My second book, The House at Riverton, was deep, dark and had a feeling of impending doom about it the whole time. There were elements of mystery to keep you turning the pages, but it didn't have the same feeling to it that The Forgotten Garden did. The Forgotten Garden was more of a historical research for the main character, and it switched points of view in different time periods. The House at Riverton was always the main character (Grace's) point of view, just told either in reality or in flashback. As I said, it was very dark, nostalgic and somewhat foreboding. Morton writes with poetic beauty that the reader can easily fall into a spell and feel as if they are there, in the years surrounding the late 1910s and early 1920s.
When she is fourteen, in 1914, Grace is sent to the big house at Riverton to become a servant, but she ultimately becomes the personal servant to the oldest sister, Hannah. There are also siblings David and Emmeline, but of course, life has tragic things that happen, that change the course of destiny. In the end, the friend of David from the War ends up dying one night by the lake at Riverton. However, history tells one story, but Grace knows the truth. When a movie production company wants to make a film about it, they come to Grace for details. Does she tell them the truth? What would it matter all these years later, anyway?
Grace is quite old, and reflects back on her life to her grandson. I enjoyed her perspective, how she regrets some decisions, and how she seeks to make things right. All in all, a very good read that I couldn't put down (again). However, I still rate it second to The Forgotten Garden.
Now, on to The Distant Hours!
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