Lucy and Percy's relationship

[Jill]

Do you feel this was even necessary to the story?

[Vera]

(sorry for any english mistake this comment may have)

I think that is just to make us think how secretly people can be, like even loving percy lucy got married, and percy who loved apparently a lot lucy, as it seems in the letter, never did someting to conquer lucy and put the castle and sisters above everything...it make us think that no matter how well we think we know someone we don't!...but there's a lot of unecessary things in the book that's why altough i liked it i think there's too much in the characters

[Carolyn]

I think it gave Percy's character more depth and suggested that she could sympathize, at least to some degree, with her sister's heartbreak.

[Roz]

Percy was always perceived as stiff and strong, almost unfeeling. She was the one everyone depended upon to do what had to be done. Her love for Lucy gave her a softer side. Everyone has more than one dimension, more than one side. Even Percy.

[Margaret]

Not necessary. But, it made Percy more like her sisters, where in every other aspect she was so different. Everyone suffered from unfulfilled dreams, even strong, capable Percy.

[Nicki]

I don't think it was necessary to the storyline, but then again those little things add little quirks that give the characters a little more depth. It actually made sense to me and made everything else about her more believable. I thought it was a good twist because even though it wasn't important I didn't see it coming and it fits in perfectly.

[Collie]

I loved it. I suspected it from the beginning, and having it confirmed made Percy the most sympathetic of all the characters. She sacrificed so much for what she felt was her duty to her sisters. Also, as a queer woman, I'd argue that representation is ALWAYS necessary.

[Jordan]

Frankly, I didn't see this coming (though I feel like I usually pick up on things like this in books). I assumed that Percy had a relationship with the man who worked on the clocks, even though I thought that seemed very out of character for her. The relationship Percy had with Lucy showed us a loving side to Percy. The love letter she wrote to Lucy was not like the character I came to know. I think the relationship was able to reinforce that fact that Percy was very dedicated to very few people, but could just as quickly write someone off forever. There wasn't a lot of room for gray area in Percy's life, and I believe the relationship emphasized that.

[Amelia]

I suspected this too! Percy was truly the heroin of the book, she basically sacrificed her life for her sisters. By far my best book ever :)

[Bethwoodhall]

I love that the author provides many level of "secrets" and yet provides and introduces the reader to secrets that may be outside of the typical genre secrets - aka sexuality. I believe it keeps the genre and the writing fresh and current. Thank you Kate.

[Dana]

Percy's relationship with Lucy does not seem consistent with her character. This love story insertion is a bit pointless from my point of view and bears no connection with the rest of the plot.

[Sue]

Dana wrote: "Percy's relationship with Lucy does not seem consistent with her character. This love story insertion is a bit pointless from my point of view and bears no connection with the rest of the plot."

I agree, Dana! The whole Percy/Lucy relationship seemed to detract from the story. The Distant Hours ended up being my least favorite of Kate Morton's books. How interesting, though, that some readers have found the opposite to be true . . . like Amelia said it was her 'best book ever'. ???

[Dana]

I've only read the Forgotten garden apart from The Distant Hours, but it was definitely much better. The distant hours lacks the crescendo of the revealings. Almost everything is disclosed at the end of the book and some secretes don't even make sense. It was an easy read but certainly not the best novel from Kate Morton.

[Amelia]

True!

[Anitha]

This was the most unnecessary detail in the story. I don't think it proves anything. When she describes Lucy's wedding scene, she explains so much about how handsome the groom looks and how Percy has always liked that. As for me, I felt it was deliberately done to mislead the readers, I don't know for what reason. Apart from that, its a really good book that leaves a heavy hangover.

[Ivette]

I was not necessary, but then again...this book was filled with unnecessary details, that didn´t made much for the story...at the end, they were just plain crazy, and it´s very sad they way it ended. I think The Forgotten Garden was way better than this one. It´s entertaining but not a masterpiece.