After having her books recommended to me by several people, I recently read devoured three of Kate Morton’s novels. Sometimes I like to spread out books by one author, but often I find that it’s interesting to read several close together (if I liked the first one) to get a sense of the author’s style and improvement.
Kate Morton’s books don’t feel like retellings of the same story (I hate it when you realize an author is recycling the same plots over and over again) but they do have several points in common:
-
Her settings are primarily in England, with secondary storylines in Australia.
-
The themes involve relationships between mothers and daughters, or sisters, or other generational interactions (richly explored and always well done – I really like this theme).
-
The stories involve mysteries, usually stumbled upon and launching children into quests to find out more about their parents or grandparents. As you read the progression of Morton’s books, you’ll see how she gets better and better at crafting mysteries and making them difficult to figure out until the end.
-
The stories are told through alternating glimpses of the past (historical settings such as London during the Blitz, English country houses transitioning from the late 1800s through the mid-1900s, etc) with action in modern day. Morton has developed as a writer in her ability to do this well and seamlessly.
Since it turned out to be my favorite so far, I’m glad that The Distant Hours
As her second most recent novel, The Distant Hours is well-structured, well-researched, and informative, as well as boasting memorable characters and a surprisingly well-developed mystery that I didn’t completely figure out until I read the very end of the book.
The story follows a modern day publisher trying to connect with her mother by learning more about where her mother was evacuated during the Blitz. After stumbling on the castle where her mother spent World War II, Edie finds herself caught up in the story of the reclusive and eccentric sisters, now old women, who live in the castle, and the history and mysteries associated with their family and the house. Along the way readers find out more about literature and changing social and historical situations in England from the late 19th century through the present day.
The Distant Hours reminds me of The Little Stranger, but with a far, far better ending. The twists in this novel are remarkably well-done and the ending is satisfying without seeming too easy. If you’re a fan of mysteries, you would almost certainly like this book. However, even if you aren’t really into mysteries, the historical aspects and character development would also make it well worth your time.
I followed up The Distant Hours
I thought the story and characters in The Forgotten Garden were great, but the mystery wasn’t as well crafted as in her later book.
In this story, the main character tries to solve the mystery surrounding her grandmother’s origins, and finds a better sense of her own identity in the process. Although the main character and grandmother live in Australia, the mystery and investigation portions happen in England at a large country house turned bed-and-breakfast.
While the mystery was not very satisfying, I really enjoyed the setting and historical information, as well as the method of alternating story lines and character development, so I would still recommend The Forgotten Garden.
Finally, I circled back around to Morton’s most recent book, The Secret Keeper
Although I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as I did The Forgotten Garden, The Secret Keeper was also a well-written and I’d recommend it.
If you like mysteries, I think you’d enjoy Morton’s books. However, even if mysteries aren’t your thing, the character development, stories, and history in her books make them well worth your time. I’d highly recommend Morton’s novels, and am looking forward to reading more!
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links
.
, you’ll learn about how information is changing, how that impacts how we understand ourselves and go about our day-to-day lives, and the implications for our privacy and ethics now and in the near future.
also has some great ideas, and tackles the topic of healthy eating for families a bit differently.
, I feel perfectly confident in questioning the judgement of everyone else instead.
. I was afraid I’d find one of those legalistic books about how to be a perfect wife and mother.
thinking it would go into even more detail.
. I loved the concept of this book, and there were some good points in it, but honestly nothing that I hadn’t read in Connecting Church & Home or other Christian parenting books. The idea is that parents should actively and verbally bless their children, in the sense of encouraging them, giving them positive labels, and being affectionate. These are good ideas, but weren’t written in a particularly distinctive way. I was hoping for something more insightful or profound.
is a lovely story set in Japan about a brilliant mathematician suffering from brain damage, his housekeeper, and her son. Along the way, it’s also about how friendships develop, how beautiful and elegant math is, the nature of memory, and baseball.
by Madeleine L’Engle is my new favorite book about life, balancing motherhood with other vocations, literature, and writing.
were particularly memorable, as I learned more about her experiences during World War II, and the relationships she had with her family’s maids.
Hi, I'm Catherine Gillespie and A Spirited Mind is where I post about reading, writing, and parenting and the lessons I'm learning as a result. Thanks for stopping by!
