Kate Morton Book Club discussion
The Lake House
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Michelle
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Mar 25, 2020 12:40PM
Hi, I'm a Kiwi author who's a big Kate Morton fan. This was the first of her books I read and I knew I was going to be searching the rest of her books out once I'd finished The Lake House. I thought it was a beautifully written story as are all her books, I've read. This one was probably my favourite too. Waving to you all virtually and hoping you stay safe through this horrible time. x
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I will agree The Lake House was a fun read. I love the multiple layers a good English manor home brings to the story. I am writing from the other side of the Pacific in Alaska. We certainly do not have layered, historical homes like those in Kate Morton's novels but I love the secret gardens, multiple storylines and gothic undertones presented in Morton's novels. Cheers and stay healthy!
I love secret gardens too! same to you Jill.
We had rellies in NZ and their last name was Dalgity. I think I liked "The Distant Hours" the most but she has never failed me, and just keeps getting better and better. I am in southeast Connecticut.
Michelle wrote: "Hi, I'm a Kiwi author who's a big Kate Morton fan."When it comes to Kate Morton I am always tremendously enthused.
I read "Homecoming" some weeks ago and Laurie is utterly right, Kate Morton gets better and better with each successive book. I adore all the details in her books. Particularly in "Homecoming", almost all places are real. Small streets in London, buildings, small flower shops. In Australia was the same. All towns, save for Tambilla, but every town and streets described by Kate Morton were real.
Kate Morton is Marvelous writer. There is only one think I am not fond of and that is the time she needs to write each subsequent book. She has stupendously impressive writing style. And she definitely understands family relationships. What will you read next, Michelle? I am intrigued. :)
Hello everyone,I'm trying to become more active on Goodreads, and what better place to start! Have just finished Homecoming, another tour de force from Kate, and already looking forward to her next one. Anyone still here in this lovely group?
Amanda x
Hi Kris,There must be so many people wanting to discuss Kate's work :). The books are so very rich, one of the few authors who I could read time and time again (I add Dodi Smith to that! And Carlos Ruiz Zafon [translations by Lucia Graves]).
You're in Bulgaria - have you read any of the books in both languages? I would *love* to hear how the translations feel. You're right about The Moon Gate, that's me (it's probably most similar to The Secret Keeper, though there are three timelines) - it's actually being translated into Bulgarian as we speak :). But no stress to check out my books. I definitely wouldn't claim to be in Kate Morton's league!
I listened to a podcast on Goodreads, and someone mentioned Discussions, so I came searching for multi timeline reading fans :). And here I am!
All best, Amanda :)
Amanda wrote: "Hello everyone,I'm trying to become more active on Goodreads, and what better place to start! Have just finished Homecoming, another tour de force from Kate, and already looking forward to her ne..."
You are inspired by the work of Kate Morton. That is so exciting. I look forward to reading your work. I would love to feel the same magic from the pages of your books that I sense from the pages of Kate Morton's books. I hope so very much... I have searched hard so far for a book that even remotely resembles Kate Morton's magical and inspiring style. I'd love it if you'd suggest more titles too. Of course, your books stand at the top for books to read.
Sincerely,
Kris
Amanda wrote: "Hi Kris,There must be so many people wanting to discuss Kate's work :). The books are so very rich, one of the few authors who I could read time and time again."
Good evening Amanda,
Same goes for me. When I don't feel like reading anything else, I always have a place in my heart for Kate Morton's literature.
The way she weaves her stories, the atmosphere she creates, her characters, the mystery that slowly and gradually unravels, the going back and forth in time, all of it is so well combined with flair, with taste, with desire, with diligence, with love....
I like her mind, her way of thinking. So many things that resonate so well with my own worldview. Her literature is pure magic, and I firmly believe she puts tremendous love into her own creations. I rarely come across contemporary authors anymore who write for the love of writing in the first place.
And to admit it, I just love it when a big part of the story is conveyed through letters a century late to reach their recipient. Long forgotten diaries in the attic longing to tell the story of their long dead owners, stories whispering to be told. I love works like Dracula and Frankenstein where the epistolary form is to the fore.
Shifting Fog was translated and published in Bulgaria in 2011. I've been wandering around bookstores looking for something new. I love coming across unknown authors or brand new authors. And so it was that I came across her book. In Bulgaria it is translated as "Slipping Out of Time". In Bulgarian it sounds much more interesting and intriguing, but also a bit blatant. I picked it up and fell in love. Since then, I wait with great anticipation for each of her books.
Much to my chagrin, almost all of her books are out of print now. But I have ten copies of all of them, so that if a good friend asks for a good read, I can be ready at any time. :)
Homecoming has not been translated into Bulgarian, probably won't be translated at all. My personal observation is that a large part of Bulgarian readers, unknown why, do not like her work. As for me - I love it! Kate Morton's books give me everything I look for in a book.
Carlos Ruiz Zafón is a wonderful author. I have only read La Sombra del Viento. But it fails to make my heart beat crazily the way Kate Morton's books do. Dodie Smith is on my list of authors I haven't read yet, but now after your suggestion I'll certainly rectify that mistake soon.
I have read all of Kate Morton's books in both English and Bulgarian.
The translation, with some exceptions because reading in the original is always better, is excellent. All of her books are well translated and just as exciting.
I will look forward to the translation of your book, but before I wait for it I will purchase your books in English. They look exciting. Plus, if you happen to be signing autographs one day, I'll have my English copies to sign. :)
Do you like Daphen Du Maurier? I am asking because you are inspired by Kate Morton, and Kate Morton is inspired by the work of Daphne du Maurier. Me too. I read Daphne de Maurier long before Kate Morton. One more thing we resonate on the same wavelength. Not to include, as I've already mentioned letter writing, diaries, black and white or sepia photos, huge old houses, long walks and so on.
Ta-ta,
Kris :)
That's so interesting that she's not as well loved in Bulgaria, but I suppose it all depends on marketing, getting that book into the hands of enough readers so that they'll each talk to two people about it, who will talk to two more, and on it goes! It reminds me of Catherine Dunne, a writer here in Ireland, who is very very famous in Italy. Apparently, Berlusconi's ex-wife mentioned her book once in an interview, and so the country's love affair with her work began. What a story in itself!I love Kate's use of letters too - they can be so difficult to get right, but of course she nails it. There's something about it, the way that it moves the reader through the story, getting a peek into a very private moment. Something the character never meant for anyone else to read.
Have you read Kristin Hannah's The Winter Garden? It has some similar elements to Kate Morton's books, and nods to fairytales, like The Forgotten Garden. And a few Gill Paul's as well (I think The Lost Daughter was a great dual timeline, though it read it long ago).
Don't worry about buying my books; you'll just feel pressure to read them, and I don't want that! I love your story about wandering through a bookshop and stumbling across The Shifting Fog. The Forgotten Garden was the first I read of Kate's books. I'd never heard of her, but my sister-in-law was reading it, and thought it would be right up my street.
Chat soon, Ax
Amanda wrote: "That's so interesting that she's not as well loved in Bulgaria, but I suppose it all depends on marketing, getting that book into the hands of enough readers so that they'll each talk to two people..."Good afternoon Amanda,
What you say makes sense, but I have suggested Kate Morton to so many of my friends and few have liked her literature. I would suggest that, at its core, the problem comes down to modern society wanting something for quick consumption.
Have you read Kristin Hannah's The Winter Garden?"
Unfortunately no. The name is familiar to me and I just looked it up and it turns out that most of her books have been translated into Bulgarian, including The Winter Garden.
I love Kate's use of letters too - they can be so difficult to get right."
Here I will agree without a fight, as we say here. I'm reading Clarissa by Samuel Richardson right now and I have to tell you, Amanda, this is the style I've been looking for for a long time. There is something magical about the letters. I have been writing letters myself for many years, and now my letters travel almost all over the world. They have reached unimaginable places and countries. It is wonderful. A letter is a time machine. The man dies, the letters remain. Ars Longa, Vita Brevis.
Don't worry about buying my books; you'll just feel pressure to read them, and I don't want that!
"Tell me what you're reading and I'll tell you who you are."
But what better way than not just to tell me what you're reading, but to read what you're writing. I do it out of interest. I think we don't meet the people we meet our whole lives by accident. I think each one of them brings us a lesson to learn. And I've been looking for an interlocutor to comment on Kate Morton's books for so long, and I finally came across a writer who writes in a similar genre. Every new mind, a new universe.
I wanted to ask you, Amanda, which publishing house will translate your books in Bulgaria? If it's not a secret, of course. See you soon. Until then, I beseech you - write.
Yours most sincerely,
Kris
Hi Kris,Sometimes I hear about bookclubs who didn't take to Kate's work and I wonder if perhaps somebody has played a trick on them! I totally agree with you about society wanting books (and everything really) for quick consumption. I'm writing my third novel at the moment, it's a long way from being finished, and I find that my writing has turned very sparse because I find it difficult to put out of my mind comments about books in this genre having too much description, too many characters, laying, complexity, all that. But that's what I love about them! Richness, complications, a network of people whose lives interact. My gut feeling is that this attitude will have to change soon, we can't all just get quick fixes forever, but maybe I'm just being too optimistic! Still, there are a lot of us out there who still enjoy a big, immersive read.
I've bought Clarissa, and am so looking forward to it.
I love that you're a letter writer. I still send them often, and always love to write long and loving cards! I write an annual letter for my godson, with happenings from the parish, and in the wider world, with the hope that he will have a collection of them one day, one for every age he was, a snapshot in time.
My books will be published by Trud in Bulgaria, who also publish Lucinda Riley, so I find myself in good company xx
Good afternoon Amanda,I recently had a laugh with an acquaintance who has the same view of things as most people. She was reading a book and was complaining about how the author could describe a door for two pages. She was very offended at the particular author. But that's the magic.
When I go outside I like to look at the detail of everything going on around me. If I set out to write about a particular walk, how can I convey the feeling of a reader if I don't describe all those things that made an impression on me. I think it is of great importance to have detail, even if at times it comes in excess.
I will be very much looking forward to the translation of your books into Bulgarian.
I liked your expression : Snapshot in time. That is what I think of when I talk about letters.
To tell you the truth, some time ago Kate Morton's official website had an address for letters. Now it's gone... Anyway. I wrote a very long letter (no more than 30 pages) sealed it with wax and wrapped it in string. My seal is handmade and I write my letters with a 16th century replica quill. I don't even use a fountain pen. I write my letters by the light of wax candles hung on a huge wrought iron candle holder. I like to listen to medieval music for background and for authenticity (this had nothing to do with the story). Well, I never got a reply to my letter, but I was pleased with myself. I'd like to believe it did arrive to its recipient, but who knows.
But I am not angry either. I know people involved in writing are extremely busy.
I once bottled up 20 different letters and dropped them off in 20 different places around Europe. I still haven't had a reply, but sometimes it takes 200 years. Two hundred years from now I will be long gone from this world, but imagine one of my heirs getting a reply. Why not in this lifetime. I'm not too old, but the number 36 seems pretty solid already. :) Have a great day and see you soon. Until then...
Ta-ta,
Kris
Hi Kris,What a fabulous description of your letter writing process. I, too, love a wax seal, and have had a few made to use over the years. There's noting more satisfying than when the metal sinks into the wax and you have to gently feel the resistance, and pull it away at perfect moment – although I imagine the longer the better, I'm always too impatient!
Yes, description is gorgeous. I have to say Kate is very fortunate in that she can write as long and luxuriously as she desires (to all our joy!), but my editors would never let that pass for me (perhaps if I sell a million books, they might reconsider!). For The Moon Gate, I wrote hundreds of thousands of words, everyone had full lives that never made it to the pages, memories of times gone by, or the nooks and crannies of rooms in the house, or that moment someone's world span on a dime. Most of if didn't make it into the novel, which ended at 120k words.
We renovated an old house in Ireland and hid time capsules in all kinds of places, and I dream that one day someone finds them! Some were just jars filled with coins, or the day's newspaper, or photos from around the village.
Perhaps one of your letters will wash up on Ireland's shores, and I'll be the one to find it. Now I'm thinking of how to turn that into a story :).
With best wishes, Ax
Amanda wrote: "What a fabulous description of your letter writing process. I, too, love a wax seal, and have had a few made to use over the years. There's noting more satisfying than when the metal sink..."Good afternoon Amanda,
Thee know how we (especially dreamers) art all too often obsessed with compulsive feelings whose underpinnings elude us.
Give me leave to add a certain amount of sentimentality by mentioning that I have always had a feeling that something was missing. I feel as if I have forcibly lost it, but whatever force I give to these thoughts, I cannot attribute the "lost" in question to my present life. Therefore (although I define myself as an absolute atheist and pagan) I believe that I inherited those intrusive ideas and thoughts from some other person who lived perhaps (and why not) two or even three hundred or more years ago.
But whither roves my pen?
It must be confessed, I am not admirer of novelties like electricity, cell phones, computers and devil knows what besides, but I am forced to use them, much to my chagrin. In brief, I wanted to say only that the pull of the past is too seductive for my delicate soulfulness.
"There's noting more satisfying than when the metal sinks into the wax and you have to gently feel the resistance..."
Isn't this feeling rather wonderful?
Regarding abridged texts and the fact that publishers don't always agree to publish the full manuscript is somewhat sacrilegious. Not only does the reader lose a lot that way, but some of the author's soul is also lost. But here again we reach an impasse.
I recall an interview in which Kate Morton was saying why she had changed the title of "The Shifting Fog". Because her English publisher was not fascinated to put a title related to the word "fog". The English had had enough of it.
And speaking of the letters in bottles I dropped... Honestly, I don't even remember exactly what I wrote in those letters. I'd love it if this idea turned into a whole book written by you.
You are a wonderful interlocutor, but hither I am obliged to lay down my pen, but as always I beseech you - write!
I bid thee very heartily
Farewell
p.s. I apologize if thee think I am too dramatic, but now I am obsessed with Samuel Richardson's Clarissa and, of course, my letters lately have been thematically related to this work.
