The House at Riverton by Kate Morton

From the #1 internationally bestselling author of The Forgotten Garden comes a gorgeous novel set in England between World War I and World war II. Perfect for fans of Downton Abbey, it is the story of an aristocratic family, a house, a mysterious death and a way of life that vanished forever, told in flashback by a woman who witnessed it all and kept a secret for decades. Grace Bradley went to work at Riverton House as a servant when she was just a girl, before the First World War. For years her life was inextricably tied up with the Hartford family, most particularly the two daughters, Hannah and Emmeline. In the summer of 1924, at a glittering society party held at the house, a young poet shot himself. The only witnesses were Hannah and Emmeline and only they—and Grace—know the truth. In 1999, when Grace is ninety-eight years old and living out her last days in a nursing home, she is visited by a young director who is making a film about the events of that summer. She takes Grace back to Riverton House and reawakens her memories. Told in flashback, this is the story of Grace's youth during the last days of Edwardian aristocratic privilege shattered by war, of the vibrant twenties and the changes she witnessed as an entire way of life vanished forever. The novel is full of secrets—some revealed, others hidden forever, reminiscent of the romantic suspense of Daphne du Maurier. It is also a meditation on memory, the devastation of war and a beautifully rendered window into a fascinating time in history. Kate Morton’s first novel, originally published to critical acclaim in Australia, and quickly becoming a #1 bestseller in England, The House at Riverton is a vivid, page-turning novel of suspense and passion, with characters—and an ending—readers won't soon forget.

I decided to buy this book after reading the magnificent ‘The Forgotten Garden' by the same author. I had missed all the hype when it was on the Richard & Judy book list.

I found this a really good read, I liked the way that it was created through a series of flashbacks experienced by Grace, a housekeeper in the House At Riverton in the 1920's, as she draws together her memoirs for her grandson, an author.

Telling the story of the family who lived in the House it talks throughout of the death of a famous poet at the house during a family party and makes clear from the start that the book will seek to answer the questions surrounding his death. And the book does this magnificently, if a little crammed into the last few chapters.

I found the book began to pad out nicely around the lives of the main characters and almost the death of the poet became a by-plot that the author felt compelled to finish rather than building the novel around this plot. I also feel that not enough attention was given to the paternity of Grace the Housemaid, a lot of build up is put into her finding out potentially whom her father is but this fails to be explored fully which was dissapointing.

First things first, just to get it out of the way...If you like Downton Abbey, Upstairs Downstairs, and/or Remains of the Day then you're probably going really like and enjoy this book. Though the book does less with the historical facts and world events (like Downton) than it does with the overall feel and class structure.

There is a ton of detail where class structures and ways of the time period the story is set in. Which is great for setting the scene and helping the reader get into the minds of the characters. The problem is too much of that can also slow down the plot, as it seemed to do here at times. I had issues getting into the story for the first 150 or so pages because of this. It felt like I was slogging through a swamp of nothing. Characters came and went, some added little to nothing and some were nothing but caricatures coughanyone named Luxtoncough .

I did love Grace as the narrator. Her 98 year old self was spunky and feisty and stubborn as always. Her determination to face her past and what it meant while still being accepting of the movie and its tweaks to history was true to character. Her making audio tapes for Marcus was a nice touch and a good way to transition from present to past (even with a few continuity issues). And I liked Marcus and his relationship with her. I do wish there had been more about her life after Riverton, like her decision to be an archeologist or her finding Alfred again. Those were things that shaped Grace and yet they were relegated to just a sentence or two.

What frustrated me the most was how much was implied or inferred but not confirmed. Did Hannah know/figure out that Grace was her half-sister? When did she figure it out? Was that the reason behind the safety deposit box? Or was that just for being such a close confidant? Had Grace figured out that Ursula was Hannah's granddaughter? If so why didn't she say anything - at least on the tapes she made for Marcus? Or did she not know for sure and are we supposed to assume Marcus figures it out in the future? All I kept thinking was would it kill Kate Morton to add a couple of sentences and stop being vague about things?

I really enjoyed the last 150 pages of this book. But prior to that I couldn't see that there was much mystery, and it just seemed to ramble on a bit. I did still enjoy it as a novel with a very interesting historical and social context. I felt that I could definitely tell it was Kate Marton's first book because her other mysteries get going much more quickly. In the end I would still recommend it. I do wish I had read her acknowledgements and commentary at the back of the book before reading the actual novel, so that I could better appreciate what she was trying to do.