Tuesday, September 30, 2008

The House at Riverton by Kate Morton

Ms. Morton is a young Australian writer. I often refer to a book as an 'easy read'. This was not. It is close to 500 pages long but it was worth the read. The book moves back and forth between the 1920's and 1999. The main character is Grace. She is well into her nineties and living out her days in a nursing home. She is approached by a young film director who is making a film about Riverton House and what happened there in 1924. As a young girl, Grace went to work as a servant at Riverton House. Through flashbacks we learn about the household, the way of life that would soon be lost forever (thank goodness - unless you were part of the aristocracy!) and secrets, lots of secrets! I thought the novel was very well written and it kept my interest throughout.
To any of you who are fans of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, you will be intrigued with the first two lines. "Last November I had a nightmare. It was 1924 and I was at Riverton again." Sounds a lot like "Last night I dreamt I went again to Manderley".
I look forward to other books by this author.

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