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The House at Riverton: A Novel

The House at Riverton: A Novel

Current price: $18.99
Publication Date: March 3rd, 2009
Publisher:
Atria Books
ISBN:
9781416550532
Pages:
496
The Book Catapult
1 on hand, as of Mar 28 8:22pm
(Fiction)
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Grace Bradley has had a very long life and is now starting to fade. When she receives a letter about a film that is soon to be made about a tragedy that occurred between the world wars at Riverton, an estate where she was a housemaid, she is forced to relive her years of service at Riverton and her life after leaving it. You will be totally drawn into Grace's life and will not want the book to end.

Roberta, Alibi Books, Glenview, IL
Fall '09/Winter '10 Reading Group List

Description

From the author of #1 international bestseller The Forgotten Garden and New York Times bestseller Homecoming comes a gorgeous novel set in England between World War I and World War II. Perfect for fans of Downton Abbey, it is the story of an aristocratic family, a house, a mysterious death and a way of life that vanished forever, told in flashback by a woman who witnessed it all and kept a secret for decades.

Grace Bradley went to work at Riverton House as a servant when she was just a girl, before the First World War. For years her life was inextricably tied up with the Hartford family, most particularly the two daughters, Hannah and Emmeline.

In the summer of 1924, at a glittering society party held at the house, a young poet shot himself. The only witnesses were Hannah and Emmeline and only they—and Grace—know the truth.

In 1999, when Grace is ninety-eight years old and living out her last days in a nursing home, she is visited by a young director who is making a film about the events of that summer. She takes Grace back to Riverton House and reawakens her memories. Told in flashback, this is the story of Grace's youth during the last days of Edwardian aristocratic privilege shattered by war, of the vibrant twenties and the changes she witnessed as an entire way of life vanished forever.

The novel is full of secrets—some revealed, others hidden forever, reminiscent of the romantic suspense of Daphne du Maurier. It is also a meditation on memory, the devastation of war and a beautifully rendered window into a fascinating time in history.

Kate Morton’s first novel, originally published to critical acclaim in Australia, and quickly becoming a #1 bestseller in England, The House at Riverton is a vivid, page-turning novel of suspense and passion, with characters—and an ending—readers won't soon forget.

About the Author

Kate Morton is the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of The House at Riverton, The Forgotten Garden, The Distant Hours, The Secret Keeper, The Lake House, and The Clockmaker’s Daughter. Her books are published in thirty-eight languages and have been #1 bestsellers worldwide. Born and raised in Australia, she holds degrees in dramatic art and English literature, and now lives with her family in London and Australia. Visit her online at KateMorton.com or on Facebook and Instagram at @KateMortonAuthor.

Praise for The House at Riverton: A Novel

"This novel will challenge your definitions of friendship, family and, most of all, trust." -- Hallmark Magazine
— Hallmark Magazine

"An extraordinary debut...written with a lovely turn of phrase. [Morton] knows how to eke out tantalizing secrets and drama." -- The Sunday Telegraph (UK)
— Sunday Telegraph UK