The Distant Hours Audiobook By Kate Morton cover art

The Distant Hours

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The Distant Hours

By: Kate Morton
Narrated by: Caroline Lee
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Edie Burchill and her mother have never been close, but when a long lost letter arrives one Sunday afternoon 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 12-year-old girl, Edie’s mother is chosen by the mysterious Juniper Blythe and taken to live at Milderhurst Castle with the Blythe family: Juniper, her twin sisters, and their father, Raymond.

Fifty years later, as Edie chases the answers to her mother’s riddle. She, too, is drawn to Milderhurst Castle 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. For 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 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction

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Master Storytelling • Engaging Narrative • Multi-layered Plot • Gothic Atmosphere • Haunting Quality • Soothing Voice
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Take the time to get into it. The story is amazing, both dark and lovely at the same time. Beautiful language and wonderful imagination.

Awesome!!!!!

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It took a bit to get into this book, but it's definitely worth hanging in there. I loved the voice of the narrator! A really wonderful book!!

So sad yet so beautiful.

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I struggle on this one. the reader has an odd, inconsistent squeak to her voice, but is decent. the story isn't terrible, but also not particularly interesting.

not terrible

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An enjoyable, if somewhat slow-moving, story, ruined for me by the choice of narrator. The author is Australian, but the book is very much set in England, so the whole narration was spoiled for me by the Australian twang that was very evident throughout. The accents you hear are (somewhat adulterated) Australian, and not English as has been suggested by other reviewers. To an English ear this is very irritating, and I wish a different reader had been selected. I'm sure I would enjoy listening to Caroline Lee when reading a book set in her native Australia.

Wrong choice for narration

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I can’t overstate the incredible delicate weaving of a tale that takes place in Kate Morton’s books. They’re textured and detailed and absolutely delightful. Worth every penny and every minute.

Beautiful saga

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I enjoyed Kate's well painted characters, each with their unique personalities. It was like growing up with them through the begining to end of the book. The story was interesting. It is worth the time it takes to get there. Caroline Lee's performance was great and very easy on the ears. Kate Morton leads you in and out of the past like a pro.
If you lare a fan of the English period classic's, and like a little mystery and suspence, with less gore and violence, I think you will like this book.

Lovely book

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

One of Morton's best novels yet. Fantastic twists and turns as readers hop from present day Cornwall to the 1930s and back again. Morton's subtle clues and red herrings leave the reader guessing until the very end.

It keeps you guessing...

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With an intricately pieced puzzle, I expected a much more enticing climax. Instead, I felt ripped off by the ending. This appears to be a repeating issue for this writer.

Beautifully written; anticlimactic ending

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This is the sixth novel from Kate Morton I have devoured. History, mystery, relationships all combine in delicious novel.

Morton never dissapoints

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Three sisters have been irrevocably changed by events beyond fathom. Finally, we readers come to understand the immense loss each has suffered and yet such love and loyalty rarely found in this world, they display openly and with such a deep understanding of what they've had and what they've lost. It has been a very long time since I was so fortunate to find such an all encompassing book as this one.

Such a wonderful moving story.

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