The Distant Hours

A long lost letter arrives in the

ISBN 1439152780
(ISBN13: 9781439152782)

post and Edie Burchill finds herself on a journey to Milderhurst Castle, a great but moldering old house, where the Blythe spinsters live and where her mother was billeted 50 years before as a 13 year old child during WWII. The elder Blythe sisters are twins and have spent most of their lives looking after the third and youngest sister, Juniper, who hasn’t been the same since her fiance jilted her in 1941.
Inside the decaying castle, Edie begins to unravel her mother’s past. But there are other secrets hidden in the stones of Milderhurst, and Edie is about to learn more than she expected. The truth of what happened in ‘the distant hours’ of the past has been waiting a long time for someone to find it.
Morton once again enthralls readers with an atmospheric story featuring unforgettable characters beset by love and circumstance and haunted by memory, that reminds us of the rich power of storytelling.

562 pages

Published November 9th 2010

(Atria)

First Impression

Set in the 1st person The Distant Hours is categorised into five different parts telling the story of  Edie, her mother, and Jupiter Blythe. 

The prologue grabs you and pulls you in, by both feet. After which, starts in 1992 with a letter.

Edie's mother after receiving a letter from a past friend, Jupiter Blythe on a Sunday, and begins to recap of her life as a 12/13 year old child during the second world war.

My Rating ⭐⭐

As the story progresses we as the audience find out a lot more than expected...

But unfortunately I had a hard time getting a feel for the book and after trying to settle in to a rhythm, at 8 chapters having not made any head way, I had to call it quits.

I love the fact that it was descriptive and loved the prologue but I wasn't going to force myself to read.

Quotes