THE HOUSE AT RIVERTON (Kate Morton)

After having read Morton's 4th novel, The Lake House, I couldn't wait to read more!  I think that if I had read The House at Riverton first I would still have been interested in more, but not quite so anxiously.  It is obvious that Morton has developed as a writer since this, her first novel.

What bothered me about The House at Riverton was not the story.  I am always game for an aristocratic family saga and one thing that I really LIKED about reading this was that it was set during the same time period (WWI through the mid-1920's) as Downton Abbey, one of my absolute favorite TV shows.  What I DIDN'T like was the way the story evolved in the novel.  The story is told from the point of view of 98-year-old Grace Bradley, an esteemed academic who worked as a maid at Riverton while the events of the story unfolded. We learn early on that a young poet died at the lake on the family property and that the 2 daughters of the family, Hannah and Emmeline, were present when the tragedy occurred.  I don't think that author gives the reader enough information at the beginning about the fatal event.  I felt frustrated throughout because I couldn't fit what was going to happen (and what was the focus of the book) into the context of what was being related to us by Grace.  Does that make sense?  Probably not!  I guess what I am trying to say is that I think the telling should have been rearranged.  At one point I realized that both daughters were dead in Grace's reminiscing and that the main event of the story had not been addressed.

I know that this review is confusing, but I guess it reflects my own confusion as I was reading.  Now that I'm finished I like the story.  Following it from beginning to end in my mind, having all of the facts and characters in their proper places, I can appreciate the historical details and sense of place. I just wish I could have read it with enough knowledge to anticipate the ending.  Don't count it out, though.  The details of the time period alone make Morton's first book worthwhile reading.