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The Distant Hours

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The Distant Hours

By: Kate Morton
Narrated by: Caroline Lee
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About this listen

Edie Burchill and her mother have never been close, but when a long lost letter arrives 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 13-year-old girl, Edie’s mother is chosen by the mysterious Juniper Blythe, and taken to live at Milderhurst Castle with the Blythe family.

Fifty years later, Edie too is drawn to Milderhurst 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. 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 Kate Morton 20th Century Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction
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The story was fine, the reading ok although some slightly odd attempts at regional accents. But it was SO OBVIOUSLY written by an Australian and the editor should have picked up on some real discrepancies. The lack of attention to detail was really jarring. Tom wondering what the castle might be like when he had already visited previously, postcodes weren’t Introduced in the uk til 1959 so Meredith wouldn’t even have known what one was let alone given it to her parents in 1939, English women don’t use “totes”, they use handbags, no English teacher would call a child “kiddo” in 1939... I could go on. Annoying.

Attention to detail required

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I loved the book Distant Hours. The narration by Caroline Lee was a joy to listen to and the story line kept my attention from beginning till end. The best book of three by Kate Mortoni have read so far!

Beautiful in many ways

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As much as I like Kate Mortons books I have to say that it's definitely not her best one. There are too many long, unecessary passages and descriptions. The story and the writing are solid but this book would need a serious editing. The beautiful (as always) performance of Caroline Lee saves this audiobook from being indigest.

not the best by Kate Morton

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This was a throughly enjoyable and beautifully written story but it was spoilt by frequent mispronunciation and poor narration.

A better read than a listen

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A wonderful enchanting story, beautifully written and exquisitely read. Listening to this was an experience I will struggle to match. My sincere gratitude to both the writer and the narrator

Fabulous

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