My real name, no one remembers.
The truth about that summer, no one else knows.
In the summer of 1862, a group of young artists led by the passionate and talented Edward Radcliffe descends upon Birchwood Manor on the banks of the Upper Thames. Their plan: to spend a secluded summer month in a haze of inspiration and creativity. But by the time their stay is over, one woman has been shot dead while another has disappeared; a priceless heirloom is missing; and Edward Radcliffe's life is in ruins.
Over one hundred and fifty years later, Elodie Winslow, a young archivist in London, uncovers a leather satchel containing two seemingly unrelated items: a sepia photograph of an arresting-looking woman in Victorian clothing, and an artist's sketchbook containing the drawing of a twin-gabled house on the bend of a river.
Why does Birchwood Manor feel so familiar to Elodie? And who is the beautiful woman in the photograph? Will she ever give up her secrets?
Told by multiple voices across time, The Clockmaker's Daughter is a story of murder, mystery and thievery, of art, love and loss. And flowing through its pages like a river is the voice of a woman who stands outside time, whose name has been forgotten by history, but who has watched it all unfold: Birdie Bell, the clockmaker's daughter.
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Elodie isn't sure she wants to get married. Ava wants to run away to India. Leonard is unravelling a mystery. Juliet is terrified to tell her children of their father's death and Lucy just wants to belong somewhere. These are the stories woven through the Clockmaker's Daughter, set against the backdrop of the beautiful but mysterious Birchwood Manor and the strange disappearance of Birdie Bell. Told in part by Birdie, the story follows through the long history of Birchwood Manor, it's trials and tribulations.
I really enjoyed this book. The mystery builds and builds throughout the story, until you are on the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens. Each character is perfectly rendered, even the house! - Shannon (QBD)
Guest, 14/10/2018