Review: The Clockmaker's Daughter

The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

WELL.

Blurb:
1862. Artists. Summer house. Mystery.
2017. Clues. Modern girl trying to solve mystery.

Actual story:
Multiple timelines, multiple mysteries, secrets, intrigues, family, love, heartbreak, ghosts.

This book just offers so much and it was such a fascinating trip unravelling it all.

I loved that it was divided across time, and what an experience trying to put all the pieces together to see how they fit. There are some great characters - obviously some I liked more than others - and hearing the individual stories makes this book stand out.

It's a little haphazard in the way the timelines are explored, which did my head in a little bit, particularly towards the end when I was trying to figure out how it all came together. I still feel like there's some pieces that haven't clicked for me yet but I'm sure the answers will be there when I stop to think about it. I can't decide if I would have preferred the different stories chronologically or if it was more exciting reading the timeline all over the place.

I loved the exploration of different family dynamics throughout, and particularly enjoyed the relationship between Edward and Lucy. The title is a little misleading, I think, as clocks play such a minor role, but the suggested familial relationship does, I think, allude to the many incarnations of 'family' which was quite a fun topic to explore, and one that permeates throughout.

I'm a big fan of ghosts, too, so I enjoyed the way this book dealt with that topic. There's no cheap thrills - it's a sobering take on the notion of the soul and what may happen to it. I found this interpretation to be quite beautiful, if a little melancholy.

I have been hanging out to read this book since I first read the summary and I'm pleased to say it didn't disappoint. I was a little frustrated with the slow start of the first hundred or so pages but after that it really gathered momentum and held onto me nice and tight.

Highly recommend for lovers of historical fiction, mystery and just great, interwoven stories that make you think.

With thanks to Allen & Unwin for my ARC

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