The story takes place in the present and various times in the past, so there is a lot of going back and forth. It starts off in 2017 with Elodie, a young woman who works as an archivist and comes upon a satchel that had never been properly logged in. It turns out that she has a sort-of family connection to the contents of the satchel, and she soon becomes engrossed in uncovering the satchel's mystery. Everything leads to a house called Birchwood Manor, which was once owned by an artist named Edward Radcliffe.
Meanwhile, the ghostly resident of Birchwood Manor tells us her life story, as well as the comings and goings of the people who have also resided in the house throughout the years: a photographer, a writer, and the original owner's sister who turned the house into a school.
All of these lives may seem separate, but it's kind of neat to see how they actually end up weaving together. I just wish that some parts of the book weren't so long-winded. It took me awhile to get into the book, but as soon as Elodie's story started to pick up, the point of view changed and took me on a journey with a different character. I wouldn't say this is a book that you can read and then put down for a few days because by the time you pick it up back up, you might forget who all the characters are and where you are in the timeline!
But if you enjoy a good mystery and stories that take you back in time, you might enjoy uncovering the mystery of this novel. Like I said, the story is really intriguing, and it is neat to go through and make connections and discoveries. It was just a little long for me.
The Clockmaker's Daughter is published by Atria Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. I received a free autographed copy at BookExpo.
Comments
Post a Comment