The Distant Hours

De: Kate Morton

Narrado por: Caroline Lee

Edie Burchill and her mother have never been close, but when a long lost letter arrives one Sunday afternoon with the return address of Milderhurst Castle, Kent, printed on its envelope, Edie begins to suspect that her mother’s emotional distance masks an old secret.

Evacuated from London as a 12-year-old girl, Edie’s mother is chosen by the mysterious Juniper Blythe and taken to live at Milderhurst Castle with the Blythe family: Juniper, her twin sisters, and their father, Raymond.

Fifty years later, as Edie chases the answers to her mother’s riddle. She, too, is drawn to Milderhurst Castle and the eccentric sisters Blythe. Old ladies now, the three still live together, the twins nursing Juniper, whose abandonment by her fiancé in 1941 plunged her into madness.

Inside the decaying castle, Edie begins to unravel her mother’s past. But there are other secrets hidden in the stones of Milderhurst Castle, and Edie is about to learn more than she expected. For the truth of what happened in the distant hours has been waiting a long time for someone to find it....

©2010 Kate Morton (P)2010 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Perfect Narration

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book. The narrator performed superbly! Highly recommended.

Great combination of story & narrator!

This book had the great twists and turns and family secrets that Kate Morton has become known for I didn’t want to stop reading/listening to this one and was sad when I had to stop! I just want to gush like a fangirl about Kate Morton I can’t say enough about how much I enjoy all her books. I also can’t say enough about the audio versions Caroline Lee’s narration is so good and I highly recommend all Kate Morton’s books in audiobook format.

This story you never want to shut off

This ia a stiry full of family secrets. The deacriptions rhat transporr you there. The personal accounts that ket you witness the story deom the eye of every character. Even the first paragraph grabs you in a child's nightmare...

A great author, story and narrator.

Another captivating story and narration. Morton and Lee are a stellar combination to enjoy every time.

WW2 London and a castle!

The story was good, but I twice thought it was over when it wasn't. I like a little more intrigue, more plot twists.

Loved it

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely. Page turner, easy to listen too. Great story.

What does Caroline Lee bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I love Caroline Lee's voice - So beautiful and kept me listening. I actually started looking or books narrated by her, thats how much I love her voice and way of reading the book.

Enjoyed the mystery

Was a bit disappointed in the way it ended. Would I recommend it? Yes. It is a pleasant story that is easy to listen to.

I thought it would never end

Would you try another book from Kate Morton and/or Caroline Lee?

This book was overly descriptive and tiring, but it is offset by Kate Morton's lovely, lyrical writing and storytelling. The narrator was excellent.So, yes I will buy more of Morton's books.

Would you be willing to try another book from Kate Morton? Why or why not?

Yes, although this particular book was tedious and the "distant hours" until it finally ended could not come soon enough for me. I skipped over many sections where the descriptions of places such as the castle and its scenery and the feelings of various characters were overly detailed and slowed the story down.

Which character – as performed by Caroline Lee – was your favorite?

Meredith. My heart ached for her--her dreams and disappointments.

Did The Distant Hours inspire you to do anything?

It inspired me to read the reviews of other Kate Morton books carefully, because the Distant Hours dragged on and on and I just wanted to get it over with.

Any additional comments?

Kate Morton is a wonderful writer, and Caroline Lee a marvelous narrator. I was excited when I read The Secret Keeper and planned to read all of Morton's other books, but the sluggish pace of The Distant Hours gives me pause.

Too much flowery language, not enough story

The overall story was a good if sad one, but there were many times I found myself thinking “lord, get to the POINT” or “just SAY what you mean to say.” And it wasn’t in a “hmm that’s intriguing way.” At one point there were 8 minutes of read time of a flashlight going out, other long explanations of lighting a cigarette that take the story nowhere. The story could have been told in 1/2 the time. The end didn’t surprise or really enlighten, but make me go “yup. Ok. Now it’s over.”

As a lover of WWII fiction this, in my opinion, is NOT a WWII novel. It has some frequent but small references to black outs and rations and battles but no real intersection with the war in any way. And with as many books about WWII heroines written brilliantly to show the courage of the women of that time I found myself thinking these characters were flat and kind of wimpy. I can’t say I liked any of them.

You might enjoy it more if you really like fiction based in historical times, castles and gardens and landscape; or if you like fiction about literary minds or where the fictional characters intersect with fiction in their worlds.

But if you loved The Nightingale, The Alice Network, and Code Name Hélène and are looking for more in that vein you won’t find it here.

It was okay

This is an okay book. It's not fantastic, it's not terrible. It's just kinda... okay. It moves at a stupefyingly slow pace.

The author really likes flowery adjectives and wants to poke them in everywhere, even when they're not really needed. The overall effect is a book that feels bogged down.

Maybe you're supposed to feel like the Mudman character while you're reading this book. Slogging along painfully waiting for it to be over.