Almost finished - enjoy reading it and will recommend to customers who like multi layered story lines.

I'm a big Kate Morton fan, and I enjoyed this novel, but it wasn't one of my favorites. I liked the character of the Clockmaker's Daughter, and the reveal of what happened to her was interesting, but it felt like there was a lot of extra information in between. Also, Kate Morton usually does such a great job of weaving the past and present together, but all of a sudden in the middle of the novel the present -day story disappears, and it barely gets resolved at the end. I'm probably being a bit overly critical just because of how much I usually love Kate Morton's books. I still enjoyed it and would recommend it to historical fiction fans!

There is no denying that Kate Morton is an incredible and amazing author - she is one of my all-time favorites. Her attention to detail is unsurpassed. The way she pulls you in and brings everything to life with her descriptive and lyrical prose, is mesmerizing.

The star of this vast undertaking for me, was not The Clockmaker's Daughter, but Birchwood Manor, the old, mysterious, fascinating home that ties all the pieces together. This is a story that spans 150 years, so there are several pov's and time frames. Maybe that is why it sometimes got a little muddled for me. Ultimately, this is a story of relationships - great love, loss, regret and even guilt.

Although this is not my favorite Kate Morton book, it is still an amazing and beautiful story.

**Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley in exchange of an honest review.**

This was my first novel ever by Kate Morton and most definitely will not be my last.

The Clockmakers Daughter will transport its readers to the English countryside in the most spellbinding way. The story revolves around a house, that house being Birchwood Manor. Edward Radcliff, a renowned artist, purchased this Manor with the hope of summering there, but also because he has been attached to it since he was a child.

On holiday with an artistic brotherhood and their models, they set to spend the summer painting and seeking inspiration from the countryside for the latest installments. Everything turns after a storm, which leads to disappearances, a murder, and crime. Now the house is haunted by Birdie, a spirit, stuck in a purgatory state who gives her intel on every person that comes to her house and her life before death.

With a fantastic mixture of dialogue dating back from the 1800's to the present day, this bewitching novel had me hooked from the beginning. Although the story is slow paced and doesn't pick up until the middle of the book, the attention to detail in every paragraph/chapter makes it feel as though you were time traveling too and from, piecing together the truth, and intertwining the fate of all the characters and Birchwood Manor.
As the reader, I was drawn to every single character and was fully invested in how their time at the Manor linked them all together.

Thank you Atria Books for this ARC Netgalley and for the physical copy of the book! All opinions are my own.

In the summer of 1862, the creative retreat of a group of young artists at Birchwood Manor on the Upper Thames goes horribly awry. When the dust settles, the fiance of the artist Edward Radcliffe is dead and a famous diamond called the Radcliffe Blue has disappeared, as has Radcliffe’s muse, never to be heard from again. Later, Edward drowns in despair over losing his muse. A century later, Elodie Winslow, a young archivist with a story of her own, discovers a picture of one of the group in a beautiful old satchel and feels compelled to discover the story behind the items. From these threads and others, Morton seamlessly weaves the stories of several generations to reveal the magical, spellbinding truth. Morton is a master at pacing and plot, making The Clockmaker’s Daughter nothing less than a complete delight to read.

I loved this book so much. From beginning to end I was hooked. I felt a real connection with the characters and now feel a great sadness that they are gone. Kate Morton weaves such a beautiful story that made me laugh, cry and robot for underdogs everwhere. I will never stop telling the world to read everything Kate Morton.

In the summer of 1862, Edward Radcliffe, an up-and-coming young artist, takes a group of friends to the home he’s just bought in the country, next to the Thames: Birchwood Manor. An idyllic stay turns to tragedy when Edward’s fiancée is shot dead and a priceless family heirloom is reportedly stolen. Edward leaves the house and never returns; he dies an early death, never having recovered from the event.

In 2017, Elodie Winslow, an archivist, finds a leather satchel holding a sketchbook showing drawings of a twin-gabled house near a river and an old photo of a woman who is strikingly beautiful. The items transfix her — she is sure the house is the one in an old story she remembers her mother telling her as a child, even though that seems silly — and she sets out to find out more about the house and the woman.

The story of the house and the woman play out in Kate Morton’s latest novel. The spirit of the clockmaker’s daughter has lived in Birchwood Manor for more than a century, watching over it, remembering her life and her great love, and observing the people who have occasionally occupied the house with her through the decades.

The Clockmaker’s Daughter is a tale of love, of time and its passing, of connections between people and how even a house can be a living thing. As with any of Morton’s books, there’s a bit of a mystery that slowly unfolds over the course of the book: In this case, who is the clockmaker’s daughter? How did she come to haunt the house? What happened so long ago that fateful week? The answers come a bit at a time near the end.

This isn’t my favorite of Morton’s books; actually, I think it might be one of the weakest (and I’ve read all of them), but it was still a lovely read and fairly satisfying.

All the requisite pieces of a romantic historical mystery are in place for this tale of heartache and misplaced memories. Author Kate Morton has a special touch when it comes to weaving a tale of lost connections and love across the ages. Somehow this story didn’t quite engage me as much as her others have, but that could just have been me as a reader this time round. There’s plenty to engage here and I found the ending especially touching. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

I only read a few chapters of this book and I just could not get into it. But I’m going to give it a three star rating because I think that the writing is very beautiful and eloquent, but it’s the type of writing that I personally don’t have the patience for. I prefer more of a direct and faster pace storytelling style, not so much the lyrical style. There were also a lot of storylines and characters keep track of when I was getting confused very early on.

So while this book was not for me, I do think that a lot of people will really enjoy it. If you have been thinking about it and it sounds like something you would like then I say go for it.

Kate Morton is the master of story telling. Her wonderful words make you feel like you are there in London or in the countryside at Birchwood Manor. We meet Edward and Lily. Edward is a painter and wants to paint Lily. He falls in love with her even though he's engaged to be married to Fanny Brown. There is a wonderful cast of characters including Edwards two sisters, Clare and Lucy. Lucy adores Edward. The characters intertwine into families through the years. You have folk lore, love, family, lies and deception. Who is Lily and where does she disappear to? Morton is the master at wonderful plot twists that will keep you guessing until the shocking ending. A must read for 2018.

The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton is charming read revolving around a house and it's visitors for 150 years. It opens with Elodie Winslow, who is an archivist employed to organize and catalogue the writings and artifacts of James Stratton, a businessman and philanthropist from the middle to late nineteenth century, London. One day a box is found in an unused cloakroom, where it decidedly did not belong. Elodie fetches it and as she begins to explore it she comes upon a leather case, but it is what is inside with which she connects: a small photographic portrait and a sketchbook. The sketchbook contains a drawing of a how her mother had described when she was a child, as part of a favorite bedtime story. It captured Elodie as few things ever did, despite her love for her job.

The book begins to unfold with stories of people who lived in the house over the years, or visited it. Elodie became so entranced that she took the small, framed photo to share with her friend, Pippa, who was designing Elodie's wedding dress. Pippa snaps a photo with her phone and shares it with her mentor, who gives Pippa an photograph she had taken many years before: one of Elodie's mother, who was a famous musician before she was killed, and another musician, a friend.

Morton did a masterful job weaving so many lives, over so may years, into a coherent story, touching Elodie and changing her life. The stories are heart-rending: Edward Radcliffe, the painter who owned the house early in the story; Juliet, Elodie' great-grandmother, and her son, Tip, Elodie's great uncle, who had lives in the house when they had fled from London during WW II; Lily Millington, who had lain dead in the house for so long that her ghost came to inhabit it; Mrs. Hammet, the owner of the localinn who had inherited a priceless treasure and yet, had no idea of its worth .

What a wonderful book. The best sort of mystery, weaving stories together, lives together, until it all makes sense in the end. I couldn't recommend it more highly.

I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and impartial review. #theclockmakersdaughter #netgalley

This story centers around an impassioned artist and his dreams, a mysterious murder, an enchanting English manor and all that went on their throughout its many years, a ghost that stands outside of time witness to it all, a vanished girl, an archivist and her discovery of a priceless artifacts, and how what went on there all those years ago effects who she is today.

In the past, the 1860’s to be exact, this story begins with a talented artist, Edward Radcliffe, and a group of artists that spend a summer at the house of his dreams, Birchwood Manor. But shortly after arriving, a mysterious murder is committed, a priceless artifact disappears, and one of the women vanishes. A hundred years later in the present an archivist named Elodie finds a satchel which contains an unrelated photograph and a sketchbook that contains a drawing of Birchwood Manor. As she digs deeper into the mystery, she is pulled into a story that has her questioning her past and who she truly is. This story is also narrated by a ghost, Birdie, the clockmaker’s daughter, that stands witness to it all. This beautiful atmospheric mystery spans the length of time, and is told by the many voices and people all living within and around the Manor’s walls.

Before I go any further, first, let me say this. Kate Morton is the master of atmospheric beautiful Gothic mysteries and I am a big fan of hers and have loved every one of her past books. Her intricate and deeply rooted stories, her beautiful prose, and her enchanting settings, are the reasons why she is simply one of the best in her genre. That being said, this work, was a bit of a disappointment. While all the elements of what I love about Kate Morton’s books were there; an intricate story steeped in history, an old vast English manor with a secret or two to hide within its walls, old families with long pedigrees, a family mystery, an enchanting setting, this book fell short for me mainly because of its intricacy and complexity. I also believe the ending was a bit weak. I really wanted to love it, I just couldn’t.

Morton, I believe, really attempted to tell a challenging story, but simply had to many voices trying to tell it. While I like a good duel timeline novel, this one, with at least four voices and timelines was simply to much. There were times that, because of how she bounced around among the numerous timelines, when I got completely lost in which timeline I was following. This combined with how many characters and voices there were throughout the novel, made the story overall a whole lot less enjoyable. I’ll admit, this story took me a good while to get through and I do recommend, if reading this, keeping a list of who everyone is and which timeline goes where. It’s definitely a book you have to think through. That being said the story itself was beautiful and it makes me wonder, if it wouldn’t be better as an audio book where each of the voices are sounded out. Overall a 2.5-3 star read for me. However, if you are a Kate Morton fan and if you love atmospheric Gothic mysteries, I wouldn’t count this one out, I would still give this one a go, just maybe as an audio book. Pick up your copy today!

Thank you to Netgalley, Atria books, and Simon and Schuster for a DRC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Have you ever come across an old photograph, say from the last century or earlier, and been haunted by it? I certainly have, in gazing at Victorian era photos in my family or of my family's friends. I've been haunted by a photo of my great-grandmother's sister Margo, beautiful in a white dress with elegant puffed sleeves, her hair up, looking the very picture of a Gibson girl. Who was this woman? What was her life like? If you've ever had a similar experience, The Clockmaker's Daughter is a story sure to engage you.

This is my first foray into the work of Kate Morton. (Yes, I'm late to the shelf!) I was intrigued by the synopsis of the book and its interplay between the present, WWII, and a Victorian era past, and the interplay of art, music and mystery. In all honesty I went in expecting historiographic metafiction, like that in A. S. Byatt's Possession, where in this case an archivist's research into a recently discovered sketchbook and photograph would be the entrée to the Victorian era story of a fictional artist and his muse. I wasn't disappointed in that expectation, though there is a lot more going on in this story than a Elodie, the archivist, being haunted by the mystery of Edward Radcliffe and his "Lily." Morton has developed an almost Dickensian backstory for Lily and the large host of characters in this lengthy novel. The reader gets clued in to one aspect of the story early on when there is the apparent anachronism of a character watching a man use a mobile phone in the wrong century. I won't say more than that, since there would be spoilers. But there is romance, a stolen jewel, murder, a mysterious manor, and a complex web linking the present day (Elodie Winslow and her family) to the past (Edward, Lily, and their families).

At times I felt I was getting lost in the narrative of all these characters, a few of whose presences felt evanescent. In some respects I felt the book should either have been more tightly edited, or should have been longer to clearly resolve the fate of some characters. I also confess that I had to make a character diagram, to keep everyone straight. No harm in that, though!

This is an enjoyable, albeit lengthy, read that should appeal to lovers of historical or literary mysteries.


I received a Digital Review Copy from Atria Books, along with a paper review copy, in exchange for an honest review.

Kate Morton is queen of the British historical mystery, and so I leapt at the chance to read and review The Clockmaker’s Daughter. My thanks go to Net Galley and Atria Books. This book will be available October 9, 2018.

This story starts strong with a spellbinding first person narrative told by the woman whose spirit resides eternally at Birchwood Manor. She came here with Edward, a wellborn cad that “could make the very devil pray”, one that called her his muse. Edward seduced her, yes, but he would never have married her.

Elodie Winslow is an archivist in present-day London. In the course of her duties, she runs across two pictures in a leather satchel. One is a photograph, quite old, and the other is a sketch of a house that seems familiar to her somehow. And so of course, faithful readers are cued right away to watch for a connection between Elodie, and the people, setting, and events that are introduced at the book’s beginning.

Find me a writer that can create more resonant settings in a British historical mystery; I dare you. For the first quarter of this novel, I was in it, steeping in the escapist paradise Morton provides, drinking in the several characters and narratives. But at the thirty percent mark, when yet another new thread, another new character—or is it an old character pretending to be a new character—is introduced, I find myself searching for a nice brick wall to smack my forehead against. It’s hard to get to know any of these characters with so many new ones added.

Usually with Morton’s books, the details and subsections are worth the reader’s careful attention because it all comes together so well at the end. Here, there’s excellent setting and a lot of secrets but not enough plot or character development, and so before the story is even halfway done I find myself eyeing the page numbers. How much longer…?

I also find myself wondering what story elements are classic, and which are simply overused. The old house with the secret doors? I will never get tired of this element, especially when the writer is as capable as Morton. But bullies at a boarding school—meh. I am ready to be done with that one. And the sack of kittens to be drowned? I gave myself permission to skip a page, because it is. Not. Worth. It.

Many of Morton’s faithful fans will be pleased; her trademark style is unmistakable, and if that’s what you want, here it is. But a story this complex needs more legs to go with it, and less reliance on stale devices.

Am I done reading Morton? Not by a long shot. Every author has a story or two that isn’t magical. But when a story requires this much effort on the part of the reader, the payoff needs to be greater than it is here.

Told in dual storylines, the first is set in 1862. Edward Radcliffe, an esteemed artist, organizes a group of other young artists to holiday at Birchwood Manor on the Thames. Their objective is to laze away the summer among inspiration and exercising their creativity. What happens instead is a murder, a disappearance, and a missing heirloom.

In the present, Elodie Winslow is an archivist living in London. She runs across two items that she cannot shake, a photograph of an alluring woman and a drawing of a house on a river. Somehow Elodie feels connected to these objects. But how?

I’m a fan of Kate Morton. It started with The Forgotten Garden and never ended. Her books are long, they are in rich in details, and it takes some time to wade through; but the experience is like wading through the most pristine, sheer tropical blue waters, enveloped in glorious details that enrich the story and do not detract or weigh down (or push back) the delight.

It especially takes some time for the pieces of The Clockmaker’s Daughter to take shape and fall in line. But when they do, the pace quickens, and the story is as engaging as one would hope. It’s a murder mystery with wholesome and resonant themes of love and loss. Someone special, alluded to in the synopsis, witnessed all that has happened at Birchwood Manor over the years. She knows its harbored secrets and its most seductive love. The writing is insightful and unforgettable (many passages to highlight!). Will Birchwood Manor ever shed its shroud of secrets?

Thank you to Atria Books for the physical copy. I was absolutely elated to receive a copy in the mail! All opinions are my own.

I read this sublime book with five book friends: Melisa, Holly, Berit, Mackenzie, and Kendall. What an experience it was!

As usual, Kate Morton has delivered a quality literary experience with The Clockmaker's Daughter. She intricately weaves a plot spanning more than a century and develops each of her characters with such care, so that readers understand their motivations and, in Birdie's case especially, feel a part of their spirit and experiences. I was engrossed in the story from the first page and felt truly invested in the outcome of the story; however, even when I thought that I had put all of the pieces together, Morton still found a way to pull the rug out from under me in the final chapters producing a denouement that was both compelling and elegant. I've been waiting for this book's release since I finished reading The Lake House nearly three years ago. I can honestly say this was worth the wait!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing early access to an electronic copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

You know you’re a baller when your name is bigger than the title🙌🤗

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<b>When the queen writes it, you read it.</b>

Kate Morton is my number one favorite author - I have read every one of her books and will read her grocery list if I had the option. She is the author I recommend above anyone else. Her lyrical, magical writing is a thing of beauty and such a gift. I admire her tremendously.

Admittedly, this is not my favorite of Ms. Morton’s (may I recommend The Secret Keeper and The Lake House), but is still a beautiful masterpiece. I admire not only the exquisite writing but also the attention to detail and great amount of historical research, oftentimes seeped in tragedy, that clearly goes into her books.

If you are a fan of historical fiction, look no further. Kate Morton is your gal.

4.5 stars

Thank you to Atria for my advance copy. This book is now available!

How to describe a book like The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton? The story itself is delicate, like spun sugar. It is timeless, not bound by a single story thread, but comprised of a tangle of threads that weave backwards and forwards like the winding of a clock. In that way, The Clockmaker’s Daughter couldn’t have a more perfect titular figure and motif.

I found this book to be thought-provoking and haunting, but not in the way you’d expect. There is a ghost, of course. But this book is haunting in the way a beloved place can be haunting. The feeling that the moment you return to the place, all of your memories and the memories of others flood back, and you’re surrounded by everything that place has experienced. At its core, that is what I’d say The Clockmaker’s Daughter is about.

About the Book

My real name no one remembers.
The truth about that summer no one knows.

In 1862 a group of artists arrive at newly purchased Birchwood Manor on the banks of the upper Thames river. Owner and artist Edward Radcliffe has found his passion, his muse. He steals her away to the house for the summer, desperate to produce the best work of his life. But the summer ends in tragedy—a murder that remains mysterious through history. The disappearance of Edward’s muse coincidentally timed with the absence of a family heirloom. A man left shattered, unable to put his life back together…

Nearly 150 years later archivist Elodie Winslow is working in London when she discovers a mysterious, beautiful satchel. Inside the satchel is an artists’ sketchbook, filled with page after page of drawings of a beautiful, twin-gabled, river-side country manor. And it also contains a photograph of a beautiful woman. Elodie can’t shake the familiarity she experiences when seeing the sketchbook and photo. She knows this house. She’s heard stories about this house her whole life. And she must find out who the woman is…

Weaving the 150 years in between Edward and Elodie are a series of stories, seemingly unrelated save for one thing in common—the house. Now, a house haunted by scandal and tragedy becomes a haven for so many people who are lost along the way. And a mysterious presence lurks in the house, connecting with those who are open to receiving it.

“Do you believe in ghosts, Mr. Gilbert?”
“I believe a man can find himself haunted.”

Reflection

This book to me marked a new iteration of Kate Morton’s writing. She has always been outstanding, gifted with words and sentences, telling tales of love that break the boundaries of time. But this book has something incredibly different but no less mesmerizing about it. The settings and story threads are enchanting, and I fell in love with each resident of the Birchwood Manor in turn. But there’s a melancholy to this book that pulls you into it. This is a house that exists as a beacon to those who are lost. Their time at the house is happy, but not free from pain and loss.

If the description I’ve given is confusing, let me be more clear about the book. Though marketed as a book about a mystery, I’d say this book is actually about a house and those who harbor there to wear out their personal storms. From the mysterious woman in the photo who is at the house in 1862 to Elodie in present times, there are a string of residents with their own stories.

This book may feel difficult to grasp at times, like water slipping through your fingers. But I promise that all becomes intricately woven and not a single character or scene will go unaccounted for. The ending is tragic and uplifting and heart-warming. All of the stories fit together perfectly, and what seemed a tangled unconnected mess will become a seamless thread, weaving you back and forth through time. You’ll gain the all-knowing glow that surrounds our titular character, as she explores the manor, connecting with each person who arrives.

A beautiful story that explores the memories a place can hold, and the stories that come both before we arrive, and long after we depart. This is a perfect vacation read, when the reader has the freedom to let the story transport them away from their life and to the grounds of Birchwood Manor.

Book Bestie Approved

This was a book read with the Book Besties. It took us each on our own journey, and we all had our moment of connection with the story at a different point. It was such a lovely book to have as a group read, and I encourage others to read it with their favorite book-loving friend, or with a book club. There’s so much richness to this story that deserves conversation.

I didn’t finish this book. I found there were too many characters, it was confusing. Overall the book just didn’t grab me. I tried.

A beautifully told story about a house, a love, and a ghost....

This is my third Kate Morton book and just as her previous books were this book was a slow burn... some books are a quick little getaway this book was a journey... The journey of a house and it’s ghost, through many decades and many eyes.... an old-fashioned love story, a contemporary mystery, and so much inbetween... This story really is like a complicated and beautiful weaving... at the beginning there are so many threads none of them seeming to be connected.... but as Kate Morton begins to work the loom and weave the story together, a beautiful picture is formed... just remember when you pick this book up sometimes weaving takes some patients and effort, but the end result is so worth it!

A love story, a ghost story, a murder, a theft, a complex plot.... this book is crammed full of interesting characters with interesting lives and if I’m being completely honest sometimes we did not get to explore those lives as thoroughly as I would have liked.... The two constant characters in this book were unlikely, the house and the ghost... both were extremely engaging and intriguing, and both had a story of their own... and as the characters traveled in and out of this house through time we really saw them through the eyes of the House and the ghost... an extremely well done go story, it will make you a believer, it really was never over the top.... a perfect addition to an October read....

As much as I appreciated this book when I finished... I have to admit it was a little tough to get into in the beginning... there are a lot of characters and it seemed a little jarring and disjointed, but I had to trust... trust that Kate Morton would bring this all together and at about 30% she really did, The picture began to come together.... and at the end of the book it was quite an exquisite picture indeed!

Absolutely recommend to fans of this author and to those of you who have the patience and passion for a complex book that spans many lives and a century and a half ...

*** A huge thank you to Atria for my copy ***