The Clockmaker's Daughter

by Kate Morton

From the bestselling author of The House at Riverton and The Secret Keeper, Kate Morton brings us her trademark mix of secrets, lies, and intricately layered mysteries in her sixth novel, The Clockmaker's Daughter.

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

In the depths of a nineteenth-century winter, a little girl is abandoned in the narrow streets of London. Adopted by a mysterious stranger, she becomes in turn a thief, a friend, a muse, and a lover. Then, in the summer of 1862, shortly after her eighteenth birthday, she retreats with a group of artists to a beautiful house on a quiet bend of the Upper Thames . . . Tensions simmer and one hot afternoon a gun-shot rings out. A woman is killed, another disappears, and the truth of what happened slips through the cracks of time.

Over the next century and beyond, Birchwood Manor welcomes many newcomers but guards its secret closely - until another young woman is drawn to visit the house because of a family secret of her own . . .

As the mystery of The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton begins to unravel, we discover the stories of those who have passed through Birchwood Manor since that fateful day in 1862. Intricately layered and richly atmospheric, it shows that, sometimes, the only way forward is through the past.

• ISBN10: 0230759289
• ISBN13: 9780230759282
• Publish Date: 20 September 2018
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 22 February 2023
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Mantle
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 592
• Language: English

Reviews

[elysium]

The book follows many people through time, from 1862 to 2017, who have some connection to a house called Birchwood Manor. Elodie is an archivist who finds an old satchel with a photograph of a woman inside it. She’s determined to find out who it had belonged and who the woman is.

I don’t really know what to say about this. The book started a bit slow and was quite hard to get into but then suddenly it got better. I’m not usually a huge fan of the “present-day” pov’s but here it was my fav and I enjoyed Elodie’s story most. I didn’t mind the time changed, it was well stated where we were, but there could have been fewer characters to keep track of.

While this wasn’t bad, it certainly wasn’t as good as the previous books I’ve read by the author. I would suggest this isn’t the first book to try by this author.

[Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub]

I absolutely loved this book! Ostensibly about an unsolved murder and disappearance that happened in 1862, this beautifully told book is really a commentary on time, and how events and people connect, despite seeming unrelated.

The book starts with an archivist, Elodie, finding a satchel with both a photograph of a beautiful woman and an artist’s rendition of a two-gabled house. The house sparks something in Elodie’s memory; something about a fairy tale she was told as a child. She’s drawn to the mystery of the house and the woman in the photograph.

Honestly, Elodie bothered me. She was incredibly naive and seemed to be fond of martyrdom. Thankfully, while the book begins with her, she’s not the main character and is actually in it very little. The main storyline is told from the point of view of Birdie, a clockmaker’s daughter. I can’t say much about her without giving anything away. Suffice it to say, she is an enthralling narrator.

The book follows several different characters living in Birchwood Manor over many years: there’s the widow with three young children; the girl from India; an artist with his muse, and several others. Despite not seeming to have anything in common, their narratives flow together like tributaries in a river, blending into one skillful tale.

The setting is as important as the events that unfold there and is used very skillfully. I was engrossed in this book, even though it’s not a genre I normally get excited over. I will be on the lookout for Kate Morton’s other books. She’s a wonderful weaver of narratives.

If you are able to get your hands on this book, you won’t be disappointed.

https://wittyandsarcasticbookclub.home.blog/2019/01/11/the-clockmakers-daughter-by-kate-morton/

[Kait ✨]

This one has given me a lot to think about....

[Terri M. LeBlanc]

The Clockmaker’s Daughter is different from Morton’s other novels (and I've read them all!). The differences are distinct enough that some fans of her work might be disappointed.

For me thought, I wonder if The Clockmaker’s Daughter might mark a growth in Morton’s writing style that makes it more of a reflection of real life. Not everyone’s story ends perfectly. Sometimes, we must just accept what happens and continue to tell the story, and hope others learn from past mistakes and missteps.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.