The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton

• Hardcover: 592 pages
• Publisher: Mantle; Main Market edition (20 Sept. 2018)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0230759289
• ISBN-13: 978-0230759282

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Synopsis

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.

 

Review

Kate Morton features in my blog post My Top Ten Contemporary Fiction Authors from last year, and this book reminds me of why she is part of that list.  The Clockmaker’s Daughter is a fabulous and beautiful book in all senses; the writing, the plot, the characters and the atmosphere.  It is as much about the location of Birchwood Manor as it is about the characters, it a place that offers safety when they need it.  Kate Morton juxtaposes seamlessly the past and the present to bring together what seem as disparate threads and weave them into this rich and intricate story of loss, love, art and tragedy.

The central plot line to which all the others are linked takes place in the summer of 1862.  Edward Julius Radcliffe, an artist and member of the Royal Academy, buys Birchwood Manor and invites his muse, and fellow artists of the Magenta Brotherhood, to stay for the summer.  The idyllic summer soon comes to a close after the arrival of two uninvited guests that results in a robbery and a death.  From this point in history the ripples start and radiate to the future and effect the lives of those who find themselves drawn to Birchwood Manor.  In the present Elodie is an archivist at Stratton, Cadwell & Co, and whilst looking through a box she finds a satchel that contains a sketchbook and a photograph of a beautiful young woman; the sketchbook belongs to Radcliffe and the photo is of his muse.  Eloide is drawn to one of the sketches and the photo, she feels a familiarity with Birchwood Manor.

Kate Morton is a master at plot layout and drawing the reader in.  The opening chapter grabs your attention with a robbery, a gunshot, a mystery and secrets.  Even more compelling is that the it is narrated in the first person by an unknown character, a character that tells their story at various points in the book.  The rest of the plot is narrated by different characters at different time periods.  What connects all these characters is loss, the death of someone close to them and at stay at Birchwood Manor where they feel a sense of familiarity and safety.  Kate Morton uses many literary devices, and writes with great attention to detail in both her setting and characters, bringing them to life in vivid technicolour.  One of my favourite parts is where Elodie finds the satchel in the box, and Kate Morton uses personification to give the satchel a voice as it entices Elodie to open it and find what secrets are hidden inside.

The Clockmaker’s Daughter combines a mystery, a murder, romance, loss, art and local folklore to create  a glorious and sublime read.  I was totally lost in this book and all the different characters and their lives, and in the beauty of Birchwood.  This really is Kate Morton at her best, another first class book that will have you captivated from beginning to end.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read my review of The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton.  If you enjoyed it please share on social media and like to help me continue to grow, I really appreciate it.