'The House at Riverton' by Kate Morton - Book Club Discussion Questions

In The House at Riverton, Kate Morton weaves together a modern Gothic mystery told from the perspective of a ninety-nine year old woman in a nursing home who was a servant at Riverton during during the 1910s and 1920s.

Spoiler Warning: These book club discussion questions reveal important details about The House at Riverton by Kate Morton. Finish the book before reading on.

1. The House at Riverton switches between scenes with the older Grace in the late 1990s and the younger Grace's life around World War I. Do you think this was a good way for Morton to tell the story? What does this structure bring to the story that would be lacking in a linear telling? Or, do you think a linear structure would have been more appropriate?

2. Why do you think Grace chose to tell her secret to Marcus?

3. Why do you think Ruth seems ashamed of her mother's years of service? What is Grace's attitude toward her position at Riverton?

4. Why do you think Grace was so loyal to Hannah? Did you believe that she would choose service over Alfred?

5. Do you think Teddy changed after he married Hannah? How was their marriage different than she expected?

6. What do you think attracted Hannah to Robbie?

7. Do you think Hannah and Robbie's relationship would have survived if Grace had not brought Emmeline to the lake?

8. Was the ending believable?

9. What did you think of the way the minor characters -- Alfred, Ursula, Marcus -- become connected to Grace's story in the end?

10. Did you learn anything new about World War I?

11. Rate The House at Riverton on a scale of 1 to 5.