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  • The Clockmaker's Daughter

  • By: Kate Morton
  • Narrated by: Joanne Froggatt
  • Length: 17 hrs and 3 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (856 ratings)

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The Clockmaker's Daughter

By: Kate Morton
Narrated by: Joanne Froggatt
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Publisher's Summary

Prepare to lose yourself in the enchanting new novel from Kate Morton. 

My father called me Birdie; he said I was his little bird. Others knew me as his child, the clockmaker’s daughter. Edward called me his muse, his destiny. I am remembered as a thief, an imposter, a girl who rose above her station, who was not chaste. My real name, no one remembers. The truth about that summer, no one else knows. 

In the summer of 1862, a group of young artists led by the passionate and talented Edward Radcliffe descends upon Birchwood Manor in rural Oxfordshire. Their plan: to spend a secluded summer month in a haze of inspiration and creativity. But by the time their stay is over, one woman has been shot dead while another has disappeared; a priceless heirloom is missing; and Edward Radcliffe’s life is in ruins. 

Over 150 years later, Elodie Winslow, a young archivist in London, uncovers a leather satchel containing two seemingly unrelated items: a sepia photograph of an arresting-looking woman in Victorian clothing, and an artist’s sketchbook containing the drawing of a twin-gabled house on the bend of a river. 

Why does Birchwood Manor feel so familiar to Elodie? And who is the beautiful woman in the photograph? Will she ever give up her secrets? 

Told by multiple voices across time, The Clockmaker's Daughter is a story of murder, mystery and thievery, of art, love and loss. And flowing through it like a river is the voice of a woman who stands outside time, whose name has been forgotten by history but who has watched it all unfold: Birdie Bell, the clockmaker’s daughter.

©2018 Kate Morton (P)2018 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

What listeners say about The Clockmaker's Daughter

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Almost perfect

I think the story is excellent. However, the cast being so diverse, and the story being told from various time periods with the narrative switching between those periods constantly, demands some considerable concentration.
If one were to listen in silence I think it’s fair to say it merits 5 stars, and in printed form I’m sure it would. My only comment would be that if one listens, say, while driving, it’s possible to lose track of where one is in the story.
The only thing that prevented me getting completely lost at times, was Joanne Froggatt’s complete mastery of the various voices. Also, as an Australian, I found she faltered on the Aussie accent in only 2, perhaps 3 places, which given the length of the dialogue is outstanding for an Englishwoman.
In summary:
I highly recommend the book;
I will definitely buy more Kate Morton books; and
I will listen to anything narrated by Joanne Froggatt.

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25 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Busy Story But Ok

I found this story to be good but at times hard to follow. There were a lot of people with different stories to tell and at times I found it a bit too busy, finding myself getting lost.
The end still left me asking questions about some of the characters.

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
  • Lyn
  • 26-09-2018

Pacey and enjoyable

Found it a bit meandering at the start. a good story, great setting but perhaps not this writer's best. liked the focus on pre raphelites.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Unfaultable Delight

The perfect marriage - Kate Morton’s wonderful book with Joanne Froggatt’s clever narration. I have loved every moment of this audible edition, even opting to the use of earplugs whilst attending to daily chores. I think the equivalent of not being able to put the book down.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A beautifully woven story

So many rich and vibrant characters brought to life in a way that shines a light on each of their stories, while weaving an intricate thread that slowly draws them all together. I loved it all, and the narrator obviously did too. If you like history, mysteries, ghosts, art, science, clever children, strong women and stories that test your ideas about home and life and love, this is a must read.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Long and confusing

I was so looking forward to this book as I love Kate Morton’s style and have been captivated by all her previous books. At first I thought my problem with it was that hearing didn’t match up to reading it, and it was this that was making it hard to follow. It was hard to tell when characters changed and as they jumped back and forth, it was hard to keep track of them all. There also seemed to be a lot of repetition. I was hearing the same words and phrases over and over. I blamed the format and wondered if I was reading it, it might be different. Having finally slogged my way through to the end, I now think it may not have been saved by the printed word. It was all just too drawn out and while parts of the journey were enjoyable, it could have easily lost quite a few chapters without losing anything of the story. Hard work and disappointing.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Too wordy

Way way to descriptive, the reader has an imagination. simply too wordy 😏 it interrupted the story it self

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Best book

I work at a sewing machine all day and listening to books this one was pretty amazing

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Exquisite

Beautifully written and perfectly narrated. An absolute joy to listen to. I was completely transported to another world

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful Story

A very uniquely structured story and fantastic for a relaxed listen. Joanne Froggatt also narrated beautifully, with distinctive voices and accents for each of the characters.

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2 people found this helpful

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  • maxine
  • 21-09-2018

Good but feels rushed in the ending

I adore Kate Mortons books they make me cry, make me feel and normally I am bewitched by them. This book does not have the same appeal and I am so sorry. Joannes narration is as always amazing, but the story has too many stories within stories that never get resolved - maybe thats the intention but it does result in a constant flicking back and forth.

The concept is brilliant and the setting are part of my childhood so i so wanted to fall in love with this book - but honestly Kate Forsyths Beauty in Thorns by far addresses the era of art and photography more poignantly.

It is still a lovely book but just not on the same par of The Forgotten Garden and Kates previous books which I recommend constantly to friends.

I just didn't feel this book finished itself to many weird loose ends and lost focus somewhat

Still adore Kates writings

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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  • Karen Rowe
  • 06-03-2019

A book that’s left me with mixed feelings

Although I love Kate Morton and I think she’s an amazing author, my love of this book is certainly not as clear cut as with the others. The book starts off very much centered on Elodie. Honestly, I found these first chapters boring and actually gave up on the book for a good while, picking up on other books before trying again. I then stopped and started a few times when, suddenly, it sucked me in...

Although I was riveted, there were also a few holes in the story for me, one of them being that Lily seemed to be very educated and well spoken (perhaps that was the narration), despite her upbringing in the underbelly of London. Perhaps her knowledge of Science was due to her friend, Pale Joe, among other mitigating circumstances mentioned by the author, however it still didn’t fully make sense to me.

And then the story never really returns to Elodie - only a third person view of her. There was obviously method in this, however I was a little surprised when the book suddenly ended.

So, the story also seemed a little unrounded to me, although still an enjoyable book in all. I think that pieces of the story will remain with me for a long time.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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  • Ruth King
  • 09-11-2018

My least favourite of Kate Morton’s books

I love Kate Morton’s books and was so delighted to have a new one to read. But I almost put it aside by the time I got to chapter 20. But finally finished and then read it a second time. Just too many story lines to follow.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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  • ASwann
  • 22-02-2019

Will the real Kate Morton please stand up !!

I love Kate Morton books and looked forward to reading this new one BUT ....
I think I will wait and see what her next book might be. It felt like she was bored with what she usually writes and tried something new but we love all her past books.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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  • Simone
  • 17-02-2019

I wish it was told in chronological order

Now that I am done and I can look back on the story, I can say I like it - but as I was reading it it got on my nerves.

I think I would have preferred it if the story had been told in chronological order, I feel l missed out on to much details trying to remember who was who and how they were linked back to so-and-so.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • sallye
  • 27-11-2022

Twists and turns

I loved this book! Deeply sad but also alive with love. I sat in my car for hours at a time because it was so good!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Monica Raven
  • 29-03-2021

I love her books so much!

I have listened now to all of Kate Morton’s books, and have not been disappointed once.

I love her depth of character, complex people who aren’t perfect but to whom you can relate very strongly.

AND! Thank you SO MUCH, finally, for once, an Australian accent that doesn’t make me cringe, sob and press fast forward. <3

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Liesl
  • 01-06-2020

LOVE

Kate Morton is my favourite author and this book didnt disappoint! So worth it, I will listen to it again!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Anonymous User
  • 11-09-2019

Breathtaking... Literally

One of the best Kate Morton books yet! It was captivating to say the least

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Zinia
  • 19-07-2019

a

I just finished the book and I have a sunken feeling in my chest, it was beautiful and sad at the same time

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  • Debbie
  • 24-12-2019

Enjoyable Confusion

As a devoted fan of Kate Morton's books, I was looking forward to this book, however it has a myriad of story lines culminating in the final chapters of the book and, requiring a set of footnotes for the reader or the listener in this case. There are too many narrators and it's difficult to remember who is who, unless as someone suggested, one takes notes. However, I did enjoy Joanne Frogatt's narration of this book, although a male voise narrator would have been a welcome change from time to time as required.
Basically, the story is a fairly simple one, but it's confusing because of the large number of narrators and th many names used, so,e of which all start with the same letter, whioch makes it even more confusing.
All in all, I enjoyed this book, once I had soryed out who was whom, and will read it aagain one day because. like Kate Morton's other books, it's worth it.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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  • Marianne Brennan
  • 19-02-2019

Clockmakers Daughter

Beautifully read but the book itself was so hard to follow not clear enough when changing characters very confusing disappointing as I have read all Kate Morton’s books

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • L. Rosales
  • 13-12-2018

Superb!

I was a bit apprehensive about this book, I love Kate Morton's books - except the last one (the lake house) which left me very disappointed. The Clockmaker's daughter was excellent and a true KM doorstopper novel with all the twists and turns and multiple timelines and perspectives one could wish for. Love it!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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  • Helene
  • 04-12-2018

Good mystery but skips around at random.

Difficult to keep up with storyline because of the random time line changes. Characters are difficult to keep up with. Ending inconclusive.

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