| The House at Riverton | 
 enlarge | Author: Kate Morton
Publisher: Pan
Category: Book
List Price: £7.99
Buy Used: £0.01
You Save: £7.98 (100%)
New (44) Used (222) from £0.01
Avg. Customer Rating:  229 reviews
Sales Rank: 80
Media: Paperback
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.1 x 1.5
ISBN: 0330448447
EAN: 9780330448444
ASIN: 0330448447
Publication Date: June 15, 2007
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 pleasant enough June 9, 2008
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
A gently written pleasant enough book, not particularly taxing so just right for a holiday read. Some of the twists were not really surprising - some you could see coming from a mile off - but then again, how often do we get truly surprised in this cynical hardbitten world? A young author, she is still developing her craft so I wish her good luck.
 I DIDN`T THINK THIS BOOK WAS GOING TO BE UP TO MUCH... May 31, 2008
24 out of 37 found this review helpful
..AND I WAS RIGHT. I FELT I WAS READING A POOR VERSION OF `REBECCA.` PUT SIMPLY-THE AUTHOR RAMBLES. DURING EVERY CONVERSATION THERE IS A FULL NEEDLESS EXPLANATION OF WHY EACH PERSON JUST SAID WHAT THEY DID-NOTHING FLOWS IN THIS BOOK-IT`S ALL OVER THE PLACE. KATE MORTON CAN TURN A SIMPLE SENTENCE INTO A FULL PARAGRAPH AND 592 PAGES COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN 200 PAGES IF SHE HAD LEFT OUT ALL THE DESCRIPTIVE WRITING SHE SEEMS TO HAVE `BORROWED` FROM EVERY BOOK UNDER THE SUN.SOMEONE ONCE SAID `NOTHING CAN BE WRITTEN THAT HASN`T BEEN WRITTEN BEFORE AND IF YOU PUT ALL THE BOOKS IN THE WORLD TOGETHER YOU WILL HAVE JUST ONE BOOK..` -
AND PERSONALLY I THINK THIS IS IT.
THUMBS DOWN. RUBBISH.
 Brilliant May 28, 2008
3 out of 9 found this review helpful
I started this book and thought is this book going to be all that I'd hoped? Well, yes it was. It was hard to get started on it and I thought of giving up but am glad that I finished it. It's a bit like Upstairs Downstairs where the main character is dictating to her wanderlust son her memories of when she was a housemaid, and then was a lady's maid. I can't rate this book highly enough. Can't wait to read something else by Kate.
 An easy read but utterly one-dimensional May 17, 2008
14 out of 18 found this review helpful
I'll concede this novel three stars for captivating my attention at the beginning - I found myself transported back into the Edwardian time period. However, after halfway through I couldn't wait to finish the book so that I could move on to something else.
The word to sum up this novel is 'cliche'. In particular, I became increasingly frustrated with the writer's giving away of the plot long before the event, thereby stripping the novel of all suspense and anticipation. Perhaps it was an attempt at foreshadowing, but its predictability made even the potentially dramatic ending distinctly anticlimatic. As for the other 'twists', I was convinced they had to be red herrings as they were so obvious; the loose and lazy writing style did not help make it any more exciting. The characters felt like stereotypical cardboard cutouts - the haunted and volatile poet, the brash but good-at-heart Emmeline and Hannah, who was evidently supposed to be 'complex' and who we were meant to find emotional depth in. The young Grace seemed to have no personality at all. The only redeeming character is the older Grace, whose withering life gave a poignancy and a quiet, subtle nostalgia to the whole story.
Disappointing, as the historical backdrop and drama of the suicide could have offered so much more. Perhaps one to keep yourself occupied on the plane, but for far superior books in the same vein, check out the likes of "Atonement", "The Remains of the Day" or "Rebecca".
Fantastic read May 15, 2008
2 out of 6 found this review helpful
A great read with well rounded characters and storylines. I loved the way the author was able to flit between time periods without losing any sense of Grace herself. Definitely one to buy, especially the ending with both its big and little twists.
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