The Clockmaker’s Daughter is the first pick for a new weekend bookclub on Classic FM (Tim Lihoreau’s breakfast show). Tim asked listeners to recommend a book, and got no doubles, so picked five and asked us to vote… and I was one who voted for this.
The Clockmaker’s Daughter
by Kate Morton
A rich, spellbinding new novel from the author of The Lake House—the story of a love affair and a mysterious murder that cast their shadow across generations, set in England from the 1860’s until the present day.
My real name, no one remembers.
The truth about that summer, no one else knows.
In the summer of 1862, a group of young artists led by the passionate and talented Edward Radcliffe descends upon Birchwood Manor on the banks of the Upper Thames. Their plan: to spend a secluded summer month in a haze of inspiration and creativity. But by the time their stay is over, one woman has been shot dead while another has disappeared; a priceless heirloom is missing; and Edward Radcliffe’s life is in ruins.
Over one hundred and fifty years later, Elodie Winslow, a young archivist in London, uncovers a leather satchel containing two seemingly unrelated items: a sepia photograph of an arresting-looking woman in Victorian clothing, and an artist’s sketchbook containing the drawing of a twin-gabled house on the bend of a river.
Why does Birchwood Manor feel so familiar to Elodie? And who is the beautiful woman in the photograph? Will she ever give up her secrets?
Told by multiple voices across time, The Clockmaker’s Daughter is a story of murder, mystery, and thievery, of art, love and loss. And flowing through its pages like a river, is the voice of a woman who stands outside time, whose name has been forgotten by history, but who has watched it all unfold: Birdie Bell, the clockmaker’s daughter. [goodreads]
My Review
Well that last line of the blurb completely ruins the enjoyment. I was halfway through when I paused and did some admin, including getting this far with this post. And I was enjoying myself working out exactly who was the second narrator. Now I’m going back to finish the book…will it make a difference?
Yes, probably it did. Maybe I’d already worked it out… and then the third narrator, and then the fourth. I lost count of the number of strands in this complex there and back again ‘time travel’, all of which fit excellently into their timeframe. Morals, standards, expectations and interests are all right on line with what we know of the times. But, although it’s a bit of a cosy mystery, as a body has disappeared without much trace, and we do want to know exactly how it happened… I read on. And on. And on. Sometimes I wondered whether the author hadn’t tried just a little too hard to make this as excellent as possible. It was excellent. And then it was long. I wondered whether we had to tie up that every tiny detail near the end including one that was actually not important to anyone’s plot, but we didn’t tie up something that I thought was an integral part of it. Dangling.
I’ve given it four stars, because it is beautifully written, very clever, with great characters and a lot of complexity (and good science from women thrown in). But it lost the fifth star for being, in the end, just a little bit boring. Too clever, possibly.
So good in the writing that it lost sight of the readers?
Life , unfortunately does have the terrible habit of Iinterrupting our reading pleasures, sometimes even allowing the missing time to alter our reading viewpoint. Oft times I even have to reread the last chapter I read to remind me how my viewpoint was at the time of leaving. Hugs.
Nice review. A book can become too tough for a reader when it has too many POVs and characters and jumps around too much on a timeline.
Trying too hard to be good, beautiful, clever, or important can definitely mess with a good story. Sounds like maybe this one did that on several counts. Still, 4 stars from isn’t exactly a pan.
I liked it a lot. I’d recommend it, with caution 😀 I realise how little I describe people and places compared with many other writers.
I’ve just finished this book, and yes, it was complex , not a book you can put down for too long and return to!
Beautifully written and so well thought out . It left me hanging a little at the end but that’s ok 😊
Sounds like we felt the same about it 😀