Read This!: The Distant Hours

By Kate Morton


I read two of Kate Morton’s other books last year The House at Riverton and  The Forgotten Garden and was quite pleased with them.  The Distant Hours has been out for awhile but I have been waiting for the paperback verson.

A fifty year old letter arrives for Edith Burchill’s mother Meredith. Never one for an emotional display, Meredith’s mysterious reaction to this letter piques Edie’s curiosity and she soon learns that her mother spent time during WWII at Middlehurst Castle, the home of Raymond Blythe, the writer of Edie’s favorite book, and his three daughters, twins Seraphina and Persephone and the much younger Juniper. Present day, Raymond is long dead but his daughters are still living at Middlehurst. As Edie delves deeper into the world of Middlehurst and its inhabitants, not only are her mother’s secrets revealed but the secrets of the Blythe sisters as well.

I felt that this book was slow to start. In fact, I was getting annoyed by the constant comments from Edie (who narrates her portion) about how she didn’t realize it then but looking back knowing what she knows now. I just wanted her to get on with it and actually tell me what she knows. That aside, I thought the mystery was intriguing if not totally surprising and I was slightly let down by the big reveal. I prefer Kate Morton's other books but this is still worth a read.


SPOILERS FOR REBECCA, JANE EYRE, THE LOST ART OF KEEPING SECRETS, THE DISTANT HOURS!!!!!


Now, I debated on venting about this but it really gets under my skin so here goes….

At the end, Middlehurst Castle is burned to the ground.

I am really tired of these endings where the fab house burns down. Other books with similar endings that I can think of off the top of my head:

Rebecca
Jane Eyre
The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets

Ahhh! I realize it is supposed to be some kind of closure but I just can’t help thinking about what a tragedy it is for these houses with so much history and flair to burn.