Wednesday, 15 June 2011

Book Club: The Distant Hours by Kate Morton

Welcome all to my first book review!



I was given this book at Christmas and I'm surprised that it has taken me this long to read it, I've ended up reading all sorts before this but I finally got round to starting it a week or so back. It has taken a while to finish which is unusual for me, but this is not because I didn't enjoy it. Far from it, I wish I had had more time recently to sit down and get really stuck in to it as it is one of those books that is always making you want to turn to the next chapter.

The basic plot is about a young women called Edith. After a long lost letter arrives in the post Edith discovers that her mum was evacuated during the war to Milderhurst Castle, the home of the Blythe family, in particular twins Saffy, Percy and younger sister Juniper.. The story then follows Edith through her discovery of her mums past and those of the sisters Blythe as well as the secrets that lie in the castle. Each character has their own issues, dramas and mysteries that keep you intrigued.

Throughout the book you are given brief glimpses into the lives of each of the characters. I found that I got a good sense of each of them and could picture them easily in my mind. I began to become quite involved with the characters and found myself warming to many of them and wary of others.

I have read two previous books by Kate Morton and I really enjoy the way she combines the present and the past and then throws in an element of mystery to keep you interested.

This is quite a long book, and sometimes I felt that I just wanted to find out what happened and get all the answers, but I still enjoyed following the stories of all the characters and discovering their secrets at the end. The ending is somewhat bittersweet and slightly sad, but also has positive notes to it.


Even though I enjoyed this book, I am not sure that I would read it again, my ability to re-read books over and over is normally a sign that I love a book. So while I felt this was good and quite enthralling, if I do re-read it it would not be for some time. 

Rating: 3.5/5

Next Book: Started early, took my dog by Kate Atkinson 

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