Novels Now

The House at Riverton is a strong debut novel by Kate Morton. Already a bestseller in the U.K., it is slated for release in the U.S. in April of 2008.Grace Bradley, a 98 year old former servant of the Hartford family, recounts in a series of flashbacks the events surrounding the house and the family during World War I. Grace is ever the loyal servant (perhaps too loyal) to the family and especially to one of the mistresses of the house, Hannah, who is very close in age to Grace. In the flashbacks, Grace recounts how family secrets and the devastating effects of World War I led to the Hartford family’s demise.

In the author’s acknowledgments, she cites The Chatham School Affair, Remains of the Day, Gosford Park, and Upstairs Downstairs as having influenced her and her novel. I was familiar with all of those sources, so I did feel a bit like the book borrowed too much from these works to be truly spectacular. Still, I did enjoy it, and I would definitely read a second book by this author.

(2007 [2008 in the U.S.], 468 pp.)
Rating: 4

War makes history seem deceptively simple. They provide clear turning points, easy distinctions: before and after, winner and loser, right and wrong. True history, the past, is not like that. 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. -From The House at Riverton, page 271-

Grace Bradley is 98 years old and living out her final days in a rest home, when she receives a letter from a film maker who requests her assistance in providing information about a family, a house, and the death of a poet. Grace goes back in time, mining long forgotten stories about the Hartford family, especially Hannah and Emmeline and David - the children who became young adults and carried their secrets to the grave. As a servant for the Hartfords, Grace’s memories are those captured in shadowy corners and whispered intimacies - creating the gothic mood of the novel. Swirling with family secrets and mysteries and set amongst the privileged of English society at the turn of the century, Kate Morton’s debut novel: The House At Riverton, is an enormously readable book…one that kept me compulsively turning the pages.

I found Morton’s novel to be similar to another gothic tale I loved: The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield. Both books are peopled by sisters (one named Emmeline) and an elderly woman who holds their secrets. The house itself, with its dark rooms and extensive gardens, becomes a character in its own right.

Thematically, The House at Riverton explores the effect of war on relationships, the tenuous threads of memory, and family secrets. Morton’s writing is captivating and her character development and dialog are spot on. She provides plenty of suspense and foreshadowing in her prose, and even though I figured out at least one of the mysteries early on, it did not ruin the book for me. The House at Riverton is a spellbinding, moody book which is perfect for winter reading next to a crackling fire and with a cup of tea at hand. I got my copy from Barnes and Noble’s First Look Program. The novel is set for release in April 2008.

Highly recommended. (4.5/5)

The House at Riverton by Kate Morton swept me away into a tale of love, murder, war and revenge. Admittedly, I was a little hesitant to read this book, partly because of its length (470 pages), but also because I feared it would read like romantic fiction. I was wrong. The story encircles you and pulls you in, leaving you satisfied and moved by this provocative story.

Grace was only fourteen years old when she accepted a position at Riverton, the wealthy estate in her English village. There, Grace witnessed (and often participated) in remarkable events that struck three generations of the Hartford family. Grace became attached to the three children, but especially Hannah, who she eventually served as a “lady’s maid” well into adulthood.

Morton used Gothic literary tropes throughout this novel, which accelerated the story at nice intervals. In the modern day, we meet Grace as a 98-year old nursing home resident who was determined to record her story, including Riverton’s biggest secrets, for her grandson. As she recorded her tale, we experienced Grace’s flashbacks as she relived her life. There were two big mysteries for the reader: Who was Grace’s father, and what happened to Robbie Hunter, a poet who killed himself at Riverton in 1924? Morton offered the reader clues along the way. To me, there were no big surprises once everything was revealed, but I thought the twists were appropriate and advanced the plot at a nice pace. Certainly, this book was a real page-turner.

While the Gothic novel is by no means new, what I think is poignant about The House at Riverton was the theme of “shell shock” – the post-traumatic stress syndrome that affected World War I veterans. Several of the male characters who survived “The Great War” came home skittish, depressed, claustrophobic and restless. Morton’s accounts of these men (from all social classes) made the reader “see” what happened to them. I couldn’t help but think how this continues today with our Gulf War veterans. In my opinion, the military is excellent at training soldiers for war but may not offer the help they need when it’s time to return to civilian life. I can’t imagine what this transition must be like, and after reading this book, I appreciated their predicament even more.

I also enjoyed the “upstairs and downstairs” views of English society during the Edwardian era. Downstairs, the servants fret about food, what’s happening to the family upstairs, prepared for parties, looked after each other, and formed bonds built on honor and loyalty to the family they were serving. Upstairs, I sensed a lot of boredom and unrest with the younger generation while the older one desperately held on to societal traditions that were slipping away.

By far, Grace is one of the most interesting narrators I have read in a long time. She emerges from her Riverton experiences strong and determined, and turned her life into something she wanted. She’s the type of woman who always looked forward but never forgot her past. If you enjoy Gothic literary novels, such as Rebecca or The Thirteenth Tale, then I think you will like Grace and her story. (5/5)

This was an absolutely wonderful way to start the new year. This is one of those books that leaves you feeling slightly melancholy that it has ended.

The story opens with Grace in a nursing home reflecting on her past. We know from the beginning that she has held secrets and regrets close to her heart for many years but what unfolds over the course of this book is a multi-layered story that holds many poignant moments.

Grace leaves home at a tender age to learn how to be in service to the Hartford family. She learns to care about the entire family and the entire serving staff and begins to think of them as the family she never had. She sees their faults and she protects their secrets with devotion and a strong sense of duty.

However, she is not the only one bound by duty. I watched as one by one members of the family fulfill their duties for the greater good and I began to wonder who made the greater sacrifices. The aristocracy or the servants?

The theme of sacrificial service strikes a deep chord with me and I found this particular part of the story to be very haunting.

At the end of the book, the author lists several titles that she drew information from. Not surprisingly, I already have several on my TBR list and will be all the more interested in looking at them because of this book.(5/5)