About a week ago or so I realized that I had 4 books by Kate Morton on my to read list...I figure if 4 of her books souded that good to me, on separate occasions, I should really try to read one. I got my hands on this one first. O my gosh, amazing. A great sweeping family story about family pressure, expectation, loss, love, loss of love, lost love refound, choices between family and love and loyalties and so much guilt! And secrets. So many secrets that, in typical British fashion, aren't talked about at all so even those directly effected don't know. It was a great look at a time in history that I don't know too much about either (WWI and the 20s in England) and the actions and attitudes of the characters seemed so legitimate. And the corssover with the future was done well also. It's a popular device now, but this is the first time I've seen it so unstructured. The narrator slipping back and forth in time because of her age (so reasonable at 98!) and projecting the past onto the present and vice versa. Which was done so smoothly and realistically. So so good.

This book was awesome! There was so much mystery and love and thriller and like a million little extras, like orphanages and acting and different countries and so so many stories woven together perfectly! And just when the author gives enough hints that you think you know the ending, she turns around and throws in another wrench and you are back to wondering what happened. So many twists and turns and intrigues and every other page you find yourself hoping something different happens from the time before. Someone else's review said "i couldn't imagine how she was going to come up with a satisfactory ending for all her characters and when she did it, it was so impressed!" And I totally agree with that. And she was to keep it a surprise, i never guessed. A real page turner and so much depth in the connections between the past and the present. And great characterization that made me feel that I really knew her characters, and both loved and despised them. Amazing. I thought the House at Riverton was good but really this one was so much better!