stephs_cozycorner's review against another edition
5.0
This extraordinary book, sitting at 560 pages, takes you on a beautifully narrated journey through multiple generations in South Australia.
Kate Morton does such a fantastic job in her descriptions that you feel completely immersed in the story, transported to another time and place.ย
The slow burn of this novel pays off and when you think you may have finally figured out this story you are hit with a few more surprises in the end.ย ย
๐๐ค๐ข๐๐๐ค๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ also has a book within a book called ๐ฐ๐ ๐ธ๐ ๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐, and while this usually doesnโt work for me as it can become quite confusing, it is done exceptionally well here. ย In fact, I feel the book within a book actually enhances the narrative. ย
Overall this was an exceptionally written, atmospheric and mesmerizing slow burn historical fiction story that I highly recommend!!
Thank you Simon & Schuster Canada and Tandem Collective Global for a gifted copy of the book.ย
โ ๏ธ Trigger warnings:
Murder/Suicide. Death of a child.ย Loss.ย Grief. Infidelity. Postpartum Depression.ย Depression.
Kate Morton does such a fantastic job in her descriptions that you feel completely immersed in the story, transported to another time and place.ย
The slow burn of this novel pays off and when you think you may have finally figured out this story you are hit with a few more surprises in the end.ย ย
๐๐ค๐ข๐๐๐ค๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ also has a book within a book called ๐ฐ๐ ๐ธ๐ ๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐, and while this usually doesnโt work for me as it can become quite confusing, it is done exceptionally well here. ย In fact, I feel the book within a book actually enhances the narrative. ย
Overall this was an exceptionally written, atmospheric and mesmerizing slow burn historical fiction story that I highly recommend!!
Thank you Simon & Schuster Canada and Tandem Collective Global for a gifted copy of the book.ย
โ ๏ธ Trigger warnings:
Murder/Suicide. Death of a child.ย Loss.ย Grief. Infidelity. Postpartum Depression.ย Depression.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Child death, Suicide, and Infidelity
dismantlethepatriarchy23's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
4.7 โญ๏ธ
What a crazy plot twist! This is a story where the plot twist completely reverses the presumption of the entire story. There is amazing character development, great detail and very descriptive story telling. You feel as if you could have been there to experience this tragedy among them. It reflects on the nuances of being a mother, and what it means for children/a child to need their mother. It has so many individual details that seem to tie together in a perfect bow at the end, but yet you feel as if this could have happened in real life.ย
It causes you to question yourself and your own morals; how much does forgiveness matter to you when you canโt change the past? How can a loving person be so deceitful? And where does it cross the line? How can the โtruthโ be so wrong, and is it worth repairing years later when it wonโt change anything?ย
This is a book focused on family tragedy and secrets, identity, motherhood, forgiveness, sad memories, grief and loss, guilt, and unforgivable actions.
What a crazy plot twist! This is a story where the plot twist completely reverses the presumption of the entire story. There is amazing character development, great detail and very descriptive story telling. You feel as if you could have been there to experience this tragedy among them. It reflects on the nuances of being a mother, and what it means for children/a child to need their mother. It has so many individual details that seem to tie together in a perfect bow at the end, but yet you feel as if this could have happened in real life.ย
It causes you to question yourself and your own morals; how much does forgiveness matter to you when you canโt change the past? How can a loving person be so deceitful? And where does it cross the line? How can the โtruthโ be so wrong, and is it worth repairing years later when it wonโt change anything?ย
This is a book focused on family tragedy and secrets, identity, motherhood, forgiveness, sad memories, grief and loss, guilt, and unforgivable actions.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Child death, Death, and Grief
Minor: Animal death and Infidelity
graceolivia's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I begrudgingly finished it mostly to find out if my initial theory was right, one of the twists is very obvious the other seemed underdeveloped. As a whole it felt like the pacing was off, it was very slow until the last 3 or 4 chapters which attempted to answer all of the questions in quick succession. I think it would have benefited from more time spent with the characters coming to terms with the developments and less specific details and time in the first three quarters of the book. ย ย
Spoiler
It really frustrated me that Nora was never considered to be incredibly manipulative, Jess seems to forgive her instantly for taking her away from her mother. Polly felt like she should have been the main character, I was far more interested in her thoughts and experiences. It seemed odd that her and Jess never had a proper conversation about why she actually left her with Nora. The pillow lie (x2) never gets acknowledged and apparently multiple people knew Isobel was innocent and said nothing. Marcus seemingly either forgives Meg for killing his best friend and his brothers girlfriend or doesnโt figure out it was her, either way itโs not believable. The idea that the whole thing happened as a snap decision to โpunishโ Isobel also doesnโt make sense as it doesnโt align with Megs personality, it would be far more believable that Nora did it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Grief, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Infertility, Infidelity, and Kidnapping
kiwichill's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Grief, Infidelity, Death, Child death, Death of parent, and Suicide
Moderate: Gaslighting, Abandonment, Grief, and Miscarriage
aneeley's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage, Child death, and Murder
Minor: Death of parent, Gaslighting, Animal death, Death, Infidelity, and Pregnancy
reading_ladies_blog's review against another edition
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Grief, Infidelity, and Kidnapping
kimveach's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I didn't connect as well with the main character as I usually do in her novels. ย Otherwise, it would be five stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Classism, Kidnapping, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Murder, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Terminal illness, Death, Death of parent, and Grief
Minor: Alcohol, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Injury/Injury detail
tamara_joy's review against another edition
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Grief, Abandonment, Child death, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, and Suicide
Minor: Death of parent, Infidelity, Animal death, Infertility, and Miscarriage
ems_rxlibrary's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Mental illness, and Child death
Moderate: Infidelity
lilifane's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
There is a reason why Kate Morton is an auto-buy author for me.
I just love her stories, the dual timeline, the multi-generational family mysteries, the amazing settings and atmosphere. This one is no exception.ย
When you've read Kate Morton before, you will anticipate certain plot twists and revelations. And even if you haven't, I think the main mystery in this book is pretty obvious and easy to guess rather quickly. This was the reason I thought it would only be a 4-star book for me. But then towards the end, more details were revealed than I could dream of, and I was left broken-hearted (also a recurring experience with Kate Morton novels).ย
This book is long, though, and it has taken me quite long to finish it. It's very slow and character focused, which I love. But in addition to that, it also has a book within a book. Since I love this narrative device, I was pleasantly surprised that it was included here. Plus, it's a true crime novel about the events of the main story. And the way this true-crime book was written just blew me away. I had the same feeling I had when I read In Cold Blood, which had left a lasting impression on me when I read it a few years ago.ย
The themes in this book were a little too close to home sometimes. A lot of complicated mother-daughter-dynamics. Great exploration of motherhood from several points of view, and also great representation of women who don't want to become mothers. And as a bonus, a love letter to stories and storytelling and how much it can influence people's lives and memories.ย
I just love her stories, the dual timeline, the multi-generational family mysteries, the amazing settings and atmosphere. This one is no exception.ย
When you've read Kate Morton before, you will anticipate certain plot twists and revelations. And even if you haven't, I think the main mystery in this book is pretty obvious and easy to guess rather quickly. This was the reason I thought it would only be a 4-star book for me. But then towards the end, more details were revealed than I could dream of, and I was left broken-hearted (also a recurring experience with Kate Morton novels).ย
This book is long, though, and it has taken me quite long to finish it. It's very slow and character focused, which I love. But in addition to that, it also has a book within a book. Since I love this narrative device, I was pleasantly surprised that it was included here. Plus, it's a true crime novel about the events of the main story. And the way this true-crime book was written just blew me away. I had the same feeling I had when I read In Cold Blood, which had left a lasting impression on me when I read it a few years ago.ย
The themes in this book were a little too close to home sometimes. A lot of complicated mother-daughter-dynamics. Great exploration of motherhood from several points of view, and also great representation of women who don't want to become mothers. And as a bonus, a love letter to stories and storytelling and how much it can influence people's lives and memories.ย
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Murder, Suicide, Child death, Gaslighting, Death, Death of parent, Miscarriage, Mental illness, and Pregnancy
Minor: War, Animal cruelty, Infidelity, Kidnapping, and Medical content