By Ruth Ferguson
Like others I must confess Kate Morton’s The House at Riverton is a book I started and lost interest in, but the last one third of the tale is suspenseful, evocative, and so filled with disappointment for the characters. But the story is worth the journey for the readers.
Through the eyes of Grace we watch the family and the servants at the house at Riverton over the years as they try to find love and happiness. Unlike the very popular PBS series Downton Abbey, we discover and see everything through the eyes of Grace, not multiple characters. However, for fans of the popular series it might prove difficult to not visualize the faces of the show’s actors, especially when listening to the audiobook.
Grace is at the end of her life looking back while facing death. She is sharing her memories to a young filmmaker making a movie about the suicide of a popular poet on the evening of a grand reopening of the home. But will she share everything she knows about what happen that night? Maybe not to the film maker, but perhaps to her beloved grandson the aspiring writer.
Occasionally Grace offers foreshadowing as she shifts from the past to present day. But the author does a great job of keeping a few surprises up her sleeves, key elements you are confident you know — are perhaps not as simple as you think. I must admit the final revelation of what happened to Robbie was indeed a surprise. How a single little white lie can have such heartbreaking consequences.
Maybe it is my birthday looming ahead very soon, but an element of the story I really enjoyed was watching Grace as she faced her final journey back to the mansion and her effort to see her family healed so she could die in peace knowing they would be okay.
The part of the novel I did not enjoy as much was the descriptive exposition at the beginning, learning a lot about so many characters who would ultimately not play that big of role in moving the story forward. Also you can say that Grace was a little too naïve, and a little to heroic at times. Because she seemed flawless, it feels a little unrealistic and not a character you really feel that connected to. She is Hannah’s maid, but it is ultimately Hannah that you feel more connected to.
Another thing that bothered me about the story is that there are nearly 70 years between the present day and early 1920s when Grace experienced everything and when she is dying at 99 years old. Through a few scenes and later in the story, we learn she has a difficult relationship with her only child, her daughter named Ruth, but don’t know exactly why. More importantly how did she go from being a lady’s maid to having a PhD in anthropology? There is a hint of a sequel, with her grandson’s mention of writing her story…but I would not say I am interested in rushing to read an entire second novel on this family.
Historical fiction that spreads across generations, is not usually my favorite genre. So while this is a good story, it is not enough to entice me to read more. For fans of these kind of stories I would recommend giving it at least 100 page, because it may be simply wonderful to you.
