Rating: 4 stars
Cover synopsis: A novel set in England between the wars. It is the story of an aristocratic family, a house, a mysterious death and a vanishing way of life, told by a woman who witnessed it all and kept a secret for a very long time.
Grace went to work at Riverton house as a servant when she was 14 years old, and becomes attached to the Hartford family, particularly the daughters, Emmeline and Hannah. The story is told from Grace's point of view, decades later, as she is nearing her death in a nursing home. She wants to tell the true story of the house, it's secrets, and it's infamous downfall to her grandson, who is an author.
The story was compelling and the characters were interesting -- although I disagreed with practically every decision they made. Still, I cared about what happened to them and their little world. The book was a bit too slow-moving for my taste and I figured out the main secrets early into the book. But I still wanted to find out how they would play out. There were a few surprises along the way (and a lot of head-banging d'oh! moments as I watched these characters' lives self-destruct). Yet I enjoyed it, and all it's complex layers.
Not as good as Morton's "The Forgotten Garden," but still a pretty good read.
