Get Your Free Audiobook
-
The Distant Hours
- Narrated by: Caroline Lee
- Length: 22 hrs and 31 mins
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Genre Fiction
Non-member price: $51.21
People who bought this also bought...
-
The Shifting Fog [also published under the alternate title The House at Riverton]
- By: Kate Morton
- Narrated by: Caroline Lee
- Length: 18 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Summer 1924: On the eve of a glittering society party, by the lake of a grand English country house, a young poet takes his life. The only witnesses, sisters Hannah and Emmeline Hartford, will never speak to each other again. Winter 1999: Grace Bradley, 98, one-time housemaid of Riverton Manor, is visited by a young director making a film about the poet's suicide. Ghosts awaken and memories, long consigned to the dark reaches of Grace's mind, begin to sneak back through the cracks.
-
-
Enthralling
- By Lisa on 12-04-2016
-
The Lake House
- By: Kate Morton
- Narrated by: Caroline Lee
- Length: 21 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Living on her family’s gorgeous lakeside estate in Cornwall, England, Alice Edevane is a bright, clever, inquisitive, innocent, and precociously talented fourteen-year-old who loves to write stories. But the mysteries she pens are no match for the one her family is about to endure ...One midsummer’s eve, after a beautiful party drawing hundreds of guests to the estate has ended, the Edevanes discover that their youngest son, Theo, has vanished without a trace.
-
-
Slow
- By Kay Way on 19-12-2015
-
The Forgotten Garden
- By: Kate Morton
- Narrated by: Caroline Lee
- Length: 20 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Thirty-eight year old Cassandra is lost, alone, and grieving. Her much loved grandmother, Nell, has just died and Cassandra, her life already shaken by a tragic accident 10 years ago, feels like she has lost everything known and dear to her.
-
-
Poor narration
- By Anonymous User on 19-09-2018
-
The Secret Keeper
- A Novel
- By: Kate Morton
- Narrated by: Caroline Lee
- Length: 19 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
England, 1959. Laurel Nicolson is 16 years old, dreaming alone in her childhood tree house during a family celebration at their home, Green Acres Farm. She spies a stranger coming up the long road to the farm and then observes her mother, Dorothy, speaking to him. And then she witnesses a crime. Fifty years later, Laurel is a successful and well-regarded actress, living in London. She returns to Green Acres for Dorothy’s ninetieth birthday and finds herself overwhelmed by memories and questions she has not thought about for decades.
-
-
Excellent - Ripping Yarn ..
- By Brian on 06-05-2014
-
The Clockmaker's Daughter
- By: Kate Morton
- Narrated by: Joanne Froggatt
- Length: 17 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Almost perfect
- By Mike on 07-03-2019
-
Wildflower Hill
- By: Kimberley Freeman
- Narrated by: Caroline Lee
- Length: 16 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1920s Glasgow, Beattie Blaxland falls pregnant to her married lover Henry just before her nineteenth birthday. Abandoned by her family, Beattie and Henry set sail for a new life in Australia. In 2009, London, prima ballerina Lydia Blaxland-Hunter is also discovering that life can also have its ups and downs. Unable to dance again after a fall, Lydia returns home to Australia to recuperate.
-
-
Compelling story, distracting narration
- By carey and martin fletcher on 06-04-2018
-
The Shifting Fog [also published under the alternate title The House at Riverton]
- By: Kate Morton
- Narrated by: Caroline Lee
- Length: 18 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Summer 1924: On the eve of a glittering society party, by the lake of a grand English country house, a young poet takes his life. The only witnesses, sisters Hannah and Emmeline Hartford, will never speak to each other again. Winter 1999: Grace Bradley, 98, one-time housemaid of Riverton Manor, is visited by a young director making a film about the poet's suicide. Ghosts awaken and memories, long consigned to the dark reaches of Grace's mind, begin to sneak back through the cracks.
-
-
Enthralling
- By Lisa on 12-04-2016
-
The Lake House
- By: Kate Morton
- Narrated by: Caroline Lee
- Length: 21 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Living on her family’s gorgeous lakeside estate in Cornwall, England, Alice Edevane is a bright, clever, inquisitive, innocent, and precociously talented fourteen-year-old who loves to write stories. But the mysteries she pens are no match for the one her family is about to endure ...One midsummer’s eve, after a beautiful party drawing hundreds of guests to the estate has ended, the Edevanes discover that their youngest son, Theo, has vanished without a trace.
-
-
Slow
- By Kay Way on 19-12-2015
-
The Forgotten Garden
- By: Kate Morton
- Narrated by: Caroline Lee
- Length: 20 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Thirty-eight year old Cassandra is lost, alone, and grieving. Her much loved grandmother, Nell, has just died and Cassandra, her life already shaken by a tragic accident 10 years ago, feels like she has lost everything known and dear to her.
-
-
Poor narration
- By Anonymous User on 19-09-2018
-
The Secret Keeper
- A Novel
- By: Kate Morton
- Narrated by: Caroline Lee
- Length: 19 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
England, 1959. Laurel Nicolson is 16 years old, dreaming alone in her childhood tree house during a family celebration at their home, Green Acres Farm. She spies a stranger coming up the long road to the farm and then observes her mother, Dorothy, speaking to him. And then she witnesses a crime. Fifty years later, Laurel is a successful and well-regarded actress, living in London. She returns to Green Acres for Dorothy’s ninetieth birthday and finds herself overwhelmed by memories and questions she has not thought about for decades.
-
-
Excellent - Ripping Yarn ..
- By Brian on 06-05-2014
-
The Clockmaker's Daughter
- By: Kate Morton
- Narrated by: Joanne Froggatt
- Length: 17 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Almost perfect
- By Mike on 07-03-2019
-
Wildflower Hill
- By: Kimberley Freeman
- Narrated by: Caroline Lee
- Length: 16 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1920s Glasgow, Beattie Blaxland falls pregnant to her married lover Henry just before her nineteenth birthday. Abandoned by her family, Beattie and Henry set sail for a new life in Australia. In 2009, London, prima ballerina Lydia Blaxland-Hunter is also discovering that life can also have its ups and downs. Unable to dance again after a fall, Lydia returns home to Australia to recuperate.
-
-
Compelling story, distracting narration
- By carey and martin fletcher on 06-04-2018
-
Silver Wattle
- By: Belinda Alexandra
- Narrated by: Caroline Lee
- Length: 16 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In fear for their lives after the sudden death of their mother, Adéla and Klára must flee Prague to find refuge with their uncle in Australia. Later, Adéla becomes a film director at a time when the local industry is starting to feel the competition from Hollywood. But even while success is imminent, the issues of family and an impossible love are never far away.
-
-
Fantastic, both the story and the narrator
- By Veronica on 16-01-2016
-
The Botanist’s Daughter
- By: Kayte Nunn
- Narrated by: Caroline Lee
- Length: 12 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Victorian England, headstrong adventuress Elizabeth takes up her late father's quest for a rare, miraculous plant. She faces a perilous sea voyage, unforeseen dangers and treachery that threatens her entire family. In present-day Australia, Anna finds a mysterious metal box containing a sketchbook of dazzling watercolours, a photograph inscribed 'Spring 1886' and a small bag of seeds. It sets her on a path far from her safe, carefully ordered life and on a journey that will force her to face her own demons.
-
-
Slow to start but hang in there.....it's worth it
- By Liz Pearson on 05-04-2019
-
Lighthouse Bay
- By: Kimberley Freeman
- Narrated by: Caroline Lee
- Length: 16 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This breathtaking novel travels more than a century between two love stories set in the Australian seaside town of Lighthouse Bay. In 1901, a ship sinks off the coast of Lighthouse Bay in Australia. The only survivor is Isabella Winterbourne - escaping her loveless marriage and the devastating loss of her son - who clutches a priceless gift meant for the Australian Parliament. Suddenly, this gift could be her ticket to a new life, free from the bonds of her husband and his overbearing family.
-
-
Loved it from beginning to end
- By Yvonne on 26-12-2017
-
The Girl on the Cliff
- By: Lucinda Riley
- Narrated by: Gerri Halligan
- Length: 14 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Troubled by recent loss, Grania Ryan has returned to Ireland and the arms of her loving family. It is here, on a cliff edge, that she first meets a young girl, Aurora. Strangely drawn to Aurora, Grania discovers that their families are deeply entwined. From a bittersweet romance in wartime London to a troubled relationship in contemporary New York, the Ryans and the Lisles have been entangled for a century.
-
-
Just lovely!
- By carol on 27-08-2017
-
Tuscan Rose
- By: Belinda Alexandra
- Narrated by: Caroline Lee
- Length: 23 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A mysterious stranger known as 'The Wolf' leaves an infant with the sisters of Santo Spirito. A tiny silver key hidden in her wrappings is the only clue to the child's identity and so begins a story as intriguing and beautiful as the city of Florence itself. Belinda Alexandra's new novel, Tuscan Rose, is set in Italy during the time of Mussolini. This richly woven tale of passion, love, longing, witchcraft and magic promises to be everything her readers love and more.
-
-
Enjoyable but...
- By Margaret on 21-06-2016
-
Stars Across the Ocean
- By: Kimberley Freeman
- Narrated by: Jennifer Vuletic
- Length: 14 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An enthralling story about love, motherhood and choosing who you belong to in the world by best-selling author Kimberley Freeman. 1874: only days before she is to leave the foundling home where she grew up, Agnes Resolute discovers that, as a baby, she had been abandoned with a small token of her mother: a unicorn button. Agnes always believed her mother had been too poor to keep her, but after working as a laundress in the home she recognises the button as belonging the daughter of a local noble.
-
-
Great tale!
- By Nicmacc on 13-04-2018
-
The Light Behind the Window
- By: Lucinda Riley
- Narrated by: Miranda Raison
- Length: 12 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The present: Emilie de la Martiniéres has always fought against her aristocratic background, but after the death of her glamorous, distant mother, she finds herself alone in the world and sole inheritor of her grand childhood home in the south of France. An old notebook of poems leads her in search of the mysterious and beautiful Sophia, whose tragic love affair changed the course of her family history.
-
-
Held my all the way to the end
- By Donna Skelton on 21-09-2020
-
Duet
- By: Kimberley Freeman
- Narrated by: Caroline Lee
- Length: 19 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the London pop scene, to the opera stages of Europe; from a tiny Greek island, to a stifling manor house full of secrets and deceptions; from the sun-drenched Queensland coast, to the silent outback; Angela and Ellie are two women both looking for something. One in search of her identity and her memory; the other in search of the love that she had and lost; theirs is a duet whose last note will not be sung until the heart-stopping climax, when a shadow from the past returns to claim them both.
-
-
Very Bleak
- By Wendy Moon on 07-06-2020
-
The Cartographer's Secret
- By: Tea Cooper
- Narrated by: Casey Withoos
- Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Evie Ludgrove loves to map the landscape around her home - hardly surprising since she grew up in the shadow of her father's obsession with the great Australian explorer Dr. Ludwig Leichhardt. So when an advertisement appears in The Bulletin magazine offering a GBP1000 reward for proof of where Leichhardt met his fate, Evie is determined to figure it out - after all, there are clues in her father's papers and in the archives of The Royal Geographical Society.
-
-
Wonderful Book & Amazing Narrator
- By Anonymous User on 14-12-2020
-
Tapestry
- By: Fiona McIntosh
- Narrated by: Eloise Mignon
- Length: 15 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1715, the Earl of Nithsdale is sentenced to be beheaded for his part in the doomed Jacobite rebellion for Scottish independence. In 1978, Jane Maxwell is plagued with doubts about her engagement. When tragedy leaves her fiance, Will, near death, Jane's guilt makes her determined to save him...somehow. On a desperate and dangerous quest to find some answers, Jane finds herself trapped in the past. Convinced that saving Nithsdale will also save Will, Jane embarks on a daring plot to rescue the earl from the tower of London.
-
-
Enjoyed story but not the narration
- By Lunagirl on 04-08-2019
-
The Light After the War
- By: Anita Abriel
- Narrated by: Jesse Vilinsky
- Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1946 two young Hungarian refugees arrive in Naples determined to start a new life after losing everyone they loved before the war. Vera Frankel and her best friend, Edith Ban, are haunted by their terrifying escape from a train headed for Auschwitz after their mothers threw them from the carriage, promising they would follow. But instead the girls found themselves alone in a frozen, alien land. They managed to find refuge and barter for their lives by working on an isolated farm in Austria until the end of the war.
-
-
This Author Definately Has Potential
- By HR on 13-08-2020
-
Ember Island
- By: Kimberley Freeman
- Narrated by: Jennifer Vuletic
- Length: 13 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A compelling tale of two women separated by a century who discover long-buried secrets in an Australian manor house. In 1891, Tilly Kirkland is reeling with shock and guilt after her tempestuous marriage ends in horrific circumstances. Fleeing to the farthest place she knows, Tilly takes a job on Ember Island in Moreton Bay, Australia, where she becomes the governess to the prison superintendent's precocious young daughter, Nell.
-
-
Very Enjoyable
- By Pinkie on 25-07-2019
Publisher's Summary
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.
What listeners say about The Distant Hours
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Sheree
- 21-01-2019
Couldn't finish
I couldn't even finish this book. I have purchased two Kate Morton books before and would rate them 5 star plus. This book was a lot of words about nothing.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 30-01-2016
the Distant Hours
loved the storyline. a book to get lost in. Kate is a very talented writer
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kate
- 26-01-2016
Enjoyable
Really enjoyed this well written story. Will try more Kate Morton in the future! I listened for hours at a time.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Honni
- 09-09-2014
Loved it!
If you could sum up The Distant Hours in three words, what would they be?
intriguing, historical, haunting
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Distant Hours?
mud man at the window
What about Caroline Lee’s performance did you like?
very easy to listen to
If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
dreams and reality
Any additional comments?
really enjoyed it!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 11-06-2020
Bloody fantastic!
A new addition to the halls of timeless classics. I was left empty when it finished. Chariter association and the depth of story are simply outstanding. My life is complete.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 10-02-2020
So long winded
A very long story that I had to fast forward many times. Very boring in places. The narrator was the only good part. Have read Kate Morton before and loved them, but this was agony to finish
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Tootie NZ
- 16-11-2019
Great Book
Very twisted plot. Kept me going until the last page and left me wanting mor
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Lesley Wilcox
- 18-08-2019
Another lovely book
A little harder to get into probably due to the different stories setting the scene but delightful Sad but lovely
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Caron Chester
- 13-07-2019
Truly wonderful!
I truly enjoyed this book from beginning to end! The story is wonderful with many twists and turns, and the narrater is brilliant. Highly recommended! 💜
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Alan P Douma
- 14-03-2019
a twist at every turn
loved it. engaging from start to finish. never quite sure where the plot would lead
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Tinker
- 03-12-2012
Not enough hours .....
What can I say? I have read all of Kate Morton that you have to offer and now feel a need for more. She is a brilliant story teller and the book, as usual, is narrated magnificintly.
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- brittanny
- 14-06-2013
A bit disappointing, but not a lost cause
What did you like best about The Distant Hours? What did you like least?
The concept of the story was what initially enticed me to chose The Distant Hours. I love anything to do with books, castles, and dark family secrets. I have read Morton's The Forgotten Garden and really enjoyed it so I thought I would give another one a go and this book has such great reviews, how could I go wrong! However, this audio book fell a little flat for me. Like I said, conceptually this is a great story. It is entertaining and it kept me guessing the whole way through. What I didn't enjoy though was that Morton drags some parts of the story on for ages! I really wish she had cut down the parts about Milderhurst Castle during the war and maybe spent more time focusing on either Eddie's life, or the relationship between Raymond Blythe and his daughter Juniper. There is way too much unnecessary information pumped into the middle of the book and I had a hard time keeping interested in the story. The other thing that bothers me about The Distant Hours is the random sub-plots that do nothing to add to the essential story and feel like empty fillings instead of essential plot elements. One example being the hinted-at lesbian relationship between Percy and Lucy. It just seemed so random to me, as if Morton was just trying to throw in obscure elements for the sake of another plot twist. The book already has enough interesting plot twist to not need trivial ones.
On the good side of things, I thought that the characters were all fairly well developed (except for Seraphina). I like it when an author can actually make me shout out loud and shake my fist at characters out of anger when they do something irritating (such as when Percy stops Seraphina from pursuing her dreams of leaving the castle).
Any additional comments?
Overall a good concept and a decent enough performance, but very boring at times and some of the plot twists seem a bit forced. If someone is interested in getting into Kate Morton's books, I think I would recommend The Forgotten Garden first over The Distant Hours.
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Dorothy
- 12-04-2013
savor it
this book is long. It is an experience meant to be enjoyed and savored all the way along. If you like excitement and fast-paced action, this is not the book for you.
Kate Morton's strength is her ability to transport readers to another place and time and envelop them in the story. Her descriptions are vivid and detailed, her characters complex.
As in her previous novels the Hidden Garden and The Shifting Fog, the suspense builds slowly. It took me some time to 'get into' the story, but once I did, i ended up racing to find time to listen to the last few hours, when the plot threads start to come together and I tried to figure them out. If you think you have solved the mystery before the end, don't be too sure, things are not what they seem. Morton deliberately leads the reader down several false paths before revealing the truth.
Since this is the third of Morton's novels read by Caroline Lee, i simply cannot imagine another reader. She personifies the style of Morton's novels, and does the characters' accents so well.
I can't wait to read the Secret Keeper.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- bernadette
- 09-06-2012
Fabulous Story!
This book is super duper long ...... which for me, is a huge plus with an audio book. Once you get going you never want this book to end! This is a lovely book that takes you back in time and is wonderfully written and red. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have now read all of Kate Morton's books and I'm hungry for more!
7 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Elin
- 06-08-2016
o m g
it's just soo good! cate morton is amazing and Caroline Lee makes all her stories come alive! I am devastated that I've now finished all her books... what do to with my life now?!?
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Paula
- 09-04-2016
Good, but not the best of Kate Morton
Would you try another book from Kate Morton and/or Caroline Lee?
Yes, because I think Caroline Lee understand the author story, so the parthership between the two is perfect.
Would you be willing to try another book from Kate Morton? Why or why not?
Yes, I love this author, but this book isn't one of the best I listening. This story has some many secrets, and finish with everything being revealed so unexpectedly only to happen what happened with the three sisters? No. Kate Morton has better books than this. For example - The Lake House or The Forgotten Garden... This book, in my opinion, isgood, but there are betters.
What about Caroline Lee’s performance did you like?
In my opinion, Caroline Lee has a tone that is appropriate to the rhythm daa story. she manages to capture the listener's attention and convey every emotion experienced by the characters.
Was The Distant Hours worth the listening time?
After all, yes. Although, for me, it is not one of the best Kate Morton books.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- A.
- 16-04-2013
The Best Book
What made the experience of listening to The Distant Hours the most enjoyable?
a very engaging story, had me hooked from the start, thought I had figured it out, but was delightfully surprised by the end.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Meredith - fragile, full of wonder.
Which character – as performed by Caroline Lee – was your favorite?
same as above
Who was the most memorable character of The Distant Hours and why?
Juniper - hard to say why.
Any additional comments?
listened twice, wanted to catch things that I missed 1st time.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Marilyne
- 24-02-2013
Great Book!
Where does The Distant Hours rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
It is the first I listened, but a great way to beginning. You will not be disappointed.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Distant Hours?
The voices that came to life.
Have you listened to any of Caroline Lee’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
Not yet.
Who was the most memorable character of The Distant Hours and why?
Persy Blyde, she gave you the wrong impression, but in the end she was a caring person.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- kcore
- 06-02-2013
Too slow!
What would have made The Distant Hours better?
Abridged version of parts 1 and 2 in order to reach part 3 sooner
What could Kate Morton have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?
Get to the "meat" of the story sooner
Any additional comments?
This was my third Kate Morton book. I really enjoyed the first two and had high expectations of this one. It was just "ok" and I found myself bored.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Shrin
- 21-08-2017
A very long story
This book was very long. Had I read it instead of listening to it, I would have skipped over quite a bit.
There were parts in the book that weren't necessary to the story - i.e Percy & Lucy as this never went anywhere. The relationship was hinted at without any real substance.
I would recommend reading this rather than listening to it, although Caroline Lee was excellent as a narrator and this is what kept me listening to the story.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- R. J. Gladden
- 15-01-2016
Three Sisters and the rest
This is a story of three sisters and their complicated relationship with each other, their parents, particularly their overbearing father and the people who move in and out of their lives as told by close observer's who happen to be mother and daughter.
If it sounds hard to follow, that's because it is.
The characters are well defined by both the author and the narrator of the story, so that is not the problem but it is hard, towards the end of this really long book, to retain any sympathy for any of them. I kept wanting to scream "Get on with it"! But then I'm not noted for my patience.
The other difficulty which is more specific to Audible books, is that the action flits backwards and forwards between WW2 (and sometimes before) and the present day. This can be confusing. Why it is most confusing in Audible books is that you have no visual reference point. In a book, you can refer to the beginning of the chapter or section for ease, in an Audible, that reference is not easily found.
The other important relationship is that between the narrator of the story (Edie) and her own mother (Meredith) who spent time with the sisters as an evacuee during WW2. It is hard to understand why that device was brought into play, it added little to the story, but much to the confusion.
The whole book is riddled with complexities and character flaws and mental ill health to the point where it was really difficult to find any joy and I just longed for the final paragraph and someone to please put me out of my misery. Which perhaps is a little harsh.
Caroline Lee did sterling work narrating this epic and she has a beautiful voice but I can't help but think that someone with an Australian accent was wrongly cast playing the parts of English women during this era.
I sometimes wonder if it's me that can't cope with complexity and after all, one woman's meat is another woman's poison, and trust me, there is an overindulgence of poison, hatred and bitterness in this novel.
11 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- pollyfitz
- 13-11-2013
another great book
This book had me guessing and in the end, unusually, I was wrong. However it isn't a whodunnit, it isn't a mystery novel, it isn't love story - it's all three. A beautifully written story that spans more than 5 decades it brings the characters to life so completely that you feel you could meet them in the street and know them at once.It broke my heart although in the end it was a happy ending. A masterpiece. My only fault, and a minor one, was the narrators difficulty in capturing the cockney accent, it came out a bit too Aussie. But that was a small price to pay for an otherwise faultless rendering.
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall

- Windydotcom
- 24-12-2012
Good story, shame about narrator
Story was gripping and well written but the Australian accent of the narrator, for characters mainly from London, was very off putting. I would of expected a narrator to use accents relevant for the story. I found it very frustrating so much so, although I have read other Kate Morton books and enjoyed them, I will not be listening to any others with this particular narrator.
9 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Maggie Kiely
- 16-07-2013
Love Kate Morton
This is my third read from Kate Morton and I have the fourth book purchased from Audible in readiness for when I want a really good read.
The story set up is the same in all the books in the sense that you are presented with a story with large bits missing and gradually the truth is revealed throughout the book and sometimes as in this one the impression you get of the characters and their actions is sometimes shown to be very misjudged once the full facts are laid before you.
This book was really good and I enjoyed the way the story developed. I would say that the best of the books by far and away was book 2 The Forgotten Garden I will always look for more books by Kate Morton and think her fab.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall

- Amazon Customer
- 29-05-2011
A riveting listen
This is a riveting listen. The book is haunting and evocative, with a meticulously plotted narrative which keeps you entranced right to the end. Although the Australian twang of the narrator seems a little incongruous at first, it is beautifully read, capturing the emotional range of the characters very well. I've been listening to this on my way to work and now it's ended I feel like my journey is much longer. Can't recommend it highly enough.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall

- Jane P
- 07-05-2011
Very enjoyable
Excellent book. I enjoyed the atmosphere and the unexpected twists. I listened to this as I drove around the area it was set and almost felt like I would stumble upon the village and castle.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Anonymous User
- 24-01-2016
This book was so good can't wait to start another
i really enjoyed this book its only the third kate morton i have read and all of her books are spellbinding loved every min just sorry its over
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- HelenM
- 06-12-2015
Brilliant
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
This is the best by Kate Morton story by far. I love the past and present blend. This book is set in places I know which as made it even more real.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- londoncomment
- 07-09-2015
Absorbing story marred by the narrator's accent.
What did you like most about The Distant Hours?
I was gripped from the start. This is an extremely well-crafted story although I was always conscious of it being a story and didn't care quite enough for the characters as if they were real.
What other book might you compare The Distant Hours to, and why?
This felt like a conscious attempt at channelling the spirit and atmosphere of Charlotte Bronte/Jane Eyre into modern times. (Gothic horror/burning castles/mad people in attics etc). Although the complications of this plot transcended all.
Did the narration match the pace of the story?
Caroline Lee is a superb, expressive Australian actor. I've loved her in other (Australian) works but for this book she was so wrong wrong wrong! As the author is Australian it appears that they produced this audiobook for that market only. This novel takes place entirely in the south-east of England (London and Kent). This narrator can't do a decent English accent to save her life. However wonderful she is, her Australian accent constantly detracts and distracts.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No, it's way too long and drawn out for that. Best to enjoy in smaller portions.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- CJ Rea
- 29-04-2015
Loved it
Lovely story. Really enjoyed the story and the switching between the past and the present. Couldn't wait to listen to the next instalment. Loved it!
1 person found this helpful
20 Best Fantasy Audiobooks
This genre is so full of talent, it can be difficult to know what to listen to next — so look no further than this list to get you started.



20 Best Nonfiction Audiobooks
From the entire history of humanity to astrophysics, to our gut and mental health, dig into this list and learn something new.



Best Australian Podcasts on Audible
Audible Original Podcasts are free for Audible members. Check out this list of home-grown content, from binge-worthy true crime to self-help.


