Review: The Clockmaker’s Wife

You all know I love my historical fiction, especially when it’s set during WWII. I thought The Clockmaker’s Wife sounded interesting but I really didn’t expect to be completely captivated by Daisy Wood’s first adult novel. There was no real reason for that expectation but I am SO glad this book exceeded those expectations. I didn’t want it to end!

Here’s the book’s description:

The world is at war. And time is running out…
London, 1940. Britain is gripped by the terror of the Blitz, forcing Nell Spelman to flee the capital with her young daughter – leaving behind her husband, Arthur, the clockmaker who keeps Big Ben chiming.
When Arthur disappears, Nell is desperate to find him. But her search will lead her into far darker places than she ever imagined…
New York, Present Day. When Ellie discovers a beautiful watch that had once belonged to a grandmother she never knew, she becomes determined to find out what happened to her. But as she pieces together the fragments of her grandmother’s life, she begins to wonder if the past is better left forgotten…

I actually ended up listening to the audiobook of this novel – since it had been so long since it had been released (oops) and I needed something to listen to while driving to and from work. I kept finding excuses to listen to it because I couldn’t put it down. A lot of that had to do with the narrator. Sophie Bentinck was great with this novel and I’ll definitely be looking up more books that she’s narrated. She was able to move between English and American accents seamlessly and neither grated. I could have listened to her all day!

I’m always so intrigued by the stories that dive into a family’s history and expose secrets that had been hidden since the war. I wonder how many of those stories have died with the people who experienced them, especially now as their descendants are dying as well. How much don’t we know about what happened during the war, specifically? And just…generally? I’m sure I’m not alone when I say I wish I had asked my grandma more about her life. You don’t care as much as a youth and then, suddenly, it’s too late. All that to say – I really enjoyed reading as Ellie put together the mystery of her grandmother’s life and I’m pretty sure my jaw dropped as the final puzzle piece was revealed.

The plot Wood laid out in this novel – that Big Ben was going to be attacked during the Blitz – is totally fictional. She notes that right off the bat, lest anyone think the clock was ever in grave danger. But, with a typical writer’s brain, she thought…well, it could have happened. And I agree. I’m sure there were plans to bomb the buildings that never materialized. I was anxious as the story went on and Nell got closer to danger and Ellie got closer to the truth. I found it really well done. It may not have been real but Wood did the research and the rest of the story – the setting and so on – rang true.

All in all, I enjoyed The Clockmaker’s Wife. Daisy Wood’s first foray into adult novels was well done and I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for her next. This one wasn’t perfect but it kept me entertained and that was good enough for me!

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, HarperCollins Canada, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*