Product Description
The House at Riverton is a gorgeous debut novel set in England between the wars. 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. Originally published to critical acclaim in Australia, already sold in ten countries and a #1 bestseller in England, The House at Riverton is a vivid, page-turning novel of suspense and passion, with characters -- and an ending -- the reader won't soon forget.
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Amazon.com
Amazon Best of the Month, April 2008: In her cinematic debut novel, Kate Morton immerses readers in the dramas of the Ashbury family at their crumbling English country estate in the years surrounding World War I, an age when Edwardian civility, shaken by war, unravels into the roaring Twenties. Grace came to serve in the house as a girl. She left as a young woman, after the presumed suicide of a famous young poet at the property's lake. Though she has dutifully kept the family's secrets for decades, memories flood back in the twilight of her life when a young filmmaker comes calling with questions about how the poet really died--and why the Ashbury sisters never again spoke to each other afterward. With beautifully crafted prose, Morton methodically reveals how passion and fate transpired that night at the lake, with truly shocking results. Her final revelation at the story's close packs a satisfying (and not overly sentimental) emotional punch. --Mari Malcolm
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 Best book I've read in a while ( naturalbornschnuppi )
This book was on every best-selling list in europe and every magazin I read talked about it. Usually I don't like the books on those lists but when I saw that book at the bookstore I bought it anyway, and boy am I glad I did! It is the first book that really touched me in a while.
In 1914 Grace started to work at Riverton Manor as maid at the age of 14. Now she is an old woman and she thought she had left the past behind her. But she gets a letter from a woman who is doing a movie about what happened at Riverton so many years ago: The love triangle between the two Harton sisters and the poet R.S. Hunter and his suicide at Riverton. Grace is the only one left alive and she finally decides that she must tell the secret that affected her whole live.
I can't really tell more about the plot because it would just spoil too much of the book. I haven't read many books set in this time period so it was really interesting to see how the servants lived and their point of view of their work and the relations to their employers. It was also interesting to see how WWI affected everybody. But the most interesting aspect for me was later in the book when society changed in the 1920s from those old-fashioned times to modern times, similar the way we live now. Hannah, the older sister, was raised in the old-fashioned way and all she ever wanted was to break free. Emmeline, the younger one, had all that freedom Hannah could only dream of and she took full adventage of it.
The book started a little slow for me (it is still really good but not much action) but it picks up later with all the tragedies happening. The really, really, really enthralling part is the last part when Hannah, Emmeline and Robbie Hunter manage to get themselves into a love triangle and it comes to a bitter, but surprising, end that choked me up.
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The return of the show "Upstairs/Downstairs" ( emw314 )
This book is very similar to the PBS TV show from the 70's called Upstairs/Downstairs. It was about an English household told from the domestic service maid, Grace. It flips from 1924 and back to 1999. The story is alittle mystery, alittle love story and lots of great reading!
This is a joy to anyone who reads it!
Loved it!
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 Atmospheric mystery
I decided to try this author's book based upon the other reader's reviews in addition to the preview provided.
I found the story entertaining and the atmosphere nicely drawn but somewhat lacking in depth. The main character is a woman who was in service with a wealthy family during the years before and after the war. I found some of the descriptions of the way of life intriguing and beautifully drawn but at times it seemed to be lacking a certain depth.
The main thrust of the story is her relationship with the eldest daughter of the family. She becomes her ladies maid when she marries and moves to London. Here the story seems to falter a bit and I believe it is due to the societal changes.
The author did a great job with this first book and I look forward to future works. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking to be entertained and willing to overlook some flaws. A nice book to read with a cup of tea to while away an afternoon.
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Thoroughly enjoyable
Really enjoyed this book, well written and her next novel the forgotten garden is even better
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 The literary equivalent of watching a Merchant and Ivory film ( flytey )
The House at Riverton is narrated by Grace, now aged 98 and nearing death. She's looking back on her life as a lady's maid which began when she went into service at the house in Riverton, at the age of 14. A film is being made about a tragedy that occurred there and that triggers a lot of memories for her as she finally decides to open up about some secrets that she's been keeping. The book jumps forwards and backwards in time (although I felt that the present day scenes don't add a lot to the story).
The opening is highly reminiscent of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier and the book has the same slightly dated feel. It starts slowly - in fact the entire story is quite drawn out, until it speeds up at the end. Despite this, it held my interest, although it never had me gripped. Although there are a number of secrets that are revealed, it's not really a mystery novel. The big twist in particular is so well signposted that it's hard to imagine it being a surprise to anyone!
"The House at Riverton" is an interesting and well told story, the literary equivalent of watching a Merchant and Ivory film. My impression was that it was well researched and that a lot of attention had been given to getting the period details right.
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