If you are addicted to the PBS series 'Downton Abbey', you should read Kate Morton's The House at Riverton, the story of a grand English manor house told in flashbacks by a 98 year former housemaid recalling her service at Riverton from 1914 to 1924. The story of the house, the aristocratic family and the downstairs staff mirrors the changes in English society during that time. From pre-World War I privilege to the carnage of the Great War and the gradual disappearance of 'in-service' jobs, the story has a mysterious death at Riverton at it's heart.
Recommended for fans of family sagas, all things British, before the wars romance and historical fiction.
I also loved Kate Morton's The Forgotten Garden and the author's The Distant Hours is on my 'must read' list. The Forgotten Garden traces a long-held family secret from Australia to Cornwall, from early 20th century to the present day and involves a beautiful book of fairy tales. I have recommended Ms. Morton's books to readers who like family sagas, gothic stories like Daphne DuMaurier's Rebecca, and who like the complex plots of Kate Atkinson. The library has the cult of Kates going on with the staff because both Kate Atkinson and Kate Morton are very popular and have allowed the staff to make great reading recommendations to our patrons.
Kate Morton's new book, the Secret Keeper will be released October 16, 2012 and is on order at the library so patrons can now put holds on that book.
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