I was so excited for a new Kate Morton book because I just love her writing, but I must admit I am underwhelmed with this book. Though Morton has a wonderful way with words, this book had so many characters with similar "voices" and so many time periods that I was having trouble knowing who was narrating and which "story" I was reading about. While there were some really engaging parts, a lot of the book rambled on. I found the book easy to put down and difficult to pick back up...and I only kept on because I like this author.

This is a literary tapestry. It has been woven with care, intertwining lives and emotions over time and places to create a marvelous whole for the reader. The mysterious muse with no name and the archivist gone rouge were my favorite characters. I love how the whole experience starts with incorrectly stored archival material (a valise and a sketchbook). These items spur a young archivist's curiosity and we are off on another Kate Morton journey.

It took me a while to get into this book, but once I did, found it thoroughly enjoyable. Giving it four stars, though that's a round up from about 3.5, only because I had more trouble than I expected with the flipping between settings/time periods. Knew it would be worth it to persevere.

When I started reading, The Clockmaker's Daughter, I thought it was slow going and a little confusing. There are many characters and the story moves across time. It's a mystery, a mystery involving a valuable jewel, murder, a missing person, love, loss and art. As I continued on in the story, the characters became more clearly visible, engaging and everything came together nicely in the end. I have read a few books by this author and this was not my favorite, however, I did like it. This book took me quite awhile to read, it's not a story you will zip through.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Atria Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

An intriguing and intricate mystery about a missing diamond, a ghost, an artist and a dead fiancee that spans almost 100 years.

By the time I finished the book, I really liked it, but there were many times I almost gave up. The story switches back and forth in time and there are many characters in each time period. There were moments of confusion since there were few markers indicating who was talking and in which time period the action was taking place. Only when the ghost "spoke" (since her moments were in first person) was it clear who was the focus.

By the end, however, all characters and their relationships had become clear and we are left with a love story/mystery that is a satisfying read. It's not the best book I've read this year, but the writing is lovely and the characters are actually endearing. All in all, a fine book that should especially appeal to fans of art related fiction since there are many references to late 19th and early 20th century art and photography with some science and literature thrown in.

I'm a longtime Kate Morton fan and this one does not disappoint. I couldn't put it down. The scenery detail for Birchwood Manor was perfectly done, and the repetition of place and its meaning was lovely.

I wish with all my heart that I could give this book more stars, but it simply doesn't live up to Morton's other novels. This sprawling story is hard to even describe, because it's chock full of characters, time periods, and places. While jumping back and forth across history is usually an aspect I love most about Morton's work, in this instance it was too much. I was left wanting more from each character, which is ironic considering it felt like it took AGES to read this one. I wish she could have pared down the number of characters and concentrated instead on creating well-rounded stories for them.

The book focuses on Birchwood Manor, a country house that seems to be a magical place of safety and security. However, after a young woman is murdered and a family jewel is lost, we spend the entire book waiting for the big reveal about what actually happened that day. Unfortunately, the reveal is rather unimpressive and the circumstances surrounding the murder of the girl and death of another character don't quite add up. After an enormous buildup, there are still a few important points left unexplained.

Do yourself a favor and go read literally any of Morton's other novels because they're all wonderful. The Clockmaker's Daughter just doesn't quite meet her usual standards.

Kate Morton wows readers with The Clockmaker's Daughter, a gothic gem of historical fiction. Morton cleverly frames her novel with a ghost's narration, taking readers back to the summer of 1862 when Edward Radcliffe, brilliant young artist, invites his fellow members of the Magenta Brotherhood to his bewitching house on the banks of the upper Thames, Birchwood. But a quiet summer does not a good story make, so the idyllic interlude shatters when one woman is shot dead, another goes missing, and a family heirloom jewel disappears, leaving Edward's life ruined.

Fast forward to the present when archivist Elodie Winslow discovers an old leather satchel containing an old photograph of a beautiful woman and a sketchbook with a drawing of an oddly familiar house. Why does Elodie feel so drawn to the house in the sketch? Who is the woman in the photograph?

The story of Birchwood and, ultimately, the fateful summer of 1862 is intriguingly told by various narrators connected to the house through time. Morton explores the importance of place, the purposes of art and story, and the fluid nature of time, but mostly she tells a ripping good story that captures the imagination. Her fans will not be disappointed in her new novel, and she stands to gain many new readers with her tale of art, love, and loss. #TheClockmaker'sDaughter #NetGalley

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an egalley of this book in exchange for my honest review.

*The Clockmaker's Daughter* by Kate Morton is one of those books that is seeped in mystery and though it goes slowly it keeps you wanting more.

This story centers around a centuries old mystery and the many lives that intertwine over the years to add something to the overall story. It begins with Elodie, an archivist finding a old satchel with a sketchbook and a mysterious picture of a woman inside. She is drawn to the picture and the sketches and determines to find out where they are from and their connection.

This is the first book by Kate Morton that I have read and it will not be my last. I loved how it wasn't fast paced but still kept you wanting to read more. I would recommend this book to fans of historical fiction and mystery as well.


I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

I received an advanced reading copy of this title through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I usually do not read a book based on recommendations from others. This book however has been raved about by many that I share reading habits with. The synopsis intrigued me and I was not disappointed. This book was compelling right from the very first page. To put it simply, it was beautifully written. The story unravels throughout multiple time periods and multiple characters. The reader does have to pay attention to the timeline and the narrator at any given moment to truly follow the story. While one might think it is a typical rags to riches story, it isn't. Morton crafts an intricately woven story about choices, relationships, and consequences. Anyone who loves a good gothic style mystery will want to read this book.

The Clockmaker's Daughter is the latest novel by Kate Morton that centers around a murder mystery that occurred in the 19th century in England in a stately manor house. A present day archivist stumbles across a sketchbook and photograph that leads the story back to the manor and a ghost that has been trapped . in the house ever since the murder took place. The tale is often told through the perspective of the ghost as she observes the comings and goings f people throughout the years. All of the characters are connected in some way and all pass through the house at some point. The mystery of the ghost is solved before the end of the book and the author takes time to wrap things up neatly.

This story spans generations and is comprised of love stories, tragedies, misguided actions with the intersecting point an amazing house. The house is alternately a creative retreat, a place of respite and merely a place to shelter. All entwined with just enough mystique to engage even the most practical. Kate Morton has crafted a masterpiece of literary entertainment. Any fan of a great story and exquisite writing needs to read this book.

THE CLOCKMAKER’S DAUGHTER – Kate Morton
Atria Books
ISBN-10: 1451649398
ISBN-13: 978-1451649390
October, 2018
Historical Mystery

Oxfordshire and London, England – 1862 to 2017

This story is multi-faceted, so very hard to define. It is about the past and how it gets lost but can still affect the future. A strong theme about time and its meaning runs through the story line, which gives factual information, rumor, and superstition about an event that happened in 1862. Several stories of love and friendship and how they affect everyone evolve throughout the story.

Artist Edward Radcliffe felt compelled to purchase Birchwood Manor located on a unique bend in the Thames River, a place legend already claimed had a supernatural history. In 1862 he invited friends from his artists group, the Magenta Brotherhood, along with his sisters and some models including Lily Millington, for a month at the manor. Before the month is up, Edward’s fiancée is murdered, a very valuable family heirloom is missing, and a mystery is developing. The narrator of this story is a ghost who inhabits Birchwood Manor, the clockmaker’s daughter whose father nicknamed her Birdy, but she was using the pseudonym of Lily in the summer of 1862. According to the official record, she stole the artifact and escaped with the man who murdered Edward’s fiancée.

As a ghost she has a perfect memory of events during and after her life. She introduces to the reader those who have stayed at the manor since her arrival, and reminisces about her life and the events that take place at Birchwood Manor throughout the years. Some of the visitors she finds interesting, and over time she learns how to influence them. Some of those visitors give narrations about their stay at the manor. People like Lucy Radcliffe, Edward’s younger sister, who was with Edward that eventful summer. She inherits Birchwood Manor and turns it into a girls’ school, which introduces Ada to Birdy; of course, Birdy remembers Lucy. Then Leonard Gilbert, a WWI soldier still suffering after that war’s end, who finds peace at Birchwood researching about Edward and the murder that took place there. And Juliet, a journalist, who brought her three children to the safety of Birchwood after her home was bombed in London in WWII.

In 2017 Elodie Winslow works as an archivist for documents of James Stratton, a London philanthropist during the last part of the 19th century. She is also reluctantly planning her wedding to a financier who she suspects loves the music and famous reputation of her deceased mother more than her. At work she finds some strange artifacts in a closet, a photo of one of artist Edward Radcliffe’s models and his drawing satchel which contains a sketch book. A drawing in the sketch book sparks a memory of a story Elodie’s mother told her. She has other reasons regarding her mother to visit Birchwood, too. At Birchwood she meets Jack, supposedly staying there as an artist in residence, Birchwood Manor now under the guidance of the Art Historian’s Association.

All of the people and all of the events sooner or later are connected to each other and to the ghost Birdy. THE CLOCKMAKER’S DAUGHTER defies genre. It is a story with supernatural and suspense elements, a 150 year old murder mystery, a historical romance and a contemporary one. A beguiling read.
Robin Lee

What I wouldn't give to forget I read this book so I could read it again. Kate Morton is a phenomenal writer and she never fails to spin a tale that spans decades and families.

From the Victorian age, WWII, and the present, The Clockmaker's Daughter is a powerful novel of love, family, forgiveness, mystery and so much more.

I just loved it so much!!

Disappointing as I liked both the cover and the premise. There were so many characters that it was hard to keep track of them all, and the story meandered.

Morton's book does a great job of depicting the world of late nineteenth century British artists as well as some of the socio-economic factors that impacted the lives of people living in the period. The author also does a nice job of interconnecting stories centered around a country house with a mysterious past. Some of the stories, which take place against a century of local and global events, are fleshed out more than others, though, and some ends are left loose at the end of the book, which may be disappointing to some readers. The general uneven quality of the book makes it a recommendation more for fans of Morton's other work, and for those looking for a romance with a tinge of the supernatural, than for true aficionados of historical fiction.

This is very different than Kate Morton's previous novels. On the one hand, I love that she's trying something new, and her writing is incredible (as always). On the other hand, it's not quite what I was expecting and I found the story a little slow and difficult to become invested in. The story is a meditation on the concept of time and place, with the one constant character being a ghost who is a silent witnesses to the lives of those who inhabit the house after her (covering a time span of around 150 years). Since the novel jumps back and forth in time with each chapter switching to a different person's story (each in a different era), it took me much longer to settle into the novel than I would have liked. I think I was about 40% through the book before I really took an interest in what was happening with any of these characters, and even then there were some whose stories just never connected with me at all. Not all of the characters/time periods felt necessary to bring the story full circle, so I just wish it was more cohesive. Even though this book didn't really connect with me, though, it is still very impressive that Kate Morton is able to experiment with her story telling in this way. I can't wait to see how she continues to develop as a writer.

Morton is a master at linking the present to the past and her latest read expounds upon that talent in full-force. In present-day London, Elodie Winslow, an archivist at Stratton, Cadwell & Co., has made an intriguing find. While searching through a box previously stored in an unused cloakroom where she works, she discovers an old leather satchel once belonging to James W. Stratton in 1861. Inside the satchel is a photograph and a sketchbook complete with sketches of a river, woods, and twin-gabled house. As Elodie searches for the identity of the woman in the photograph, she recalls a bedtime story her deceased mother used to tell her which reminds her of the sketches.

Interspersed with Elodie’s efforts at investigating how the women in the picture connects to the home in her bedtime stories is the revelation of the past as told by a ghostly presence at Birchwood Manor, the country home once belonging to Edward Radcliffe, a Pre-Raphealite artist whose fiancé was murdered when his model and muse Lily Millington allegedly ran off with a family heirloom.

As Lily, the ghostly presence, tells not only her story but that of the residents at Birchwood Manor over the decades since she stayed there, the connection between Lily and Elodie is revealed in a exacting and careful manner, keeping the reader’s attention until the final conclusion which is just as riveting as this magnificently crafted read.

https://wordpress.com/post/sherimelnick.wordpress.com/661

Never having read one of Morton's books before I was excited to be able to read her new one in advance. I may have to go back and read another one. While it was very well written I found it to be a little too complex. The number of characters led to confusion and a slower pace than it could've been. Still an interesting story. Great addition to the books coming out this fall. A great cool weather read

Kate Morton knows how to write a story!!!! Ive read every book she has written since the release of House at Riverton in 2005 (this was actually my first book seller pick!!) Sometimes multiple characters and storylines becomes cumbersome and confusing not with Morton's novels. I adored this novel and would love to visit this manor.

reminds me of the Bronte sisters. a mysterious feel. going to be perfect to reread on a crisp fall night.