Book review #3 - The Distant hours

Title: The distant hours

Author: Kate Morton

Published: 12 May 2011 - Paperback

Publisher: Pan MacMillan 

ISBN 978-1439152782








Synopsis

Edie Burchill and her mother have never been close, but when a long lost letter arrives with the return address of Milderhurst Castle, Kent, printed on its envelope, Edie begins to suspect that her mother’s emotional distance masks an old secret.

Evacuated from London as a thirteen year old girl, Edie’s mother is chosen by the mysterious Juniper Blythe, and taken to live at Millderhurst Castle with the Blythe family.

Fifty years later, Edie too is drawn to Milderhurst and the eccentric Sisters Blythe. Old ladies now, the three still live together, the twins nursing Juniper, whose abandonment by her fiancé in 1941 plunged her into madness.

Inside the decaying castle, Edie begins to unravel her mother’s past. But there are other secrets hidden in the stones of Milderhurst Castle, and Edie is about to learn more than she expected. The truth of what happened in the distant hours has been waiting a long time for someone to find it . . .

My Review

What a read!! I never expected to enjoy this book so much! It's big and heavy, and maybe me buying a Kindle and buying the e-book version may have something to do with the fact that I actually finished it but this book is a real treat for English literature ;)

As any book, it took me a long while to get into the story, the first chapter is about a Mud Man which I am only reading again now that I know what's it got to do with it; the Writing is very elaborate (I had just put down a Jodie Picoult book so the difference couldn't be much more dramatic!). 

When I acquired the Kindle, I skipped all the first chapters I had read but honestly I had all but forgotten about and reached the point when Edie is visiting the castle. And there I was hooked!!! 

Kate Morton has a fabulous and clever way of describing things. For a non English person like myself, it was sometimes very hard but as the new Kindle includes the Oxford Dictionary, I didn't miss on anything.

I've seen many reviews where people complained that it was long, there are many repetitions of same events, people demises, etc... But as for any good book, you never want it to end, so for me, I really didn't mind at all.

The big secrets are not that big but let's not forget this is not a mystery story, it's a fiction, so no big bang changing the world as we know it happens!!! 

I actually thought the last chapter was a nice twist, albeit sad.

All along the book, I was myself emitting my hypothesis as I always do and none were right, which was quite refreshing!!

It doesn't end with Edie finding a new boyfriend and being happily married with 5 kids, as annoying it can be with some books.

The book is divided into a few section, either before the war, after the war, or at Edie's time. The war times were quite informative for me as I don't really know anything about history and certainly not UK war times.

Relationship between Mother and daughter is very well described and not the all happy or all sad type, it's a nice balance of unromanticized true emotions!!

All in all, I was delighted to have read this book and am considering buying other titles by Kate Morton.

I finished the book last week and haven't managed to switch to another one and am now rereading the first chapters I forgot so I can keep the story in my mind a little while longer...
Edit: I think I'm going to read it all, I get so much more information now that I know the end, bits and pieces are well placed all over the script... LOVE IT!!

Ratings

*****