Good Read!

Recently, with the help of my wonderful mother, I unearthed a new favorite author of mine. Which, for me is a big deal, because mostly I just focus on classics (a lot are going to show up on the GRE). So, I don’t get to read a lot of new authors’ works these days. But occassionaly, I come across (rather my mom loaned me) a book called “The Forgotten Garden” by Kate Morton. I really enjoyed it. I love being enthralled by a new book. When I finally come across a book I like, I literally can leave this world for a bit and all my thoughts are wholly engrossed in the story, as if it were living and breathing. So, I was happy and excited to read more from her. The next book I read from her was called “The House at Riverton.” Words cannot describe how much I liked it. The book was so complex that I just escaped into my own head hours and hours after I had finished it, just soaking up all the words. Don’t get me wrong, it is a relatively easy read and straightforward. However, the truth in the story ran so deep with me. I really don’t think I’ll get over how much I liked it any time soon. I don’t usually classify books as “favorites” because I have read so many it would be ridiculously hard. I would have to give reasons as to why I liked one book in this way and another in a different way (I’m a book nerd, there is no other more sophisticated term- although I suppose I could call myself a bibliophile). But this one I won’t ever forget in the sea of all the books out there I have come across.

Anyways, I’ll give a quick little review into “The House at Riverton” by Kate Morton. Basically, she (Morton) is a part of a new genre of gothic novels. I LOVE her writing style. It is extremely gothic and old-fashioned, as if you were reading Jane Eyre, but modern and real at the same time. So if you liked those mysterious gothic novels, you’d definitely like her. She is really good at keeping you enthralled- you always want to know what happened or is going to happen. She is just great in general. Also, I think her work is open to all audiences. She doesn’t do what a lot of female historical fiction writers do these days and just make it really romantic. I think a male reader could approach her stories without wanting to cringe at any parts. Her characters are very real, and honestly, I adore them. Sometimes I feel like they really existed, or they should have! So, I’m just going to leave you with a quote from “The House of Riverton” that stood out to me, okay I lied, I’m going to leave you two ( I could definitely list practically every sentence!) I strongly encourage the book if it sounds interesting to you. If anything, it is a pleasurable read if that is what you are looking for, but it can also be much more!

“Wars make history seem deceptively simple. They provide clear turning points, easy distinctions.: before and after, winner and loser, right and wrong. True history, the past, is not like that. It isn’t flat or linear. It has no outline. It is slippery, like liquid; infinite and unknowable, like space. And it is changeable: just when you think you see a pattern, perspective shifts, an alternate version is proffered, a long-forgotten memory resurfaces.”

“The girl in the mirror caught my eye briefly…It is an uncanny feeling, that rare occasion when one catches a glimpse of oneself in repose. An unguarded moment, stripped of artifice, when one forgets to fool even oneself.”

P.S. Did I mention she is only in her 30s! (And the main character is looking back on her life, she is 90 something in the story, that takes some serious depth!) Come on! I hope I get that lucky…. 🙂

**I also want to give a shout out to my mom who made me the fervent reader I am today, I will never forget lying in bed with you as we took turns reading together. I was so blessed to have you for my mommy! Love you!**