The House at Riverton by Kate Morton - fiction

The House at Riverton by Kate Morton Not available in paperback quite yet, but very soon In 1914, when she was 14, Grace came to Riverton Manor as a housemaid. There she met the Master's grandchildren, David, Hannah, and Emmeline, whose lives would forever be linked with her own. Now, at the age of 98, Grace looks back at those early years of duty and service, selflessness and silence, and narrates her story while there is still time. To give away more of the plot would be to rob other readers of the sublime delight I found in reading this book. It is told through the eyes of an old lady who has known great sorrow and some joys, who has seen Edwardian society give way to hard rock, and managed to adapt to it all with wisdom and humor. The story paints a vivid picture of life among the idle country rich before and after the first War, how carefree children became conflicted adults, and how passion erupted in gunfire amid the fireworks of a grand summer party. The author has written such a wonderful story and I loved being a part of it. I sobbed through the last chapters knowing the story had to end, knowing what that end would be. I could identify with young Grace as she stoically tended to her spoiled mistress and felt I was holding old Grace's hand as she lay in her bed