Customer Reviews

The Shifting Fog (Unabridged)

This is not so much a review as an explanation as to why Shifting Fog cannot be found on the bookshelf. It is in fact the Australian version of the House at Riverton which I found out when visiting Kate Morton's website.

I bought this book on a dreary Sunday afternoon. You know how it is... desperate for a good read but not quite knowing what to buy. As I picked this book from the shelf I imagined it to be sitting months later, half read and abandoned along with countless others that had not quite managed to grab my attention longer than the first chapter. I couldn't have been more wrong.

Riverton Manor. A grand English country house. Home to Hannah and Emmiline Hartford. Theirs a life of privilage, with all its finery and glittering society parties. Mystery and secrets. Love, loss and tragedy.
Here, hidden beneath the layers of time the ghosts of old memories are stirred.

Their story is told by Grace Bradley. One time housemaid at Riverton. As the tale unfolds a secret is about to emerge, something forgotten in the midsts of time but not as it seems by Grace...

There is just something in the way its written. I couldn't put it down and was disappointed once I'd finished it. Realizing there was nothing more to learn about the lives of Hannah, Emm and Grace.

A book which will stay with you long after it has been returned once more to the shelf!

This book owes a great debt (duly noted in the acknowledgments) to Upstairs, Downstairs, Remains of the Day, Gosford Park, The Blind Assassin and anything by DuMaurier, and I think that Kate Morton does her literary and cinematic ancestors proud.

The story is cunningly written, and though I often gripe about being able to spot plot points in advance, I did not see what would happen ahead of time. This was a refreshing change. There was only one instance where I knew a plot point before the protagonist did, but it was tangential to the main storyline, and the clues laid out before us were meant to lead us in that direction, so I don't consider that a flaw.

These are the kinds of sprawling, layered novels that I love most. Someone looking back over her life reveals a lifetime worth of secrets and reading the novel is like peeling an onion. I tried to ration out my reading of it, because I knew I would never want it to end, but finally I had to give in to my desire to see what would happen next and how all the ends would tie together.

Fascinating reading - on the basis of this book I already have The Forgotten Garden on my wish list.

I immediately fell in love with the main character - what a lovely old lady - and was struck by the similarity in way the story is explored to the Titantic film of a few years ago.
The character development is very gradual, which cleverly kept me enthralled as there was always little bits of information being given within the narrative.
All through the book the suspense is kept very high as you know from the beginnning that something dramatic is going to happen but are not quite sure how until the very last few pages.
As Grace slips towards death, the book increases the emotion until I could not put it down.
Would recommend to anyone.

This has to be one of the best books I have read in a long time. I first saw the book in the Amazon top 100 and later I saw it on the Richard and Judy Summer Reads list. I am so pleased I decided to pick it up! The book is set in the 20's and is told through the eyes of Grace, a ladies maid at Riverton House. The description of the times and the people are so real and I almost felt I was there. The story jumps between Grace now, at the age of 99 and Grace at the age of 14 as a maid. I agree with some of the other reviews that the beginning is a bit slow but it is definitely necessary. You share the characters loves, passions and grief and the story shows how Grace is also affected by the family's events. This book is beautifully written - I look forward to Kate Morton's next book.

Loved this book!! It is SO well-written, it grips you from the very beginning, and never lets go until the end. It has so many twists and turns, so many secrets and lies, so much mystery! I was drawn in from the very beginning, and, whilst being impatient to reach the end, and the conclusion, I was also dreading finishing the book, as I enjoyed it so much, I just didn't want to let go. It is definitely one that I will read over time and time again, and I think it thoroughly deserves the praise that has been heaped upon it. A thoroughly great, absorbing, wonderful novel!

One thing that struck me about the reviews of this book was how they were divided between the 'love it' and 'hate it' camps. That was one reason why I decided to read it for myself as any book that causes such polarity is bound to either be excellent or terrible trash.
I am not easy to please, as those who've seen any of my other reviews will have noticed; but this is a good book. I do think the author was a little self-consciously writing it with a view to seeing it become a 'Gosford Park' type film and the story is actually made into a film during the book.
I did guess quite early on what the secret of Grace's birth was, and a little later on just who her father actually was. It didn't matter a bit that I had done so - Grace herself is such an engaging narrator that I was happy to go on the journey of discovery with her, at her pace.
The other 'secret' around the sisters and the poet was a little harder to work out, but was quite satisfyingly revealed at the end of the book.
The period detail is excellent. The book is set at a time of great transition; a fascinating time in our recent past.
If you enjoyed 'Gosford Park', you will love this too. The whole 'upstairs, downstairs' set up, the stately home, the aristocracy and the nouveau riche, the wild 20's and the gradual liberation of women are all encompassed in this novel.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and it made me cry too.
I would recommend this book.

I loved this book. It reminded me in many ways of The Go- Between, a wonderful tale of star crossed lovers in the year 1900. In this novel, the tale is told through the eyes of Grace, a ninety eight year old woman forced to comfront her past when a film is made about the house in which she served as a maid (Riverton) and the fateful events that led to a young poet taking his own life.

The wonderful thing about this novel is that it makes you realise how much things have changed over the past one hundred years and this is all in the central character's life time. The position of women in society, the great wars, the fading position and wealth of the aristocracy- all is covered in this tale. Interwoven in this is the relationship between two sisters and the events in the life of Grace.

I found this book to be beautifully written and deeply moving. The excellent plot twists which keep you guessing until the very end make the novel. It is a wonderful story and certainly one for lovers of period dramas. I cannot recommend highly enough.

A beautifully written, superbly plotted, and wonderfully characterised book. I felt bereft when I finished it. As other reviewers have said, it is quite slow to get into the main story, but the writing is so good that it carries you along into the main part of the story. The early parts are necessary to show depth of feeling between some of the characters. Definitely recommended.

A great holiday read. The sort of book that captures you instantly and lets you get lost in its pages. I loved this book from the first page. I thought the authors style was very provoking, ever-so-slightly gothic and very atmospheric. I think she captured the essence of Riverton - and its era - fantastically. I almost felt like i was there myself. Grace's narration is very engaging and pulls you along with the story so effortlessly, taking you from past to present in the blink of an eye. The plot was also great with a fantastc ending. I had many theories throughout the book of how it would all end, but none of them came close. A great choice for a holiday.