The Clockmaker’s Wife

I wasn't expecting this to be a bit of a thriller! It added just enough to make this book amazing!
This book had a slow start but quickly picked up. I love the dual timelines. Amazing writing Daisy it was simply amazing I'm telling ya! Y'all this book is amazing.

It’s been a while since I’ve read a good historical fiction and man did this hit the spot! If you’re a fan of things like The Huntress by Kate Quinn or The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, this one’s for you. It has all the great aspects of those novels from connecting multiple timelines to strong female leads, but it’s a much faster read! Just when I thought I managed to make it through a WWII novel without crying, the ending had me shedding a few tears. I also loved that it was set in London, which isn’t typically the first place that comes to mind for a book like this. BRB, while I plan my next trip abroad...

What a wonderful book!
The Clockmaker's Wife is an exquisitely crafted, well researched immersive look at historical events surrounding World War II and the Blitz in London, England. It brings to life events of the age in a way that mere facts and figures can never accomplish, with spellbinding descriptions and heartbreaking consequences.
Daisy Wood uses intricate storytelling to span the stories of two different generations, the misconceptions some suffer from, and the healing that learning the truth can bring. She features complex and intriguing characters that pull you into the story and never let go.

I really really enjoyed this book. It's a work of historical fiction, and the author states from the beginning that the plot is completely fiction just set in WW2. The book alternates from 1940 to 2021/2022 and I really enjoyed both Nell's point of view and Ellie's. All the characters are lovely, and you do really want to know how Nell's story ends and you root for both woman. I'd totally recommend the book to anyone who enjoys this genre!

An interesting wartime story, I enjoyed reading about all the different strong women in this book who faced and overcame their own challenges and heartaches all connected to the clockmaker's wife.

This was a fascinating story, with a different approach to WW2 than the typical historical fiction novel. Nell Spelman was so much more than just the clockmaker's wife. She was brave, strong and determined and when too many things didn't line up, she took matters into her own hands. She sacrificed and did what she could to discover what happened to her husband while contributing to the war efforts as well. The contrast to the present day and the way that this courage and perseverance is reflected in Ellie, was beautifully captured and relayed as well. A really great read!

I really enjoyed this book. It was a great piece of historical fiction. The writing was good and the characters were believable. I liked having the split timelines and seeing how they connected. It didn't jump around too much and I wasn't lost like some split stories are sometimes. This one captured my interest and I'll be looking for more books by Daisy Wood.

Beautiful historical fiction with dual timelines, and a watch that begins the uncovering of an old family secret. In this novel, Nell, in 1940 flees London with her daughter, Alice, while her husband stays behind to continue working on maintaining the clocks in the city. In the “present time,” we follow Ellie, Nell's granddaughter and Alice's daughter, who is interested in learning more about a grandmother she hasn’t met. This takes her to London, leading her to uncover darker secrets of her family’s past.

I loved that the timelines were seamless and that they both contributed equally to progressing the story. There were times were the novel dragged on a bit…but overall, great historical fiction!

5.0

I received an advance e-book of this novel from HarperCollins.

I loved this! I devoured it in 3 days. Very readable with the perfect level of historical detail. Romantic and exciting and a little bit mysterious - perfect vacation read for the historical fiction fan and a very well done example of the “switching back and forth from current investigator to historical narrative” style.

Side note - since living through a global pandemic, I find I can relate so much more to stories of people carrying on through the war. I always used to wonder how they just… kept on living. And now I think we understand a lot better.