Think The Miniaturist meets The Little Stranger, woven together with a contemporary thread, and you won’t be far off. Instead, they experience the unpleasant circumstances of a murder, a missing person, and a stolen family heirloom. Later she earned first-class honours in English Literature at the University of Queensland (1999) and won a scholarship to complete a master's degree focussing on tragedy in Victorian literature. Unless explicitly stated that they are free, all books that I review have been purchased by me or borrowed from the library.

Alexandra Davies as self-centred, work shy Ma Riley gave an assured and funny performance (and great singing) in a role where the audience have to hate her. The author requires the reader to work for the clues that tie the story line together, so in that sense it’s not an easy read. Granted this was a small-scale production, but if a tiny Fringe theatre such as The Landor can create supreme gorgeousness out of a minimal budget it should be possible for others to do so. This is one of my most anticipated reads of the fall, and I wrestled more than usual with my star rating.Told by multiple voices across time, THE CLOCKMAKER’S DAUGHTER is a story of murder, mystery and thievery, of art, love and loss. It takes a while for her to be accepted into the small tight-knit and suspicious community of Spindlewood, but after first causing a deeply upsetting problem, Constance rescues the situation and wins over hearts and minds to become warmly welcomed. The musical begins in modern day Spindlewood town square, where every year on the last night of winter, as the first day of spring unfolds, the townsfolk gather around a motionless statue of a young woman on a raised plinth. I’d be honored and thrilled if you choose to enjoy and follow along (see subscribe or follow option), promote, and/or share my blog. Through a combination of genius, obsessive work, madness and unknown magic, he creates far more than a glorified clock machine.

It is devastating though that later, when the reason for her true difference is fully revealed, only a few remember her best qualities. She has degrees in dramatic art and English literature and lives now with her family in London and Australia. There are certainly parallels with current goings on around the world – an allegory for many situations past and present.

Moving back and forth in time, Morton weaves her disparate stories together involving murder, theft, love and loss, secrets and lies. This is an immersive, beautifully told story which was made to be devoured on a drizzly Sunday afternoon with a round of crumpets and a pot of tea. Created differently from others, and slightly ‘odd’ on first meeting, he looks pretty much the same as other girls. This one was definitely a bit long, and it took a while to engage me, but it was lovely once it did. like the house at its centre, it is beautiful, welcoming and very good not only at keeping its secrets but at revealing them in due time.

His initial joy in creating a new companion is soon overtaken by fear of losing again, and in misplaced protectionism, his refusal to allow his incredible creation to develop without him has disastrous consequences for all. Kate Morton has sold over 11 million copies of her novels in thirty-four languages, across forty countries. The intricacy of the breathtaking, magnificent score, married so perfectly with exquisite lyrics and a glorious witty book, has such maturity and assuredness about it. Leo Rowell used his magnificent voice to great effect, portraying the emotionally intense Clockmaker well, despite being at least 30 years too young for the part.I didn’t have a great deal of difficulty tracking them, except the one that was introduced at the 50% mark was difficult to orient (but by then I was growing weary of getting to know new characters and was eager to see how the mystery would unfold). Told in present and past timelines and from multiple perspectives, The Clockmaker’s Daughter is a multilayered story with a mystery to unravel. There were some standout performances and superb singing from this young student cast, notably Christy Bellis who truly delivered a fully rounded, intelligent and deeply affecting Constance. It was hugely exciting to get another opportunity to see this most impressive new musical once more after being spellbound by Robert McWhir’s profoundly beautiful production at Clapham’s Landor Theatre in 2015.