Kate Morton, The House at Riverton
Grace Bradley is a ninety-eight year old woman who is, in the last year of the twentieth century, about to leave behind a long and eventful life. But first she hopes to reconnect with her grandson who has been experiencing extreme guilt after the sudden death of his wife: she wants, for his benefit, to relive her own youth and the tragedy who changed her life forever and left her with a lifetime of guilty feelings; a tragedy that ended up with the suicide of a young poet in front of the Harford sisters, one of them Grace’s former employer.
At fourteen, before WWI, Grace enters the staff of Riverton as a young, inexperienced maid. She learns how to forget herself in order to be the perfect, discreet servant: efficient but invisible. Soon, Grace observes the children who play in the house: David, Emmeline and Hannah Hartford, two sisters and a brother who shares an intriguing game of adventure and secrecy. Soon, Grace develops a special relationship with Hannah, the older and smarter of the two sisters, who progressively takes her as her confidante.
Years later, Grace leaves Riverton with her mistress to become her lady maid after she marries a rich American politician. In the years between the two world wars, clever Hannah, with her feminist ideas, becomes entangled in a life she had never wished for, and when a hope for change appears, Grace automatically becomes her accomplice…
The House at Riverton is a well-written, fascinating story of love and secrecy, loyalty and deception, jealousy and betrayal. It also underlines the importance of memory and the impossibility to escape one’s past. Set in the frivolous twenties, a period of transition for women who redefine their places in society, and also time where the barriers between social classes begin to crumble or dissolve, it presents us with characters that illustrate perfectly the changes of the times. The House at Riverton reminded me at the same time of The Remains of the Days, the movie Gosford Park and The Blind Assassin. In an afterword, the author acknowledge these influences and others, with what I find a great (and rare) intellectual honesty.
Recommended reading, for lovers of historical novels and enthralling, well-written, atmospheric mysteries…
Rating: 4,5/5
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Comments
It was one of my best readings of 2007 indeed, and I heard that “The Forgotten Garden”, her second novel, is as good if not better. I am planning to read it very soon…
I have read both her novels. She is a wonderful writer and I can’t wait for her next book. I had a sense of being in the plot along with the characters. She’s the best writer I have read in many years!
A very good and well-written book that keeps you entertained until the end. Perhaps my best reading this year so far…