Kate Morton certainly knows how to weave a story. This time, she weaves a narrative that is part family saga, part cold case murder mystery. Told via a dual time line, it had a book within a book trope which worked well here.

Jess, an investigative journalist, has returned home to Australia after two decades of living in London. She goes back to 'Darling House' her grandmother's beautiful home atop a cliff overlooking Sydney Harbour.

The grandmother who raised her has had a nasty fall and is in hospital. Her 'homecoming' is bittersweet for several reasons. It seems her grandmother Nora was distraught about a solicitor's letter right before her fall. Jess's journalistic curiosity leads her down a road that exposes long hidden family secrets, dare I say skeletons?

Jess discovers a book under her grandmother's pillow called "As If They Were Asleep" by a true crime journalist named Daniel Miller. As Jess reads this book for herself, we read along with her to be drip-fed facts and clues about a terrible tragedy that occurred back in 1959. The tragedy took place at another grand house called 'Halycon' in Southern Australia's Adelaide Hills. On Christmas Eve of that year a woman and her four children were mysteriously killed while on a picnic on their property.

How this tragic event is linked to Jess and her family was eerily compelling. It was a tale of complicity, deception, parenting, jealousy and shrewd understanding of human nature.

With her trademark engaging characters, her vividly described settings, and her thoroughly immersive plot, Kate Morton has surpassed her earlier efforts with "Homecoming". Highly recommended!

This is a new genre for me. The prolong was a bit confusing at frist but I finished this advance reader copy and was vary surprised.I have read Kate Mortons book The Clock Makers Daughter was was very good read. Please get a copy of Homecomming you will not be disappointed.
Thank you NellGallety, author and publisher for advance reader copy for a honest review
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Another great novel by Kate Morton. I got swept away in this tale about a murdered family in Australia. Kate is a master of setting up a scene. You feel like you are in Halcyon itself.

The timeline jumps seamlessly between 1969 and 2018. There is a large cast of characters who you will love. Though I was confused at times when it came to the children.

Why would a mother take her own life and the life of her children? Her life seemed a little lonely but great. How is Nora connected to this tale? As it unravels you will turn the pages as quick as you can for this scenic novel. The end was surprising and enjoyable.

Pick up this novel today! It is perfect for fans of Kate or readers wanting to jump into a beautiful novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada, Simon & Schuster for this fantastic novel!

On a sweltering hot afternoon beside a watering hole on the grounds of a grande country house, a local man makes the discovery of the Turner family police are called, and the small town of Tambilla becomes involved, in one of the most baffling, murder investigation in the history of South Australia. Almost sixty years later, and thousands of miles away Jess, who has lived in London for nearly two decades while out, enjoying a drink with her close friend Rebecca jess receives a phone call to inform her that her beloved grandmother Nora, who has raised Jess when her mother could not has suffered a fall and is in the ICU. When, she’s looking in her grandmother’s room. Jess discovers a true crime book chronicling, a long, buried police Case, the Turner family tragedy of 1959 while Jess skims through the pages of it she finds a shocking connection between her own family and, a murder mystery that has never been satisfactorily resolved.

The Prose is captivating and lyrical. The main characters are relatable and well developed. The plot is an emotional, mysterious saga filled with love, loss, heart break, secrets, lies, and deception. The story is told in multiple POV, the story flows seamlessly together as it flows between timelines. Just when I thought I figured out the mystery I was totally wrong. There were many plot twist and it had me surprised and shocked and heartbroken at every turn. There are so many family secrets between the characters it changed my feelings towards them with each reveal. This tale is filled with many dark filled secrets and lies that were done to protect family, because of the love and loyalty they felt at that time. Seeing what happens to the characters lives because of their choices and seeing how those secrets and lies effected so many of the characters was gut wrenching for me. This beautifully written saga will be etched into my mind long after I have read it and will definitely reread it again. Homecoming was definitely worth the wait

“Home is where the heart is and the heart could be a dark and damaged place”


star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The ARC of Homecoming by Kate Morton was provided by the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review I would like to thank both NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada

Once you get into the book, it's great. It just took a little longer than I'd like to really get into the flow of the book and the mystery. That being said, the start of the book has some great detail to help with solving the mystery for Jess. I had to go back to an earlier chapter just to get a refresher at times.

This is one of those books where you need to be in the right mood to fully enjoy. Take the time to immerse yourself into the story. The characters are more than worth the time.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an advance copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this story, but then again I had a good feeling that I would because I really liked The Clockmaker's Daughter.

The story is told in chapters that alternate from Nora's past in 1950 and her granddaughter's, Jess, present in 1980.
Nora's past is told from the perspective of all the characters involved in her life at that time during the events of a murder investigation of her sister-in-law and her nieces and nephew. Each character reveals small pieces of information, that on the own don't necessarily provide answers, but the more details revealed tie together the events of that tragic summer day.
This a great murder mystery that crosses the span of time to uncover some deep family secrets.

In 1959 a delivery man stumbles upon a horrific scene.
Sixty years later, secrets will be exposed, as out of work journalist Jess comes back to her childhood home to care for her ailing grandmother.

This was my first Kate Morton book, and I’m not sure how I feel about it.
In the end the story was a good one. When you find out what happened that Christmas back in 1959, it was definitely a great reveal. But it took so long to get there.
I’m all for a slow burn, but this 560 page book took a long time to get to the heart of the story, and I did not always love the meandering path it took to get there.
You know that feeling when you watch something on TV and think
“that was a good mini series, but would have made a great movie.”
That’s how I feel about this book. I would have loved it, had it been shorter.
I just felt like the book was long, but the story itself was much shorter. If I’m going to read a 560 page book, I want every page to mean something, I want every page to add something to the story, and I don’t think this book hit that mark.

I've now read all of Kate Morton's novels and I think this is possibly my new favourite. Despite a slow start where I got bogged down in the description of trees and bushes and flowers with names I was unfamiliar with, I was totally absorbed in the story after about 25%. The story is narrated in the present (2018) by Jess and in the past (1959) by various characters including Nora. The book also contains a story within a story as Daniel Miller's (fictional) true crime story "As If They Were Asleep" is contained in its entirety. There are many characters and many different threads but in my opinion it's all sewn together beautifully. Anyone who is familiar with this area of Australia will appreciate the descriptive narrative and probably won't need to resort to Google as much as I did. The book is pretty lengthy but the last half seemed to fly by. There were some shocking revelations near the end and I was totally satisfied with the ending. Highly recommended to fans of epic historical fiction. 4.5 Stars rounded up!

Kate Morton does such a fantastic job of describing the people and the area, mixing reality with fiction, that I'm ready to book a trip! If only I could afford it!

My thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada via Netgalley for approving my request to read an advance copy of this excellent novel. All opinions expressed are my own.
Publication Date: April 4, 2023

I found the characters in this book very intriguing, especially Jess and Nora. I wanted to keep reading to find out what the secret was that Nora had been keeping and what did happen to the Turner family. Highly recommend reading it.

Jess is going home. Nora, her grandmother, the woman who raised her is in the hospital and Jess must get home, back to Sydney. When Jess arrives, she is faced with many unanswered questions about what has happened and why her grandmother is saying things Jess does not understand. When Jess finds a book about one families tragedy back in 1959, secrets long buried start to come to light and threatens everything about Jess’s life.

I loved the premise of this book about one woman's journey to find the truth. The story was fascinating and Kate Morton did not disappoint with this novel. The only drawback I faced while reading it was it was lengthy and I was wondering why the story went into such detail about some of the supporting characters lives that really had no relevance to the story. The upside was the startling conclusion to the story which made it all worthwhile. Thank you to Simon and Schuster for my advanced copy which I read and reviewed voluntarily. I give this one 4 stars.

I really enjoyed this novel from Kate Morton. Although I’m not used to the typical slower pace of historical fiction, I found this novel’s story moved along and held my interest. Morton writes beautifully and somehow poetically. I definitely liked the storyline, but her writing definitely elevated the novel. I will definitely look for the author’s next book and their previous novels.
Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for this ARC I truly enjoyed!

I picked up my first Kate Morton book, The Lake House, at an airport bookshop years ago, and I was hooked straight away. She continues to deliver compelling stories, beautifully written characters woven together through dual timelines.

I was thrilled to receive an advanced copy of Homecoming. I’ve been savouring this story, immersing myself in South Australia and the terrible events that played out on Christmas Eve in 1959, on a dreamy country estate called Halcyon.

Flash forward to the present day and we meet Jess, a journalist who receives a call summoning her home to her grandmother Nora, who has suffered a fall. Jess finds a family connection to the events sixty years ago and looks for answers.

I loved this book, love Kate Morton ❤️

Kate Morton is the author that bridged the gap from Young Adult novels to Adult Fiction novels. Her latest offering, "Homecoming", was thoroughly engaging from the first chapter. I was transported to Australia, trying to solve the mystery of a suspected murder-suicide that happened 60 years in the past. What Kate Morton does best is the layering of dual POV's, timelines, characters and motives, so that you aren't sure whodunnit until the very end. Just when you think you have it all figured out, she delivers the ending, and leaves you in awe of the tale she has woven. If you like historical fiction mysteries, pick this one up. You won't regret the time spent in the Adelaide Hills with Jess and Nora.

A frightening discovery on the banks of a river in Southern Australia sets the stage for this engrossing novel. With intertwined characters and destinies, Kate Morton has written a rich, captivating story of family and secrets kept. Recommended reading!

Wonderful intricate plot, so well written

This is the first book I have read by Ms Morton but certainly will not be the last! Beautifully written with engaging characters and a big family mystery, what's not to like! Highly recommended!

Thank you to the publisher who lent me a time-constrained e-arc via Netgalley. This review is optional and my own opinion.

Homecoming

Wow - Kate Morton is truly one of the most skilled writers of our time. Her ability to craft characters that have such a rich sense of interiority while also creating places that you feel you could easily stroll into is just astounding.

At 560 pages, this story slowly unfurls in dual timeline fashion with a horrific crime (or tragic accident? you’ll have to read to find out) at its core. In the contemporary timeline, a grandmother-granddaughter relationship is the emotional anchor of the story.

There is nothing I love more than the layers of a complex story being unpeeled for me as I read. Patience pays off with this one because there is a twist right at the end that you’ll never see coming. In fact, Morton rewards her readers with a few twists at the end, so just when you think you know everything…she surprises you again and again.

I loved this book. It’s been a few years since I got lost in her pages, but this is a great reminder of her extraordinary storytelling and gorgeous prose.

Highly recommend for fans of Morton’s other work, or if you like a slow burn, mystery, historical fiction, or books set in Australia.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for my gifted copy! This was one of my highly anticipated reads of 2023 and it did not disappoint.

I received a complimentary ARC copy of Homecoming, A Novel by Kate Morton from NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada in order to read and give an honest review.

… True to form, Morton does not disappoint with her intricately woven plotlines and beautiful prose, the author tells a perfectly blended generational saga with a captivating mystery …

Being a fan of Kate Morton I was thrilled to be given an opportunity to read and review her latest book Homecoming. True to form Morton does not disappoint with her intricately woven plotlines and beautiful prose, the author tells a perfectly blended generational saga with a captivating mystery told in dual timelines and from multiple points of views

We start Christmas Eve of 1959 on the Turner family estate called Halcyon in Tambilla, Australia, a grocery delivery man stumbles across the bodies of a mother and her children looking like they were resting after a picnic all except for a newborn daughter who was nowhere to be found. Nora, the mother’s sister-in-law, and children’s aunt, misses the picnic as she is days away from giving birth. The murder goes unsolved for decades and the youngest child remains missing until the remains are found two decades later.

In 2018 when journalist Jess receives a call that her grandmother Nora has suffered a fall, she rushes to her side in Australia. Walking into the hospital room Jess is shocked to find her once intelligent and strong grandmother, lying in a hospital bed, in a feeble and confused state saying things that just do not make sense. Nora was Jess’s world, and she feels she would not be who she is without the love and guidance she received from her grandmother, especially when her mother Polly was unable. Desperate to be there for Nora and to make sense of her strange mutterings she begins to dig deep hoping to get to the root of what is tormenting her beloved grandmother.

Jess uncovers a connection to a true-crime author who had written an in-depth account of the tragedy that occurred Christmas Eve those decades ago. While at her grandmother’s estate, Darling House, Jess begins uncovering clues that point her to the events that occurred at Halcyon in 1959 and family secrets that will undo all she thought was true about her family. After reuniting with her mother Polly, Jess learns that she is not alone on her quest.

Several mysteries are presented, some I guessed early on, but some caught me by surprise at the very end. I absolutely loved this book, it is not for those who are looking for a fast-paced page-turner, it definitely requires patience as it is a slow but satisfying story that is worth taking time to read and I would highly recommend! There are trigger warnings however…be advised there is discussion of suicide, infanticide, filicide, miscarriage.

This was a great read - one of the best of Morton's novels with relatable characters and a plot that rings true.

3.5 Stars

This mystery/family drama has a dual timeline: 1959 and 2018.

In 1959, in a small town in South Australia, a man discovers Isabel Turner and three of her children dead. The youngest, an infant, is missing. In 2018, Jess Turner-Bridges leaves her home in London and returns to Sydney when she learns that her grandmother Nora, the woman who raised her since she was 10, is seriously ill in hospital. In her grandmother’s home, Jess finds a book which reveals that her family is connected to the 1959 tragedy, some details of which have not been satisfactorily resolved. Thus begins a journey that uncovers several family lies and secrets.

The pace is problematic. At 560 pages, the book is fairly lengthy and begins very slowly. The middle is bogged down with the inclusion of too many perspectives, including a book within a book, which result in unnecessary repetition. Irrelevant backstories of minor characters are included. Only in the latter part does the pace pick up. Then the number of revelations piles up to the point of feeling excessive.

Part of the mystery is predictable; I know many readers will guess a key element very early on. There are, however, some plot twists. The ending does explain behaviours and reactions which struck me as unusual or illogical when they were first mentioned. It’s just unfortunate that the book takes so long to get to explaining so much of what happened.

I did not like the over-reliance on serendipity, the occurrence of events by chance in a beneficial way. The death of a solicitor, for instance, is certainly convenient. It’s amazing how many things are found at the perfect time. A gift lost in 1959 is found 30 years later “’just lying there’”? Jess receives a parcel at just the right time and discovers hidden pages and a hidden letter just when their information is most needed. I have difficulty believing that removing a few pages from a journal would eliminate all references to a life-altering relationship. Yet the discovery of a burial 20 years later doesn’t raise questions in the person who deliberately did not bury what is discovered?

The book certainly emphasizes the impact of secrets and lies. At the end the reader is influenced to reflect on how lives and relationships would have been very different if secrets had not been kept and lies not told. “The chief storyteller” in the family is responsible for so much: destroying relationships and damaging people. Jess’s conclusion that “it was impossible to feel angry” with this person responsible for “acidic family secrets” is simplistic.

Characters are well-developed. What is interesting is that the reader’s opinion of several characters changes in the course of novel. Characters often prove to be better or worse than first impressions suggest. The one character whom I did not like is Jess. For someone who is almost 40, she seems immature, willing to forgive one person but reluctant to forgive another. Her behaviour while Nora is in the hospital (showing up late for visits) doesn’t jive with her supposed love for her grandmother.

As an avid reader, I loved the references to how a love of reading impacts the lives of several characters. Relationships are formed and lives are changed because of a love of books and reading. I can certainly identify with "the lightness of spirit and free-floating sense of possibility” felt in new books awaiting my attention.

There is a good story here, but it could use some judicious revising and editing.

Homecoming is a slow-burn generational mystery set in Australia.

A family tragedy on Christmas Eve of 1959 in Adelaide, Australia, remains mostly unsolved sixty years later.

Jessica, a struggling journalist, returns to Australia after receiving a call that her grandmother Nora suffered a fall. Jess is surprised to find Norma, a typically energetic and bright woman, confused and small, in her hospital bed.

While staying at her grandmother’s home, Jess discovers a true-crime book linking the decades-old Christmas Eve tragedy to her family. Jess begins to investigate what happened all those years ago.

This historical mystery has multiple POVs, two timelines and contains a book within a book. It looks at mother-daughter relationships, identity, and belonging. It also considers mental health during a period when these conversations were not openly discussed.

There are several threads to this mystery. Some are glaringly obvious from the beginning, but others might be a surprise. I did not see one of the final reveals at all, but the breadcrumbs were there.

I love reading books set in Australia, and Morton brought the 1960s setting to life. The descriptions of the landscape are vivid, and the heat is palpable.

The only problem I had with this book was the length. Usually, I love chunky books; they give the reader lots of time to get invested in the story and characters. But with this one, at times, it felt like a slog.

If you enjoy dual timelines with a bit of mystery, you may also enjoy Homecoming.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for providing an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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