The House at Riverton by Kate Morton

Grace Bradley was just a girl when she began working as a servant at Riverton House. For years, her life was inextricably tied up with the glamorous and eccentric Hartford family's daughters, Hannah and Emmeline. Then, at a glittering society party in the summer of 1924, a young poet shot himself. The only witnesses were Hannah and Emmeline, and only they-and Grace- knew the dark truth.

Many years later, when Grace is living out her last days in a nursing home, she receives a visit from a young director who is making a film about the events of that summer. The director takes Grace back to Riverton House and reawakens her memories of the last days of Edwardian aristocratic privilege, of the vibrant twenties and of a stunning secret that Grace kept all her life.

Hello readers! I'm back again with a review for The House at Riverton by Kate Morton, a book I discovered years ago that has patiently waited its turn to be read by yours truly, for far too long if I'm being completely honest. But I have to be candid here and say that this book...well I have some really mixed feelings about this book!

As a lover of all things Downton Abbey, and particularly Edwardian era England, I was instantly intrigued when I stumbled upon this recommendation and knew I had to have it. But sadly, it has taken me SO LONG to finally pick it up because, in all fairness, this novel is a beast sitting at 468 pages! And of course, considering the material and knowing the type of language that most of the story is told in, it makes it one heck of an effort to read. It's a book that you know you have to give all your attention to ensure that you're picking up on the details, and honestly, just making sure you can keep up with the timeline!

This story is set in two time periods, modern day with Grace as her elderly self, as well as spanning quite a decent amount of time in the early 1910's to 1920's with Grace as her teenage self. Some of the jumps are quick and take you out of the story or timeline for only a moment, whereas there are times where you are thrust back and have to readjust yourself to the time period and reorganize the settings in your head for a longer "trip."

I really enjoyed how Kate Morton showed what it's like to live in the mind of an elderly person, who is completely aware of what's happening and going on but simply can't verbalize things. It was really interesting to see Grace stuck in her own head, and completely present at times knowing that those around her are looking at her with pity or thinking she has lost her mind when really the jokes on them. For Grace, although her body was failing, her mind wasn't...or at least at first. 

Throughout the book Grace is slowly fading away, she's old and ready to move on from this life but she has so much to reminisce on knowing that she has been keeping so many secrets for so long, she simply just wants to let them go. As the story continues on and we find out more about Grace and her history working in service at Riverton, we find that the past and present become more muddled, and the jumps in timelines start to seem a bit more confusing. I know that for myself, I had to stop at times and re-read because I wasn't sure if we were in the present or the past. And maybe that's just me, but if it's deliberate on the authors part, then GOOD ON HER! 

I also really did love the description and tone of voice that this book has. Kate Morton does a great job of allowing the reader to be immersed in the setting and environments, taking the time to give the details and explain what's being seen and where it's happening. I felt that everything was painted for me perfectly, and I didn't have to work too hard to conjure the images in my head.

Now, I have to say I am really glad that I finally took the time to read this book, but I have just a couple of issues with the overall story and format of the novel.

For one, we already know what's happened. There is a murder, we know who it is, how it's done, and who has witnessed it all before even cracking the book open and reading the first page. We know that Grace is a part of it, that she's seen something, was party to the deed, or is somehow involved in the mysterious death of this person. It's teased so much throughout the book without actually giving anything away until, quite literally, the last page. I don't know about you, but for myself, I got fed up quite a few times and was waiting for the reward to my efforts, you know? I'm taking the time to read all this, I'm busting out all these pages and yet I still don't know anything more than what I already did FROM THE VERY START. So sadly, when it was all said and done and the surprise is revealed, I wasn't too surprised.

Also, I felt like so many details were glossed over, and so many other unnecessary details given. I could personally do without a third of the material in this book, because it felt stilted and slow in so many places, with a lot of the events happening really having no bearing on the actual result or progression of the events that mattered. Now, I can understand why considering the format of the jumping between past and present as stated before. But, because of what I also stated about not being surprised in the end, I felt as though....well, as though I had wasted time and that I was disappointed with the overall outcome and ending.

As far as glazed over details, we know that Grace comes from a single parent household with her mother, who worked in service at Riverton before her. We are bombarded with hints as to Grace's, as her mothers, "mysterious" connection to Mr. Frederick, the younger brother of Lord Ashbury (who owns Riverton). It is so obvious, that I again I felt gypped when Grace finally realizes....almost 2/3's of the way through the book. Yes, it bears some weight to her overall decision making to stay alongside Hannah to the very end, but she is so obsessed with her otherwise, I really don't see how she would NOT have made the decision even without that added subplot.

So, with all things said and done, I'm happy I finally ticked this sucker off my list of books that I still needed to read. I enjoyed the writing style so much that I am absolutely happy to go out and read what else Kate Morton has to offer, but, this book as much as I enjoy certain aspects of it, left me wanting a bit more at the end.

My rating for this novel is 3/5, I liked it, I read it, I'm happy this story is now in my brain, but I just really wish certain things were different!

I'm going to reiterate again, that I completely understand as to why it's formatted the way it is, why the progression of the story is the way it is, and overall why it ends the way it does....it simply wasn't for me! If you are looking for an intriguing, slow-burn, murder mystery that's set in a Downton Abbey style environment, then this would be a great option for you. So, take a shot and see how this meets up with your tastes!