An interesting wartime story, I enjoyed reading about all the different strong women in this book who faced and overcame their own challenges and heartaches all connected to the clockmaker's wife.

Iove books dealing with this time period and really enjoyed this story. I was so hopeful it would end in a different way but it was still impactful.
Some of my favorite books lately are the dual timeline. Highly recommend this for anyone who likes historical novels and multi timelines

The Clockmaker's Wife was a fun, suspenseful story about a plot to bomb Big Ben during WWII, as it's being uncovered by family members in present day. I particularly enjoy books about the Blitz in London, as it was so intense. Some parts of it seemed to come together too easily for me, and maybe it seemed a bit rushed in places, I'm not sure. I did enjoy the past/present timeline using flashbacks. Overall, by the end, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

The Clockmaker’s Wife involves a dual timeline with Nell in World War II England, living through the blitz in London and her granddaughter Ellie in 2021 in a search for the truth about her family history and particularly the mysterious death of her grandmother. This book explores strong female characters with their male counterparts playing almost secondary roles.

The London WWII timeline follows Nell and Arthur, newlyweds with a baby daughter, who lose their home in the blitz resulting in Nell returning to her parents home in the countryside. Arthur is the clockmaker who helps keep Big Ben chiming. It was a watch belonging to her grandmother, Nell that prompted Ellie to seek out the truth of her family history and connect with family members she had never known.

Overall, I found the storyline moving and even ultimately unpredictable. While the book focuses more on the female characters I did enjoy learning about Big Ben through the pieces of the story involving Arthur.

Grateful for the opportunity to provide an honest review having been provided with a digital ARC through SavvyReader Early Reads via NetGalley.

The Clockmaker's Wife was an enjoyable read. Set during the second world war, this duel timeline novel was intriguing to my love for historical fiction. I learned a lot about London, The Blitz, and Big Ben. The audio version of this book is also amazing and a great listen!

This was a really enjoyable read. It offered a new, interesting angle compared to other WWII-era novels I've read, and I learned a lot. The two timelines were well-balanced, and the plot and characters kept me interested right to the end. I'll definitely recommend it.

The Clockmaker's Wife is a suspenseful, dual time frame historical fiction, with the emphasis on the fiction. As the author explains in an author's note at the beginning of the book, the premise of the plot is a fiction, centered around the iconic clock and bells of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament in London. I appreciated having the note prior to the story. We then jump into 1940 London during the Blitz, and 2022 modern day. Yes, the future, a time when there is no pandemic happening. There have been a lot of questions about how authors will deal with the present time, and I thought this was a successful choice.

In the beginning of the story, the author is telling us about a lot of characters in both the historical and modern day storylines. There are a lot - a lot - of extra characters in both timelines. Some are fully drawn, others are quick snapshots and placeholders. While I didn't find it hard to keep track of who was who, it did make the storyline a little disjointed in the first half..

Despite the dual time line, this is mostly Nell's story. We immediately meet both Nell and Arthur, the "Wife" of the title and her clockmaker husband, who works on the iconic clock. It is the late 1930s and war is coming when we meet them. Then we are pulled forward to 1940 and the Blitz. Arthur is barely introduced and is only a vague memory in the modern story. This is really Nell's story, and it is in the second half of the book that she becomes a fully formed character. Her resourcefulness and strength come out as the storyline kicks into high gear and the suspense builds. I didn't love Nell in the beginning - Was she flighty? Was she spoiled? Not much made sense. Even as a young mother herself, she felt vague and again, flighty. But then things got hard and she jumped into action. I was fully engaged as her character grew and developed.

In the modern story, we meet Alice and her daughter, Ellie. Ellie drives the modern story, as she works to learn about her long gone relatives. I especially wanted more about Alice. Ellie is told a lot of stories by different people and I think more of them should have come from Alice. While Alice's dementia made for a convenient way to avoid having her talk, the lack of development for Alice led to me questioning Ellie's motivations. On the other hand, once Ellie made a decision to head to London, she jumped right in with both feet. Her growth was a little bit surface level, but I could sympathize with her and enjoy her journey.

On the flip side to character development, sense of place is vivid throughout the whole book. The imagery used to describe the Blitz makes it all very real. We can feel the exhaustion, smell the smoke, hear the sirens and the explosions. It's really well done. When Nell moves through the rooms and stairwells of Big Ben, it feels tight and claustrophobic and loud. The tension in Nell's parents' home in Oxfordshire is palpable. And even when Ellie visits London, from her aunt's flat to a local pub to the home of a family friend, it all feels authentic.

As I said, while introducing so many characters and changing story lines, things jump around unevenly. At the same time, those jumps contribute to feeling the general unease of the time, the tension that was everywhere. I was never lost and I always wanted to know what was coming next, but the disjointed jumping felt like a lot of puzzle pieces with no connections. It was in the once Nell is at her parents' home in Oxfordshire, and Ellie is in London looking for information on her long gone relatives, that is when the storyline takes off. I was easily wrapped up in the suspense of Nell's actions. Side characters are both personable and cold, exactly as each needed to be. The terror and heartbreak of the Blitz is everywhere. In the modern day story, Ellie's story is more about internal, with revelations, decisions she makes in trying to learn things, and a very quickly established love interest. The modern story is about helping explain the historical one, with a few side subplots that painted in some side details.

Ultimately the book is dealing with themes of family - what makes a family, the ties that bind us - and questions of what would you do in times of war. The Blitz was such a horrific time in London and the portrayal here is excellent, as I've said several times. The last half of the book picks up a lot of speed and I couldn't put it down. I was at this point completely pulled in and right there with the characters, especially Nell in 1940. It was worth all the jumping around in the beginning, to get to the second half, which I fully recommend.

I think fans of historical fiction and WWII historical fiction will enjoy this different take on the time.

The Clockmaker’s Wife was very moving. Daisy Wood brought the characters to life and you felt like you were part of the story. A great read - and hard to put down - for historical fiction fans!

WWII fiction is all the rage these days. And if you're a fan of historical fiction, you're going to want to add Daisy Wood's new novel, The Clockmaker's Wife to your TBR list.

Nell and Arthur Spelman and their wee daughter Alice are living in London in 1940. With the blitz hitting too close to home, Nell and Alice go to live with her parents in the country. But, Arthur's job is too important for him to leave - he is a clockmaker who keeps the iconic Big Ben chiming.

Fast forward to present day America. Ellie finds a beautiful but broken watch in her mother Alice's belongings. It once belonged to - yes, you guessed it - Alice's mother Nell. Ellie knows nothing of her grandparents and her mother doesn't have much to offer her either. Ellie is determined to find her history for both herself and her mother. But what she finds isn't what she expected.

I love stories like this that go back and forth from past to present. I was initially caught up short when a crucial piece of Nell's life is presented very early on. But once I discovered this bit, I realized it wasn't a spoiler, and instead I became very curious.

I loved the 'past' chapters so much - characters that 'just got on with it', the sense of community, camaraderie and stalwartness. Wood did an admirable job creating wonderful characters that I easily engaged with. The settings were just as well drawn to with detailed descriptions that created vivid mental pictures. I loved Nell - and her love for Arthur. Nell's got gumption, smarts and a strong sense of duty to her country. The supporting cast is just as well drawn.

Ellie in present day was just as engaging. She's curious, kind and determined as well. I enjoyed the romantic thread woven into this narrative. What Ellie finds in Britain isn't what she had expected. She continues to search for bits of Nell's life even as the reader become privy to what happened to Nell in the past. The lead up to the final answer is action filled. The ending to the present day thread is perfect. Of the two timelines, I have to say I was drawn more to the war years.

The Clockmaker's Wife was a wonderful read and I recommend it to anyone who loves historical fiction.

This was a bit of a different story involving one of London’s landmarks. While I liked the story I think it was a bit too long. I’m not sure about Nell leaving her daughter and taking off for London. I guess I could see her doing that if she had no other obligations.
I think historical fiction fans will enjoy this book
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC.

I had a bit of trouble getting REALLY into it, but I enjoyed most of what I was reading every time I picked it up. The back and forth timelines seemed a bit jaunty and unexpected at first as well, but I really felt like I knew the characters as time went on. And then because the backgrounds were so thorough less time/distractions were needed as things developed later on when it became more intense. The speed definitely picked up about the halfway mark.

I was looking forward to reading this book, since I tend to love this type of historical fiction (WW2). It started out well and captured my attention, but every 10 pages or so, it would skip 2-4 pages. So several pages were missing. This made me unable to finish as nothing was making sense. I'm not sure if this was just a glitch or not, but it made me unable to read the book unfortunately. I plan to check the book out once it's released, but was disappointed that I couldn't read my NetGalley copy. I gave it only 3 stars for that reason alone.

Thank you to the publisher, Harper Collins Canada for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Eleanor Spelman flees London with her young daughter Alice for the countryside to escape the Blitz in 1940. Her husband, Arthur, who is one of the clockmakers who keep Big Ben working, remains behind. When Nell receives a panicked phone call from Arthur saying that he has been arrested, she rushes back to London, desperate to find out what is going on, but finds herself uncovering some dark secrets. In present day New York, Ellie finds a watch that belonged to her grandmother Nell who died during WWII and curious to find out exactly what happened, travels to London to meet her Aunt Gillian in hopes of learning more about her family history.

WWII novels have become more and more frequent on my historical fiction TBR over the past year or two, but this is the first novel I’ve read that is set in London during the Blitz, right in the thick of things. I really enjoyed reading about the landmarks in London, and learning more about the iconic Big Ben. The descriptions of the city during WWII in one timeline contrasting with present day London were interesting to read. The feel of the narration was very authentic and the story as a whole was well written, making it easy to differentiate between the two timelines at any point. The characters in the 1940s timeline were wonderfully portrayed, and despite there being so many of them, they all felt realistic and had something important to contribute to the story, be it the evacuees in Oxfordshire or the people Nell meets in London. Nell herself starts out as a character who is rather hard to like, worrying about the most ridiculous things like a stroller when bombs are falling around her. But when she hears that Arthur is in trouble, she rushes back, determined to save him, and her character arc was quite remarkable from there on, leading to an ending that the reader would not have expected for her, given how she was in the beginning of the book.

While I usually enjoy dual timeline narrations in historical fiction, this was one case it wasn’t really needed in. I felt like there weren’t any facts that could not have been worked into the WWII timeline since it does go all the way to the end of the story, giving the reader a good idea of what was going on. Additionally, the characters in present day weren’t particularly interesting either. Ellie seems extraordinarily whiny and childish for a woman in her mid 30s. For someone interested in her family history, one would think she would have done a little research before landing in the city, yet it felt like everyone else did the work for her. What Ellie mostly did was jump to conclusions and it was really annoying how she was ready to drop everything and give up at the slightest hint that her suspicions about her grandmother were true. It was also quite odd how Ellie was able to take a vacation to London during what is the peak holiday season at short notice given that it’s mentioned quite a few times that she has limited resources.

The Clockmaker’s Wife was an intriguing and well paced read, and while it takes some time for the plot to get to the more exciting pieces. I would definitely recommend this book for historical fiction fans!

The Clockmaker’s Wife by Daisy Wood is an intriguing story of love and loss. A breathtaking historical tale set in 1939/1940 that was heartbreaking and intense. The Clockmaker’s Wife was captivating.

I really loved this book, it's definitely a must read. The story held my attention, I couldn't put it down.

It seems I have read quite a few books in the past year or so about the World War II era. This one had a slightly different perspective as it focused on the destruction of London as well as a fifth column operating within Britain. Utilizing two timelines in the unspooling of the story was an effective device and the author’s descriptions of London both in the 1940s and today were particularly evocative.

The book did drag at times with overlong descriptions, even when those descriptions involved action and aspects of the story were unrealistic.

Readers who enjoy historical fiction (with the emphasis on fiction) or tales of the courage of strong women in troubling times or those who have investigated their ancestral stories, should give this book a try.

The Clockmaker’s Wife is a World War II historical fiction that takes place in London in 1940 and New York/London in 2021. I am a fan of historical fiction, especially WWII historical fiction and I really liked that the book was different in that it focused on a plot about Big Ben (I haven’t read a lot about Big Ben, I didn’t realize that the bell is named Big Ben, not the tower!). However, I felt like the characters fell a little flat and I didn’t really connect with any of them. The plot seemed to move too fast with information being revealed in such a manner that it was glossed over and major reveals did not have much of an impact.

Thank you to. NetGalley and Harper Collins Canada for the chance to read this ARC and review it.

I loved this historical fiction / mystery story told in dual timelines. The first timeline is in 1940 during the Blitz, when Nell Spelman and her baby daughter are strongly encouraged to leave London and stay with her parents in the country while her husband stays on to maintain Big Ben and the giant Clock Tower. The second timeline is present day and even a little into the future, when Ellie finds her grandmother's watch and pictures, and travels to London to find out what happened to her. This story is the perfect combination of two of my favourite genres. The drama was thrilling and had a lot of surprise turns that kept me guessing about what was going to happen next. The characters were very likeable and engaging. and I could really feel their struggles. A fantastic debut by Daisy Wood!

The Clockmaker’s Wife
by Daisy Wood
Harper 360
You Are Auto-Approved
Avon
General Fiction (Adult) | Historical Fiction | Romance
Pub Date 27 Jul 2021 | Archive Date 17 Aug 2021

I really enjoyed this historical fiction novel. If you enjoy books by Kristin Hannah you will enjoy this one. I highly recommend this book. I enjoyed the "thriller" aspect of the book as well. Thanks to Avon and NetGalley for the ARC.
5 star

"The Clockmaker's Wife" is a novel that captures an event that could have quite possibly occurred during the London Blitz in World War II. This event is a plot to bomb the Clock Tower that houses Big Ben in the heart of London. This book contains research about Big Ben so be prepared to learn about this famous London landmark. I have read many books about World War II and the London Blitz in particular. This book has a very different plot than other books I have read so that made the story interesting and refreshing.

The characters in the novel were well developed and I enjoyed the opportunity to keep guessing what was really going on until the final chapters. I felt that Daisy Wood did a great job of having the story follow a few different directions and I really was not convinced about the political loyalties of the main characters throughout the novel. This idea and how the story was crafted was very well written.

When I read historical fiction I like to learn something new and "The Clockmaker's Wife" did not disappoint. The novel holds many moments of research into stories from the time of the London Blitz.

There was also a modern day part of the book that ran along beside the historical events. This part was about the granddaughter of one of the main characters so the story goes through three generations of women telling their connected stories.

I would recommend this novel for people who love history and there is a story as well for those who enjoy a good adventure with female character leads. I will look for what may be coming next from Daisy Wood.