Cultural Dessert

‘The Clockmaker’s Daughter’ by Kate Morton

22 January 2021

I’ve really enjoyed reading ‘The Clockmaker’s Daughter’ by Kate Morton – a compelling and beautifully written novel which feels like a family saga. It actually tells the story of several families with connections to Birchwood Manor – a grand country house next to a bend in the River Thames in Wiltshire. A non-linear narrative gradually fills in the details of what happens to an epic cast of characters who are mysteriously drawn to the house between 1862 and 2017. At times the book feels like a collection of linked short stories as we focus on the events of particular moments in the history of the house in turn. But it is the links between these stories, their protagonists and their descendants that are fascinating. The novel is part romance, part murder mystery, part ghost story. It’s entertaining, moving and clever and I sailed through its nearly 600 pages.

Labels: Books

posted by Robin Simpson @ 12:48 pm