The Clockmaker's Daughter

By: Kate Morton

Narrated by: Joanne Froggatt

Length: 17 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

Prepare to lose yourself in the enchanting new novel from Kate Morton.

My father called me Birdie; he said I was his little bird. Others knew me as his child, the clockmaker’s daughter. Edward called me his muse, his destiny. I am remembered as a thief, an imposter, a girl who rose above her station, who was not chaste. 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 in rural Oxfordshire. 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 150 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 it 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.

©2018 Kate Morton (P)2018 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Will the real Kate Morton please stand up !!

I love Kate Morton books and looked forward to reading this new one BUT ....
I think I will wait and see what her next book might be. It felt like she was bored with what she usually writes and tried something new but we love all her past books.

Breathtaking... Literally

One of the best Kate Morton books yet! It was captivating to say the least

A book that’s left me with mixed feelings

Although I love Kate Morton and I think she’s an amazing author, my love of this book is certainly not as clear cut as with the others. The book starts off very much centered on Elodie. Honestly, I found these first chapters boring and actually gave up on the book for a good while, picking up on other books before trying again. I then stopped and started a few times when, suddenly, it sucked me in...

Although I was riveted, there were also a few holes in the story for me, one of them being that Lily seemed to be very educated and well spoken (perhaps that was the narration), despite her upbringing in the underbelly of London. Perhaps her knowledge of Science was due to her friend, Pale Joe, among other mitigating circumstances mentioned by the author, however it still didn’t fully make sense to me.

And then the story never really returns to Elodie - only a third person view of her. There was obviously method in this, however I was a little surprised when the book suddenly ended.

So, the story also seemed a little unrounded to me, although still an enjoyable book in all. I think that pieces of the story will remain with me for a long time.

Excellent

I love Kate Morton; her writing is absolute magic. I love how she takes seemingly unrelated stories and weaves them into an intricately woven plot, and, while I admit the Clockmaker’s Daughter wasn’t my favourite novel, this tale was no exception.

First off, I need to state that this particular book was a slow burn. It was a good 30 - 40% into the story before I truly started to get into the groove of the narrative. However, as with other Kate Morton novels, it was an absolute joy to see how the pieces of the mystery fell into place like a jigsaw puzzle; it is why I love this author so much. I can’t imagine how long it takes her to write one of these novels as she has clearly done a ton of research.

As for the characters (and there are a ton in this book), Kate Morton has once again done a superb job appealing each of them to the reader, whether it be in a positive or negative way. One can't help but feel something for each and every one of the characters in the book. My only complaint in this regard is that there were almost too many characters in The Clockmaker's Daughter - it was quite a task to keep track of each on and their connections to the main story.

Finally, in terms of the narration, Joanne Froggatt did an excellent job bringing the story and its large cast of characters to life. She was excellent to listen to, which was important as the story was over 17 hours long.

Overall, while this wasn't my favourite Kate Morton novel (The Secret Keeper will always have my heart), The Clockmaker's Daughter was an excellent read/listen and another fine example of why I love Kate Morton's stories so much. I would absolutely recommend this novel to my fellow readers and audio addicts.

Good but feels rushed in the ending

I adore Kate Mortons books they make me cry, make me feel and normally I am bewitched by them. This book does not have the same appeal and I am so sorry. Joannes narration is as always amazing, but the story has too many stories within stories that never get resolved - maybe thats the intention but it does result in a constant flicking back and forth.

The concept is brilliant and the setting are part of my childhood so i so wanted to fall in love with this book - but honestly Kate Forsyths Beauty in Thorns by far addresses the era of art and photography more poignantly.

It is still a lovely book but just not on the same par of The Forgotten Garden and Kates previous books which I recommend constantly to friends.

I just didn't feel this book finished itself to many weird loose ends and lost focus somewhat

Still adore Kates writings

Amazing narrative structure.

It weaves through time effortlessly and with intrigue, keeping you listening to the very end and still wanting more.

Fantastic !

A fantastically woven story full of rich characters that come to life and linger on...

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I just finished the book and I have a sunken feeling in my chest, it was beautiful and sad at the same time

I love her books so much!

I have listened now to all of Kate Morton’s books, and have not been disappointed once.

I love her depth of character, complex people who aren’t perfect but to whom you can relate very strongly.

AND! Thank you SO MUCH, finally, for once, an Australian accent that doesn’t make me cringe, sob and press fast forward. <3

My least favourite of Kate Morton’s books

I love Kate Morton’s books and was so delighted to have a new one to read. But I almost put it aside by the time I got to chapter 20. But finally finished and then read it a second time. Just too many story lines to follow.