Welcome to Smitten For Fiction! My name is Amanda and this blog is all about books. I mainly share spoiler-free book reviews and sometimes other bookish things. Not every book is my cup of tea – and that’s ok. Even if I didn’t like it, I try to find readers that would. Thanks for visiting. Let’s get Smitten For Fiction.

I was excited and grateful to receive an e-arc for Homecoming after enjoying The Forgotten Garden and The House at Riverton by Kate Morton.

‘Morton’s skill at the parallel-narrative style is on full display here as she alternates between the perspectives of various townsfolk in 1959, Jess in 2018, and excerpts from As If They Were Asleep. Readers will think they know the connection between the two story lines, but Morton keeps the secrets coming, leading up to a powerful, emotional conclusion. This is storytelling at its finest.’ — Booklist 

About The Book 📚

Title: Homecoming

Author: Kate Morton

Publication Date: April 4, 2023

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Suggested Reader Age: PG-13 Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Genre: Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery

Pages: 560

Content Warnings: miscarriage, child death, infertility, mental illness, grief, murder

About The Author

• Author of seven books
• award-winning, bestselling author
• born in Australia
• Studied theatre
• Obtained honours and master’s degree in English
  
  https://www.katemorton.com/

My Review

› Christmas Eve 1959, Adelaide Hills, South Australia

Percy Summers is on his way home on horseback reminiscing about the time he discovered the Wentworth house when he was younger. Long ago, Mr. Wentworth built a big, beautiful house for his love, but she died on the boat while travelling to Australia. The house became overgrown by the surrounding forest. Fourteen years ago, the Turners moved in and cleaned it up. While cutting through the Turners’ land to let his horse have a drink from the creek to cool down Percy discovers Isabel Turner and the children dead under a tree beside the creek.

December 2018 London:

Jess receives a phone call explaining her grandmother Nora had a bad fall and is in the hospital. Jess’s mother, Polly, abandoned her when she was 10 years old, which is how Jess became Nora’s next of kin. Jess travels to Australia to see Nora who remains in the hospital after her fall. She mutters words to Jess…”Halcyon”, “Christmas together”…what could this mean?

While staying at Nora’s house Jess discovers a true crime book about the Turner family tragedy that happened in 1959 and is shocked to discover her family is connected to this unsolved mystery.

Many ideas are dropped along like delicious tea biscuits, making me feel like I can relate to every character. For example:

“Science was also yet to explain the unique humanizing properties of strawberry jam and butter on warm toast.”
I don’t know about you, but that’s one of my comfort foods. I recently hurt my leg, and a friend dropped off homemade bread, tea, and jam. The perfect thing to cheer me up.

When people read the same book they now share a world and know the same people and places. It’s an intimate idea that I never pondered before.

“The sea was calm tonight: tide rolling in and then pulling away again. It was his favourite sound.”
Absolutely one of my favourite sounds.

“Home was a feeling, a sense of being complete. The opposite of home wasn’t away, it was lonely. When someone said, I want to go home, what they really meant was that they didn’t want to feel lonely anymore.”
This just hit me in all the feels. Goosebumps, eyes welling.

Homecoming is one of those books that I finished and immediately wanted to flip back to the beginning and start again. You’ll get 20% in and think you have it figured out…then you’ll change your mind a few times. You may feel quite confident. But I’m certain you will be blown away by the ending.

› I rate reviews based on my own little tweak of the CAWPILE method to rate books.
0-3 Really bad
4-6 Mediocre
7-9 Really good
10 Outstanding

› Characters: 9
All this needed to make it a 10 was diversity.

› Atmosphere: 10

› Writing Style: 10
Absolutely love Morton’s writing style.

› Plot: 10

› Intrigue: 10

› Logic: 10

› Enjoyment: 10

Average 9.9

1.1-2.2 = ★
2.3-4.5 = ★★
4.6-6.9 = ★★★
7-8.9 = ★★★★
9-10 = ★★★★★

My Rating ★★★★★

The Forgotten Garden ★★★★
The House at Riverton ★★★
Homecoming ★★★★★

› Final Thoughts
• Homecoming is Morton’s memorable masterpiece. This book is emotional, mysterious, dark, and moody with family secrets, deception, a great plot and strong character development. It’s about the power of the written word and left me wondering about “home” and what that word means to each of us. It reminded me of Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay, The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker, Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty, Rebecca by Dauphne du Maurier, and The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending this book for review. All opinions are my own.

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