Hardcover, 562 pages
Published November 9th 2010 by Atria (first published October 26th 2010)
ISBN: 1439152780 (ISBN13: 9781439152782)
edition language: English
characters: Edie Burchill
setting: Milderhurst Castle (United Kingdom)
From the publisher:
"A long lost letter arrives in the post and Edie Burchill finds herself on a journey to Milderhurst Castle, a great but moldering old house, where the Blythe spinsters live and where her mother was billeted 50 years before as a 13 year old child during WWII. The elder Blythe sisters are twins and have spent most of their lives looking after the third and youngest sister, Juniper, who hasn’t been the same since her fiance jilted her in 1941.Inside the decaying castle, Edie begins to unravel her mother’s past. But there are other secrets hidden in the stones of Milderhurst, and Edie is about to learn more than she expected. The truth of what happened in ‘the distant hours’ of the past has been waiting a long time for someone to find it.
Morton once again enthralls readers with an atmospheric story featuring unforgettable characters beset by love and circumstance and haunted by memory, that reminds us of the rich power of storytelling."
My thoughts:
Loved it! All of it: the gothic atmosphere, the castle setting, the WWII time frame as well as the early 90's time frame, the mystery of the mud man and the unexplained disappearance of Juniper's fiancé, Thomas Cavill. The Distant Hours sucked me in and never let me go.
The characters were so real to me, from the deliciously creepy Blythe sisters to Edie and her mom, Meredith. I could just about picture every move they made. The sense of place was very well done also. I love the way Morton revealed things slowly while filling in the backstory, keeping up my interest non-stop. The ending with it's twists and revelations had me riveted to the page. I just couldn't put it down. 5*
Kate Morton is also the author of The House of Riverton and The Secret Garden, both of which I really enjoyed.
Source: borrowed from my niece, Nancy.
I really enjoyed this one, too, although my favourite Morton book remains The Forgotten Garden. She has another book coming out this autumn, titled The Secret Keeper. I can't wait to read it!
ReplyDeleteI've got that one on my wishlist already, Melissa. I can't wait!
DeleteI've got to try this author! Her writing sounds wonderful!
ReplyDeleteI loved The Forgotten Garden on audio! The House at Riverton has been on my wish list for ages and it sounds like The Distant Hours needs to be there, too. Thanks for the review.
ReplyDeleteI've seen her books everywhere but have yet to read any. Glad to know you recommend them!
ReplyDeleteMary - my niece Nancy would highly recommend them too. She's reading The House of Riverton now and loving it.
DeleteHi Kaye,
DeleteGlad to hear that your Niece is enjoying 'The House At Riverton'. This is the only one of the Kate Morton books I have read, but it was so good, that it definitely won't be the last.
Yvonne
I enjoyed the first two books by this author so I'm suspecting this one will be a good one for me as well. Glad u liked it.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've ever read anything by this author, but the book sounds wonderful. I'm going to add this to my wishlist.
ReplyDeleteEveryone keeps telling me that I need to read her books. I guess I really need to listen.
ReplyDeleteI love the title "mini opinion"!! I have this one on my audible.com library!! Yippee!!!
ReplyDeleteA friend let this to me and I can't wait to get to it.
ReplyDeleteSounds great.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I really want to read this book! I read The House at Riverton and liked it. I also have The Forgotten Garden on my bookshelf, which was highly recommended to me.
ReplyDeleteHi Kaye,
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed 'The House At Riverton' and her other books are always enjoyed by other bloggers so much, that I really must get around to reading them all.
Glad that you enjoyed it so much and a nice review has made me determined to read it very soon.
Yvonne
Well, I guess I need to read it then.
ReplyDelete