內容簡介
內容簡介 橫跨150年的愛情故事與謀殺懸案，歷史小說天后Kate Morton最新力作，被喻為目前為止，最具代表性的作品，一出版便登上《紐約時報》暢銷書排行。｢Morton的故事，是對藝術與背叛的冥思，在時間之流裡，將實際生活與地點轉化成各種傳奇。｣ - 《出版人週刊》星級評論｢Morton目前為止最具野心之作…她再一次證明了，歷史不僅僅是一條直線，它更是一張複雜且無盡的網。｣ -《書單》(Booklist)1862年的夏天，藝術家Edward Radcliffe與一群好友來到他位於泰晤士河畔的白樺莊園，這群年輕的波希米亞藝術家們打算在這裡度過一段慵懶的夏日時光，從中獲取創作的靈感。結果，卻是事與願違：一名女子被槍殺身亡，另一個人被懷疑帶著一個無價的傳家寶而消失無蹤，那個消失的女子是這些藝術家的謬思，名叫Birdie Bell，一個鐘錶匠的女兒。Edward的人生因此而毀滅…。150年後，住在倫敦的檔案管理員Elodie Winslow發現了一只皮革製的肩背袋，裡面裝著兩個看上去毫不相干的東西：一張泛黃的相片，影中人是個穿著維多利亞服飾的美麗女子；另一張是一幅素描，畫著一棟坐落在河灣旁的雙角屋。為什麼Elodie對白樺莊園感到如此熟悉，照片中那個美麗的女子是誰？有可能從她身上發現什麼秘密？透過時光的多重聲音，道出一個關於藝術、愛與失落的神祕謀殺與竊盜故事。在書頁間如同一條河所流淌的聲音，發自一個站在時光之外的女子，她的名字被歷史所遺忘，但是卻看著歷史被慢慢打開，她就是鐘錶匠的女兒Birdie Bell。From the bestselling author of The House at Riverton and The Secret Keeper, Kate Morton brings us her dazzling sixth novel, The Clockmaker's Daughter. My real name, no one remembers. The truth about that summer, no one else knows. In the summer of 1862, a group of young artists led by the passionate and talented Edward Radcliffe descends upon Birchwood Manor on the banks of the Upper Thames. Their plan: to spend a secluded summer month in a haze of inspiration and creativity. But by the time their stay is over, one woman has been shot dead while another has disappeared; a priceless heirloom is missing; and Edward Radcliffe's life is in ruins. Over one hundred and fifty years later, Elodie Winslow, a young archivist in London, uncovers a leather satchel containing two seemingly unrelated items: a sepia photograph of an arresting-looking woman in Victorian clothing, and an artist's sketchbook containing the drawing of a twin-gabled house on the bend of a river. Why does Birchwood Manor feel so familiar to Elodie? And who is the beautiful woman in the photograph? Will she ever give up her secrets? Told by multiple voices across time, The Clockmaker's Daughter is a story of murder, mystery and thievery, of art, love and loss. And flowing through its pages like a river, is the voice of a woman who stands outside time, whose name has been forgotten by history, but who has watched it all unfold: Birdie Bell, the clockmaker's daughter.
