Kate Morton- More about the Author

I recently was lucky enough to see Kate Morton at a Writers Festival and it was not long after I finished The Distant Hours so for once it was great timing on my part. Kate is effervescent and a lot of fun to hear speak, she is very passionate about her writing and in that Australian way very self deprecating about her talent. Kate treated us to a short reading from the book she is currently working on which was a lot of fun as she put on the different accents and funny voices for each of the characters which provided a real insight as to how she feels her characters are a part of her and want to have a story written about them. She also said she enjoys creating a real setting in her books which really comes through in her descriptive writing style. 

I was pleasantly surprised as to how similar Kate was to me (well accept for her obvious talent in writing and my lack thereof), she loved Enid Blyton books growing up and is aiming to achieve the same sort of 'lost in a book, escaping to the world of books" experience her early reading days provided her. This is exactly why I love reading so much the escapism provided by books has always been more real to me than TV. Kate is trying to find the balance with family life and work just like us all and was very honest about the up and down nature of the writing and publishing industry.

Kate has  great website that like her books has a beautiful setting and provides a lot of information about her books, it is definitely worth a visit at www.katemorton.com/. 

The Distant Hours- Kate Morton

I wasn’t expecting to but I loved this book! It was a last minute pick up at the library as I had heard of the author and the picture of a garden at the front grabbed my interest. I didn’t have a chance to read the inside cover however the summary does not prepare you for the complexity and emotional journey this book takes you on.

I will attempt a plot summary here but it is really difficult as the story is so rich it is difficult to compress to one paragraph. The main character is Edie a publisher whose relationship with her Mother is not a warm one (which provides some terrific comic relief throughout the book one I just have to share with you later). However after her mother receives a long-lost letter (yes I was not surprised by the 50yrs it took this letter to arrive let’s put our hands together for Royal Mail, I guess it does arrive so that is something); as Edie witnesses her Mother’s initial reaction and how she behaves in the coming weeks (after a hilarious moving back in with your parents episode for our 30 something main character), the curious side of Edie is awakened and following an unexpected trip to Kent she too is drawn into the Mystery of Milderhurst castle and the sisters Blythe. Edie’s mother was evacuated to this castle during the war from London and while she enjoyed it and was absorbed into the world of writing and fantasy and develops while in the care of the Blythe's. However this story covers what secrets are held in the castle and also the tragedy and sacrifice of both the Blythe family and the challenges that Edie’s mother Meredith had to overcome when she returned to her family in London.

Ok fair waring this book moves between the point of view of many of the main characters in the book and there are timeline changes from present day into the past. Usually I find this frustrating and difficult to follow however one of the authors many skills is absorbing the reader in the story and therefore flows smoothly. 

There is a deep sadness in the book that builds throughout until I was almost in tears at the end when I learnt all that the sisters Blythe had to endure throughout their lives, while the people of the town always pegged them as the local rich eccentrics the author richly develops these characters and had me really caring for them.

The relationship between Edie and her Mother Meredith is a common thread throughout the book and while initially I was cold towards Meredith once it was discovered what she had been through I found myself very sympathetic to her character and thoroughly enjoyed the development and improvement in her relationship with Edie.

Edie is a great character she is strong and independent and is not afraid to be sneaky to find out about her mother’s past. Also she is so funny and sarcastic not just in her thoughts which are enjoyable also the way she speaks to people just brings out a natural humour and I really enjoyed the journey with her. My funny quote from above gives you an insight into her character and I am sure we can all identify with a similar conversation with our parents (it is one that highlighted the similarities between Edie and my personalities).

“ I’d surprised her: the safe arrival phone call was not a part of our usual routine…since I convinced her that if the government trusted me to vote, perhaps it was time she trusted me to take the tube without calling in my successful journey”. (pg. 338) I laughed out loud at this and many other occasions thought out this book, who hasn’t had a similar conversation with their parents about being an adult?

So while there is a sadness and a tone of regret throughout this book it is interspersed with just the right amount of humour (look out for Edie’s Auntie Rita who is fabulous and her time with the librarian is hilarious). This book was a beautiful journey well written entertaining and also with a tenderness that brought me to tears at times. I will definitely reading the back catalogue of Kate Morton’s work.