The Distant Hours

By: Kate Morton

Narrated by: Caroline Lee

Length: 22 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

Edie Burchill and her mother have never been close, but when a long lost letter arrives with the return address of Milderhurst Castle, Kent, printed on its envelope, Edie begins to suspect that her mother’s emotional distance masks an old secret. Evacuated from London as a 13-year-old girl, Edie’s mother is chosen by the mysterious Juniper Blythe, and taken to live at Milderhurst Castle with the Blythe family.

Fifty years later, Edie too is drawn to Milderhurst and the eccentric Sisters Blythe. Old ladies now, the three still live together, the twins nursing Juniper, whose abandonment by her fiancé in 1941 plunged her into madness. Inside the decaying castle, Edie begins to unravel her mother’s past. But there are other secrets hidden in the stones of Milderhurst Castle, and Edie is about to learn more than she expected. The truth of what happened in the distant hours has been waiting a long time for someone to find it.

©2010 Kate Morton (P)2010 Kate Morton

The Best Book

What made the experience of listening to The Distant Hours the most enjoyable?

a very engaging story, had me hooked from the start, thought I had figured it out, but was delightfully surprised by the end.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Meredith - fragile, full of wonder.

Which character – as performed by Caroline Lee – was your favorite?

same as above

Who was the most memorable character of The Distant Hours and why?

Juniper - hard to say why.

Any additional comments?

listened twice, wanted to catch things that I missed 1st time.

A very long story

This book was very long. Had I read it instead of listening to it, I would have skipped over quite a bit.

There were parts in the book that weren't necessary to the story - i.e Percy & Lucy as this never went anywhere. The relationship was hinted at without any real substance.

I would recommend reading this rather than listening to it, although Caroline Lee was excellent as a narrator and this is what kept me listening to the story.

A bit disappointing, but not a lost cause

What did you like best about The Distant Hours? What did you like least?

The concept of the story was what initially enticed me to chose The Distant Hours. I love anything to do with books, castles, and dark family secrets. I have read Morton's The Forgotten Garden and really enjoyed it so I thought I would give another one a go and this book has such great reviews, how could I go wrong! However, this audio book fell a little flat for me. Like I said, conceptually this is a great story. It is entertaining and it kept me guessing the whole way through. What I didn't enjoy though was that Morton drags some parts of the story on for ages! I really wish she had cut down the parts about Milderhurst Castle during the war and maybe spent more time focusing on either Eddie's life, or the relationship between Raymond Blythe and his daughter Juniper. There is way too much unnecessary information pumped into the middle of the book and I had a hard time keeping interested in the story. The other thing that bothers me about The Distant Hours is the random sub-plots that do nothing to add to the essential story and feel like empty fillings instead of essential plot elements. One example being the hinted-at lesbian relationship between Percy and Lucy. It just seemed so random to me, as if Morton was just trying to throw in obscure elements for the sake of another plot twist. The book already has enough interesting plot twist to not need trivial ones.
On the good side of things, I thought that the characters were all fairly well developed (except for Seraphina). I like it when an author can actually make me shout out loud and shake my fist at characters out of anger when they do something irritating (such as when Percy stops Seraphina from pursuing her dreams of leaving the castle).

Any additional comments?

Overall a good concept and a decent enough performance, but very boring at times and some of the plot twists seem a bit forced. If someone is interested in getting into Kate Morton's books, I think I would recommend The Forgotten Garden first over The Distant Hours.

Wonderful story. Enjoyed it!

Great character development and wonderful audiobook. Loved the story and the twists and turns. I will be reading more of this author!

Fabulous Story!

This book is super duper long ...... which for me, is a huge plus with an audio book. Once you get going you never want this book to end! This is a lovely book that takes you back in time and is wonderfully written and red. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have now read all of Kate Morton's books and I'm hungry for more!

o m g

it's just soo good! cate morton is amazing and Caroline Lee makes all her stories come alive! I am devastated that I've now finished all her books... what do to with my life now?!?

loved it!

The narration was great, love the voice and the story itself is so great, all characters are well developed so that you can relate, the plot is twisted until the very last page, and the book is beautifully long, so that it takes a while to listen and enjoy. Kate Morton is defs my favourite historical writer.

wonderful

Loved every aspect of this story. brilliant writing reflecting a brilliant mind and writer.

savor it

this book is long. It is an experience meant to be enjoyed and savored all the way along. If you like excitement and fast-paced action, this is not the book for you.
Kate Morton's strength is her ability to transport readers to another place and time and envelop them in the story. Her descriptions are vivid and detailed, her characters complex.
As in her previous novels the Hidden Garden and The Shifting Fog, the suspense builds slowly. It took me some time to 'get into' the story, but once I did, i ended up racing to find time to listen to the last few hours, when the plot threads start to come together and I tried to figure them out. If you think you have solved the mystery before the end, don't be too sure, things are not what they seem. Morton deliberately leads the reader down several false paths before revealing the truth.
Since this is the third of Morton's novels read by Caroline Lee, i simply cannot imagine another reader. She personifies the style of Morton's novels, and does the characters' accents so well.
I can't wait to read the Secret Keeper.

Wonderful Mystery

Wonderful Mystery Loved It! So Well Written I can't wait to read another one of her books.