The House at Riverton by Kate Morton

The House at Riverton was recommended to me by a coworker and what a great suggestion - I actually was so caught up in the book I had to make myself put it down so that I wouldn't finish it all in one sitting. The book is narrated by Grace, and alternates between her modern day life as a 98-year old living in a retirement home, and her memories of her life at Riverton, where she started serving as a housemaid at the age of 14. It was at Riverton that Grace first met the grandchildren of the Master, David, Hannah and Emmeline and where her life becomes intertwined with theirs, especially Hannah's. Grace has kept the secrets of the Ashbury family for her entire life, starting before WW1 and right into the roaring twenties, it is only as she is in the twilight of her life that the memories start flooding back and she is almost overcome by the past. While I enjoyed the story of modern Grace, I really was caught up in the stories of the past - the characters are so well developed that you really feel like you're a part of their lives. I don't want to give too much away because I really think that any reader deserves to be surprised by all the twists and turns, I will say that the final twist at the end felt a little contrived, but overall didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story. I read some reviews online and one of the reviewers said that they hoped the book was made into a movie, and I have to say I think that is a great idea, especially if they can remain true to the heart of the story. I would definitely want to see that!