Kate Morton
Author of The Forgotten Garden
About the Author
Kate Morton was born in South Australia in 1976. She earned a degree in speech and drama from Trinity College London, an English literature degree from the University of Queensland, and a master's degree focusing on tragedy in Victorian literature from the University of Queensland. She also show more completed a summer Shakespeare course at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. She is currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program researching contemporary novels that marry elements of gothic and mystery fiction. She won the Australian Book Industry Award for General Fiction Book of the Year in 2007 for her debut novel, The Shifting Fog, also known as The House at Riverton. Her other books include The Distant Hours, and The Forgotten Garden, which won the Australian Book Industry Award for General Fiction Book of the Year in 2009. Her books The Secret Keeper and The Lake House were New York Times bestsellers. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Works by Kate Morton
Associated Works
Drawing the Greek Vase: Classical Reception Between Art and Archaeology (2023) — Contributor — 3 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Other names
- Мортон, Кейт
- Birthdate
- 1976
- Gender
- female
- Education
- University of Queensland ( English Literature)
- Occupations
- novelist
- Awards and honors
- NY Times Best Selling Author
Sunday Times Best Selling Author - Agent
- Selwa Anthony (Selwa Anthony Author Management)
- Relationships
- Patterson, Davin (husband)
Patterson, Henry (son)
Patterson, Oliver (son)
Patterson, Louis (son) - Short biography
- KATE MORTON grew up in the mountains of south-east Queensland and lives now with her husband and three young sons in Brisbane. She has degrees in dramatic art and English literature, specialising in nineteenth-century tragedy and contemporary gothic novels. Kate harboured dreams of joining the Royal Shakespeare Company until she became sidetracked writing novels, and still feels a pang of longing each time she goes to the theatre and the house lights dim.
Kate used to hide to read when she was small, and still believes that reading should be so pleasurable it feels almost illicit. Her favourite novels are the sort that you can disappear inside, and the thing she most likes hearing from readers is that they stayed up far too late turning pages.
Kate Morton has sold over 10 million copies in 26 languages, across 42 countries. The House at Riverton, The Forgotten Garden, The Distant Hours, The Secret Keeper and The Lake House have all been number one bestsellers around the world. - Nationality
- Australia
- Birthplace
- Berri, South Australia, Australia
- Places of residence
- Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Tambourine Mountain, Queensland, Australia
Berri, South Australia, Australia
London, England, UK - Associated Place (for map)
- Australia
Members
Discussions
Found: Mystery novel: elderly women in historic old house in Name that Book (February 2021)
SK 39: De Vergeten Tuin - Kate Morton in FF-Leesclub Forum (March 2011)
Reviews
I loved this book. I was a little intimidated by it at the beginning because of the eloquent language and complex storyline, but by chapter 2, I was hooked. For the most part, it was very clean and that made me enjoy it even more! The way that this author intertwined the story lines of the grandmother, mother, and then daughter in order to provide context and clues before revealing the actual mystery was amazing. The last chapter had me crying and laughing and overjoyed. I don't know if a show more tied-up-in-a-bow fairytale ending is for everyone, but I welcomed it due to the struggles that the family had to endure to get there. It made sense and wasn't cheesy. I can't wait to read more by Morton. show less
In previous novels, Kate Morton flashes back to the Roaring 20s, when big estates were still fairly numerous and the families prestigious. In The Distant Hours, Ms. Morton advances a few decades with the primary flashbacks occurring during World War II and the Blitz. Her heroine this time around is feisty Edie, a book publisher at a personal crossroads. The arrival of a long-delayed letter, and more specifically, her mother’s reaction to it, sets the stage for a journey she never expects show more to take, involving people she never knew existed, and resulting in an ending that is better suited for fiction than real life. The Distant Hours takes readers through the English countryside, back to one of the more terrifying decades in English history when the horrors of war were the backdrop for romance and intrigue and the final years of the big family estates, exploring love, loss, and the dangerous nature of secrets.
Edie is an absolutely delightful heroine. Her issues with her mother are heartbreakingly real, and her awkwardness is endearing. Edie is one of the few characters Ms. Morton wrote that feels natural, as if she really is the girl down the street. Her work within the publishing industry as well as her love of books makes her that much more appealing. Meanwhile, her fascination with Milderhurst Castle and learning more about her mother’s past is addicting and completely understandable. All of Ms. Morton’s heroines have been memorable, but there is a special spark within Edie that strengthens the entire story and makes it that much more engrossing.
The Gothic element is something new, or at least more firmly established in The Distant Hours, and is something Ms. Morton should continue to explore. Milderhurst really becomes a character in its own right. Deliciously dilapidated and casting a pall on everyone who encounters it, there is no doubt as to the reasons for the ongoing fascination with the castle itself as well as the family who owns it. Ms. Morton perfectly captures the voyeuristic glee and horror that occurs at the decay of such familial behemoths. Similarly, the mysterious past of the Blythe girls, June’s sudden decline, and Edie’s connection to Milderhurst and the Blythe family is appropriately spooky and tragic. The pacing of the entire novel, a key element of any Gothic novel, is perfect. The plot twists help engage a reader while preventing the ending from being anything but a surprise, and this is one ending where having it as a surprise is half the enjoyment.
The Distant Hours may just be Ms. Morton’s best book to date. Her writing shows a continuing maturity that adds depth to her characters and even greater detail to her settings. The transitions between past and present are absolutely seamless, and both settings are beautifully executed. Her prose, always wonderful, has poetic elements that enhance her descriptions and make them so wonderful to enjoy. In addition, Edie has a vibrancy to her that makes her refreshingly realistic and fun. If someone is looking to finally get around to reading a novel by Ms. Morton, The Distant Hours is the perfect selection, as it brilliantly showcases her talent for historical, Gothic fiction.
Acknowledgments: Thank you to Atria Books for my review copy! show less
Edie is an absolutely delightful heroine. Her issues with her mother are heartbreakingly real, and her awkwardness is endearing. Edie is one of the few characters Ms. Morton wrote that feels natural, as if she really is the girl down the street. Her work within the publishing industry as well as her love of books makes her that much more appealing. Meanwhile, her fascination with Milderhurst Castle and learning more about her mother’s past is addicting and completely understandable. All of Ms. Morton’s heroines have been memorable, but there is a special spark within Edie that strengthens the entire story and makes it that much more engrossing.
The Gothic element is something new, or at least more firmly established in The Distant Hours, and is something Ms. Morton should continue to explore. Milderhurst really becomes a character in its own right. Deliciously dilapidated and casting a pall on everyone who encounters it, there is no doubt as to the reasons for the ongoing fascination with the castle itself as well as the family who owns it. Ms. Morton perfectly captures the voyeuristic glee and horror that occurs at the decay of such familial behemoths. Similarly, the mysterious past of the Blythe girls, June’s sudden decline, and Edie’s connection to Milderhurst and the Blythe family is appropriately spooky and tragic. The pacing of the entire novel, a key element of any Gothic novel, is perfect. The plot twists help engage a reader while preventing the ending from being anything but a surprise, and this is one ending where having it as a surprise is half the enjoyment.
The Distant Hours may just be Ms. Morton’s best book to date. Her writing shows a continuing maturity that adds depth to her characters and even greater detail to her settings. The transitions between past and present are absolutely seamless, and both settings are beautifully executed. Her prose, always wonderful, has poetic elements that enhance her descriptions and make them so wonderful to enjoy. In addition, Edie has a vibrancy to her that makes her refreshingly realistic and fun. If someone is looking to finally get around to reading a novel by Ms. Morton, The Distant Hours is the perfect selection, as it brilliantly showcases her talent for historical, Gothic fiction.
Acknowledgments: Thank you to Atria Books for my review copy! show less
4.5⭐️
“People who grow up in old houses come to understand that buildings have characters. That they have memories and secrets to tell. One must merely learn to listen, and then to comprehend, as with any language.”
Jess Turner-Bridges, a forty-year-old journalist, is called back to Sydney, Australia, from her current home in London when her grandmother Nora is hospitalized after a fall. Nora’s accident occurred while she was searching for something in the attic of her home, Darling show more House. Nora had raised Jess after Polly, Nora's daughter and Jess’s mother, left for Brisbane when Jess was only ten years old. Jess and Polly have remained in touch, but they are not close. As her grandmother floats in and out of consciousness, she utters a few disjointed phrases that initially do not make much sense to Jess. Jess learns that her grandmother had been agitated over the last few days. As Jess tries to find out what caused her grandmother’s recent distress, a significant childhood memory resurfaces and she begins to piece together what her grandmother was trying to convey in her semi-conscious state.
Her research leads her to discover events in her family’s history on her mother and grandmother’s side dating back over sixty years --a tragedy that occurred in 1959 in the small town of Tambilla in South Australia – that sent shockwaves through the small town. Jess also learns of a true crime book, “As If They Were Asleep” written by Daniel Miller, an American journalist who was living in the vicinity during the time, that documents the details of the Turner family living in Tambilla and the tragedy, the ensuing police investigation and features true accounts shared by the townspeople of Tambilla who knew the Turners as well as Nora herself. As the narrative progresses, Jess discovers that there was much about her family and her grandmother that was deliberately kept secret from her – facts that will shake the very foundation of what she believes to be her reality.
Kate Morton is a masterful storyteller. The author seamlessly weaves dual timelines and multiple perspectives into a well-structured and fluid narrative. The vivid imagery, intriguing plot and superb characterizations render this novel a compelling read. The beautiful prose draws you in from the very first page. Both timelines are well depicted. While we follow Jess in the present day, past events are revealed through flashbacks from 1958-59 from multiple perspectives with segments from Daniel Miller’s true-crime book and his research notes interspersed throughout the novel. We also get a few chapters from Polly’s perspective, giving us a window into her complicated relationships with her mother and her daughter. The author excels in developing the nuanced and complex characters and the storylines of the different women in the story – Isabel, Nora, Jess and Polly – each of these characters stands out and we go through a spectrum of emotions as we follow the events that impact their lives – from sorrow and sympathy to shock, exasperation and outrage and much more.
The story touches upon themes of loss, motherhood, home and how we define family. The author also incorporates the issue of mental health in a very subtle manner. As far as the mystery element of this story is concerned, there are plenty of breadcrumbs strewn throughout the narrative and though I could guess, in part, the direction in which the story was headed, I was genuinely surprised by much of what is revealed as all the threads of the story are brought together toward the end. The pacing is a tad uneven but not so much that it detracts from the overall reading experience. The story does move faster in the second half. However, I should mention that this is a meticulously detailed, lengthy novel (540 pages) and I thought that a few segments could have been shorter.
Overall, exquisitely written, atmospheric and immersive, Homecoming by Kate Morton is an intricately woven story that I would not hesitate to recommend to historical fiction fans and those who enjoy multigenerational family sagas with an element of suspense. Finally, I just have to mention that cover! It is stunning!
Many thanks to Mariner Books for the ARC of this beautifully written novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
"Home, she’d realised, wasn’t a place or a time or a person, though it could be any or all of those things: home was a feeling, a sense of being complete. The opposite of ‘home’ wasn’t ‘away’, it was ’lonely’. When someone said, ‘I want to go home’, what they really meant was that they didn’t want to feel lonely anymore.”
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My Blog
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(March 11, 2023 : Book Mail! ARC received! show less
“People who grow up in old houses come to understand that buildings have characters. That they have memories and secrets to tell. One must merely learn to listen, and then to comprehend, as with any language.”
Jess Turner-Bridges, a forty-year-old journalist, is called back to Sydney, Australia, from her current home in London when her grandmother Nora is hospitalized after a fall. Nora’s accident occurred while she was searching for something in the attic of her home, Darling show more House. Nora had raised Jess after Polly, Nora's daughter and Jess’s mother, left for Brisbane when Jess was only ten years old. Jess and Polly have remained in touch, but they are not close. As her grandmother floats in and out of consciousness, she utters a few disjointed phrases that initially do not make much sense to Jess. Jess learns that her grandmother had been agitated over the last few days. As Jess tries to find out what caused her grandmother’s recent distress, a significant childhood memory resurfaces and she begins to piece together what her grandmother was trying to convey in her semi-conscious state.
Her research leads her to discover events in her family’s history on her mother and grandmother’s side dating back over sixty years --a tragedy that occurred in 1959 in the small town of Tambilla in South Australia – that sent shockwaves through the small town. Jess also learns of a true crime book, “As If They Were Asleep” written by Daniel Miller, an American journalist who was living in the vicinity during the time, that documents the details of the Turner family living in Tambilla and the tragedy, the ensuing police investigation and features true accounts shared by the townspeople of Tambilla who knew the Turners as well as Nora herself. As the narrative progresses, Jess discovers that there was much about her family and her grandmother that was deliberately kept secret from her – facts that will shake the very foundation of what she believes to be her reality.
Kate Morton is a masterful storyteller. The author seamlessly weaves dual timelines and multiple perspectives into a well-structured and fluid narrative. The vivid imagery, intriguing plot and superb characterizations render this novel a compelling read. The beautiful prose draws you in from the very first page. Both timelines are well depicted. While we follow Jess in the present day, past events are revealed through flashbacks from 1958-59 from multiple perspectives with segments from Daniel Miller’s true-crime book and his research notes interspersed throughout the novel. We also get a few chapters from Polly’s perspective, giving us a window into her complicated relationships with her mother and her daughter. The author excels in developing the nuanced and complex characters and the storylines of the different women in the story – Isabel, Nora, Jess and Polly – each of these characters stands out and we go through a spectrum of emotions as we follow the events that impact their lives – from sorrow and sympathy to shock, exasperation and outrage and much more.
The story touches upon themes of loss, motherhood, home and how we define family. The author also incorporates the issue of mental health in a very subtle manner. As far as the mystery element of this story is concerned, there are plenty of breadcrumbs strewn throughout the narrative and though I could guess, in part, the direction in which the story was headed, I was genuinely surprised by much of what is revealed as all the threads of the story are brought together toward the end. The pacing is a tad uneven but not so much that it detracts from the overall reading experience. The story does move faster in the second half. However, I should mention that this is a meticulously detailed, lengthy novel (540 pages) and I thought that a few segments could have been shorter.
Overall, exquisitely written, atmospheric and immersive, Homecoming by Kate Morton is an intricately woven story that I would not hesitate to recommend to historical fiction fans and those who enjoy multigenerational family sagas with an element of suspense. Finally, I just have to mention that cover! It is stunning!
Many thanks to Mariner Books for the ARC of this beautifully written novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
"Home, she’d realised, wasn’t a place or a time or a person, though it could be any or all of those things: home was a feeling, a sense of being complete. The opposite of ‘home’ wasn’t ‘away’, it was ’lonely’. When someone said, ‘I want to go home’, what they really meant was that they didn’t want to feel lonely anymore.”
Connect with me!
My Blog
(March 11, 2023 : Book Mail! ARC received! show less
Kate Morton is one of my favourite writers. Every time I finish one of her books, I'm sure it's the best one yet. And it is, until the next one comes along. The Clockmaker's Daughter is her latest - and yes, it's the best one yet!
Morton again employs all the elements that are hallmarks of her work. Past and present narratives, houses, their history, love lost, love found, an element of other otherworldliness this time and so much more.
"My real name, no one remembers. The truth about that show more summer, no one else knows."
Summer 1862. A group of artists and friends plan to spend a month at Edward Radcliffe's new home, Birchwood Manor. But before the month is out, one of them will be dead, a priceless heirloom is missing and Edward's life will never the same. Over one hundred and fifty years later, Elodie, a young archivist, uncovers photographs that seem somehow familiar to her....
"The woman in the white gloves unlatched the dull silver buckle and the satchel held its breath. Open me, open me, open me....She pushed back its leather strap and for the first time in over a century light swept into the satchel's dark corners."
The past has always fascinated me, bits of history and lore woven into family stories. Pictures of those now gone, houses now emptied. What is their story? I was immediately drawn to Elodie and couldn't wait to discover and uncover what happened in the past at Birchwood and why she seems to know the house. But it's not only Elodie we hear from. The past is unfolded from many different, yet intertwined viewpoints and time frames. Each and every one of those characters are so very well drawn. All of them have a connection to Birchwood Manor and feel inexplicably drawn to the house.
"Edward used to say that the river possessed a primeval memory of everything that had ever happened. It occurs to me that this house is like that, too. It remembers, just as I do. It remembers everything." It is this voice that I found the most poignant - the voice in the house. (No spoilers, so not saying another word about this.)
Kate Morton's descriptions are so wonderful. The house sprang alive for me - I could feel the warm spot on the turn of the stairs, smell the flowers in the garden, envision myself under a shady tree listening to the sound of the river going by.
I started reading slower as I realized I was reaching the end. I knew what was coming and I just didn't want to face it. But I wanted to see how all of those threads and lives would weave together.
My review doesn't do this book justice. But suffice it to say that I loved it. Absolutely, positively recommended. Pick up a copy for snowy nights reading.
"Each clock is unique, he used to tell me. And just like a person, its face, whether plain or pretty, is but a mask for the intricate mechanism it concealed." show less
Morton again employs all the elements that are hallmarks of her work. Past and present narratives, houses, their history, love lost, love found, an element of other otherworldliness this time and so much more.
"My real name, no one remembers. The truth about that show more summer, no one else knows."
Summer 1862. A group of artists and friends plan to spend a month at Edward Radcliffe's new home, Birchwood Manor. But before the month is out, one of them will be dead, a priceless heirloom is missing and Edward's life will never the same. Over one hundred and fifty years later, Elodie, a young archivist, uncovers photographs that seem somehow familiar to her....
"The woman in the white gloves unlatched the dull silver buckle and the satchel held its breath. Open me, open me, open me....She pushed back its leather strap and for the first time in over a century light swept into the satchel's dark corners."
The past has always fascinated me, bits of history and lore woven into family stories. Pictures of those now gone, houses now emptied. What is their story? I was immediately drawn to Elodie and couldn't wait to discover and uncover what happened in the past at Birchwood and why she seems to know the house. But it's not only Elodie we hear from. The past is unfolded from many different, yet intertwined viewpoints and time frames. Each and every one of those characters are so very well drawn. All of them have a connection to Birchwood Manor and feel inexplicably drawn to the house.
"Edward used to say that the river possessed a primeval memory of everything that had ever happened. It occurs to me that this house is like that, too. It remembers, just as I do. It remembers everything." It is this voice that I found the most poignant - the voice in the house. (No spoilers, so not saying another word about this.)
Kate Morton's descriptions are so wonderful. The house sprang alive for me - I could feel the warm spot on the turn of the stairs, smell the flowers in the garden, envision myself under a shady tree listening to the sound of the river going by.
I started reading slower as I realized I was reaching the end. I knew what was coming and I just didn't want to face it. But I wanted to see how all of those threads and lives would weave together.
My review doesn't do this book justice. But suffice it to say that I loved it. Absolutely, positively recommended. Pick up a copy for snowy nights reading.
"Each clock is unique, he used to tell me. And just like a person, its face, whether plain or pretty, is but a mask for the intricate mechanism it concealed." show less
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Awards
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Statistics
- Works
- 19
- Also by
- 3
- Members
- 31,107
- Popularity
- #636
- Rating
- 3.9
- Reviews
- 1,577
- ISBNs
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- 22
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