I do not generally read this type of stories so it took me longer than usual to get through it.

An interesting mystery book nicely weaving between different times and occasionally connecting different points in time. Interestingly enough the whole point of the story is more about a house, rather than people or any specific adventure. There are bits and pieces of people and adventures but they seem unimportant and often disconnected from each other. Perhaps the largest storyline focuses on a big blue diamond that disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

I have generally enjoyed parts of the story happening in the past much more than the present timeline. All the thieving and Victorian England life seems more interesting than how much a current-day woman does not want to marry her fiancé.

On the other hand Kate Morton really does have a great way with words when descibing nature and environments, making it really easy to picture places in my mind. Perhaps in a time like this when we are all bound to stay home a bit of travelling in my mind is what I need.

And I definitely wanted to know more about (at least some of) the characters. It’s a shame I didn’t get there through this book however.

It struck her now that maybe she needed to let go a bit more often. To try and, yes, occasionally to fail. To accept that life is messy and sometimes mistakes are made; that sometimes they’re not even really mistakes, because life isn’t linear, and it comprises countless small and large decisions every day.

But in the end, the book is more about a place rather than people or an adventure. It is a pretty magical place though