The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton – Review

Published: October 9, 2018

Publisher: Atria Books

Series: Standalone

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 485 (Hardcover)

My Rating: 3.0/5.0

 

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?

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In my continuing effort to branch out from my usual genre I decide to pick up The Clockmaker’s Daughter. The synopsis promised something of a mystery and I sort of got it, though it wasn’t quite what I had expected.

First of all, one of the main narrators is dead. It’s definitely the weirdest (and most interesting) part of the book, though I thought it was a cool touch. The book switches back and forth to several different times – one present, the others in the past, though all are loosely connected. It’s hard to actually sum up what the plot was. Elodie Winslow is an archivist and comes across a leather satchel containing a picture of a mysterious woman and a sketchbook by the famed artist Edward Radcliffe. Who was this woman, what did she mean to Radcliffe, and mostly curiously, what happened during that fateful summer that ended with a dead woman and a presumably stolen jewel?

Just based on this it sounds kind of interesting, but sadly the plot dragged for the most part. The modern portion of the book was surprisingly the most dull of all the POVs and I found the characters from the past to be by far the most interesting. Elodie had committed herself to an obviously loveless relationship and couldn’t seem to escape from her deceased mother’s shadow. Lilly Millington’s perspective was far more interesting, especially since you don’t find out how she died until very near the end of the book. Her life contained much more interesting drama.

Overall, this just wasn’t quite what I had hoped for and is (per others reviews) not the best example of Kate Morton’s writing skills. I do concur with the opinion that her prose is lovely and the settings are beautifully described. Alas, I just wasn’t crazy about it and it took me nearly a month to finish the audiobook.