE, giving it a voice by giving it a ghost is brilliant.
That said, there were some issues that kept me from absolutely loving this book. First, the way the ghost becomes a ghost is just silly. How THAT could have happened to a bright, vivacious young woman in the prime of life is too much of a stretch. I kept thinking there would be an additional twist, but no, it really was that . . . weak. Second, while I don’t need to have every thread tied, Morton left too many hanging at the end. She steers the reader to draw certain conclusions, but I would REALLY have liked some closure on another story or two. It might have alleviated the frustration over the ghost!
Still, Morton inevitably pulls me in with her delightful writing and enchanting characters. I’m still hoping to read more from her down the road!
Elodie Winslow is about to be married. However, she is distracted from her wedding preparations by a box she has just discovered in an old cloakroom above the archive office where she works. In it she finds a sketchbook and an old satchel. Drawings, in the sketchbook, of an old house, seem so familiar to her. They are drawings of a house of which her mother used to tell her mystical stories when she was a child.
Flash back to a story narrated to us by an unknown and unnamed narrator, going by the nickname of Birdie, the clockmaker’s daughter, about a summer in 1862 spent in that house by a group of artists. This summer was meant to be a peaceful one, but it ended in a murder, a missing family heirloom, and the end of a dazzling love affair.
This is an amazing tale, told in various stories by characters of various times, weaving in and out of each other’s lives, all bound by this special house. I love this book. A movie based on this book would be amazing!
I read this book in two days. I could not put it down!
Many threads can easily get confusing but come together in the end. I had to go back and reread parts to see how I missed some of the pieces.
This is my favorite Kate Morton book to date … and I’ve loved every one of her novels. I originally purchased the audiobook. It was such a magical experience! As soon as I reached the end of the audio, I immediately purchased the ebook and reread the whole thing.
Let me say on the onset that I did enjoy this book. It held my interest with it’s story but…at times, it was hard to follow the characters. I do like stories that cover many characters and time frames but I found this one just a bit hard to follow at times. The stories all came together in the end but I did have to go back in the book and remind myself of what happened at what point. Maybe less jumping around in time would have helped.
First, I will say that I listened to this book, so my experience may be jaded by the excellent performance. I loved the way this author played with time throughout this novel, giving us bits and pieces in one time period before shifting to another one while holding my attention. It was an entertaining and delightful listen. I kept giving myself excuses to be able to listen to the next part. (I listen while folding laundry, driving, doing household chores etc. The house was particularly clean that week!)
A bit long and slow for my taste but compelling enough story that I had to finish it. The characters were well drawn but a lot to keep track of for a fictional book. The images created of the English countryside where the story primarily takes place were gorgeous and will stay with me. The story was well put together though you got an inkling of where it was going fairly early and I read the last third of the book hoping desperately that I was wrong. I enjoyed learning about the Magenta group.
I found the characters deep, intriguing, and only sometimes predictable. Their connection/ties to eachother took me by surprise. I very much enjoyed my first Kate Morton novel. I will definitely be seeking more of her work.
You must take notes to follow this storyline, but well worth it. 5 time periods and many characters. Very interesting story!
I enjoyed it and plan to reread it as my reading time was interrupted and I want to read it continuously.
Great read
There was not a lot of deep content in this book but it was a very enjoyable read–all 650 pages of it. This is a Gothic romance in the style of Rebecca or The Woman in White. In fact, some of the content is not terribly original (a large blue diamond–ala Titanic movie), a mysterious woman in white (ala Wilkie Collins) and a haunted English manor (ala everybody). However, the characters were engaging and I loved their eventually revealed connections to the house and to one another, although they existed in a timespan of over 150 years. At first, it can seem a little disconcerting, jumping from era to era, from location to location, and from person to person but all is revealed and tied together in a very satisfying way. Another good addition to Kate Morton’s list.
I loved the way Ms Morton intertwined the characters through the decades. The way the details of the characters lives mingled together. Each time I thought I knew what was going to happen, it turned into another twist. I did not want the book to end. Great character building.
I love the stories that takes place in two different times, past and present and how things of the past find the characters of the present.
Magical and Complex. Talk about getting lost in a book! I sure did. But if there is an atmospheric book to get lost in, one with a gothic old house, and a ghost with a story that just teases and continues to lure, this is it. There were multiple characters, many having his own story, and while trying to keep track of everyone and guess at the possible connections, I hope I didn’t miss too much. The mystery of the murder was intriguing and how that built, but I thought the eventuality of that disclosure, as well as the fate of the priceless heirloom, could have used a little more imagination. Still, a gothic delight!