The House at Riverton in Retro Chapter Chicks

Aug 11, 2016 Candi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: chunksters, historical-fiction, mystery-crime

"Whooshing like a wind through a tunnel, an angry wind that drags behind it a summer storm, rushing towards me, faster and faster. It is my past, and it is coming for me. It is everywhere; in my ears, behind my eyes, pushing my ribs…"

Grace is 98 years old and living in a nursing facility when a visit from a young film producer compels her to relive her past; a past that is full of secrets that she has kept to herself for the last seventy years. Her story begins pre-World War I in England, when a "Whooshing like a wind through a tunnel, an angry wind that drags behind it a summer storm, rushing towards me, faster and faster. It is my past, and it is coming for me. It is everywhere; in my ears, behind my eyes, pushing my ribs…"

Grace is 98 years old and living in a nursing facility when a visit from a young film producer compels her to relive her past; a past that is full of secrets that she has kept to herself for the last seventy years. Her story begins pre-World War I in England, when at the age of fourteen Grace secures a position as housemaid at Riverton House. It was a time of prosperity and vitality for the inhabitants of Riverton, and Grace relishes her new position. She quickly becomes fascinated by Hannah and Emmeline, granddaughters to her employer Lady Violet and daughters to Master Frederick Hartford. When she discovers ‘The Game’ the sisters share with their brother David, Grace learns that secrets are a pleasurable diversion for the trio. "For The Game was more than its name suggested. It was a complex fantasy, an alternate world into which they escaped. There were no costumes, no swords, no feathered headdresses. Nothing that would have marked it as a game. For that was its nature. It was secret." But at what point do secrets go too far?

As expected, with the onset of World War I life as the Riverton household understands it will inescapably alter. Two young girls grow into womanhood and the desire for independence will affect both Hannah and Emmeline in different yet significant ways. Grace will pine for a young man sent to war and will continue in her dedication to the family and to Hannah in particular, with whom she feels a special affinity. Choices will be made, a tragic young poet will enter the scene, and more secrets will be cultivated. As the reader learns the story as told by the elderly Grace in a series of flashbacks, secrets are slowly revealed and some are still kept close. The tension mounts throughout, but not at a mad pace. You can sense a build-up to a shocking conclusion, only parts of which have been disclosed from the start. An astonishing twist made the gradual unraveling only that much more gratifying by book’s end.

I found this to be very entertaining, with a satisfying gothic-like feel to the story. The distinction in the social classes during the first half of twentieth century England, as well as the roles and interactions of the servants in an aristocratic home were interesting elements and, I thought, authentically portrayed. The characters were well-drawn, despite the fact I didn’t develop any special connection to any of them. I also enjoyed contemplating the effect that the passage of time plays on a person’s memory. "True history, the past… It isn’t flat or linear. It has no outline. It is slippery, like liquid; infinite and unknowable, like space. And it is changeable: just when you think you see a pattern, perspective shifts, an alternative version is proffered, a long-forgotten memory resurfaces."

I liked this more than my first Kate Morton novel, The Forgotten Garden, and now feel compelled to read more of her work in the future. Recommended for those who enjoy historical fiction and a slower-paced but suspenseful plot.

"It is a universal truth that no matter how well one knows a scene, to observe it from above is something of a revelation."
...more

143 likes · Like · see review

Oct 20, 2015 debbicat *made of stardust* rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: i-bought-it-or-own-it, kindle, 2016-reads, buddy-read, audible

I read this as a buddy read and it went so fast! Lots of secrets and suspense. A few twists that were a nice surprise. I thought I guessed the big event, but I got it wrong. That is a big "YAY"!

This was my first Morton and I want to add more by this author. I like her writing style for sure. I really felt I knew the characters and sympathized with them. Great shocker ending! You will not be disappointed.

Highly recommended! I think, 4.5 stars, actually. I may even read it again in a year or tw ...more

3 likes · Like · see review