I enjoy historical fiction so was exited to be granted an audiobook by NetGalley and publisher for review. Overall, it’s a pleasant listen especially if you enjoy stories based on World War 2 and dual timelines.
For the most part I enjoyed the narration, though some pronunciation was a little odd.

Set between World War Two and present day and in America and England. I love this story and the way the author tells it. Would definitely recommend

Another audio book with dreadful l narration. Words wrongly pronounced often. The surname Talbot is not pronounced as Tal.... Bot
A Spruce tree emphasis on tree, weird, likeca tres looking very spruce.
An East End of London Cockney accent when talking as an elderly woman who was evacuated from West Midlands city Coventry as a small child to Oxfordshire, wherd she continues to live. No evidence of an Oxfordshire accent. That same wiman apparently and ridiculously lived in a block of flats overlooking a village green. Absurd and not the narrator's fault.
The readers voice droned on when being an English speaker even my family asked me to use ear buds!
I think some research was good particularly the Palace of Westminster, Big Ben, the bells and fire watch. Other than that, very irritating and not the action packed , spell binder I had hoped for.

A tense, exciting, dual storyline WW2 historical fiction novel.
I really enjoyed both story lines in the audiobook. Following Nell through war ravaged London is tense and exciting. I love a strong female heroine and Nell is a perfect one to root for.
The second story line which follows Ellie as she tracks down her families past is great too. I love how both stories move along before meeting at the end, culminating in Ellie finding out what happened to her Grandmother Nell.
The descriptive narration of both place and characters adds real depth to the book and builds the mystery and suspense of the time. I really enjoyed how the mystery unfolds through the book, it keeps you in the dark until it is revealed what is going on and who is responsible.
The narrator has a great voice for the audiobook, holding you captive throughout and really helps bring the story to life.
I don't have many criticisms other than I would have liked to find out more about Arthur and his relationship with Nell and that Ellies new relationship felt a little bit rushed.

This audiobook had me gripped from the very beginning, and I will never look at Big Ben in the same way again (NB I also learned that Big Ben is actually the name of the clock’s bell, and not the Tower itself. Who knew?!)

A fascinating, exciting tale that takes the listener through wartime London during the blitz, and to modern-day America, with many unexpected twists and turns along the way.

The author slowly unravels Nell’s story and in the end, I was desperate to find out what had happened to her during the war and had to listen to the last two hours of the book in one go, as I couldn’t wait to find out.

Overall, a fantastic story, wonderfully told.

This was a very interesting Historical Fiction Story. I enjoy reading about people or places that I am not familiar with, or that is not written about often, and The Clockmaker’s Wife certainly fit the bill. This is a dual timeline story, but it was basically set in London, 1940. The Present Day, New York story gave some impetus to why the story was being told as well as to show what happened to the characters after the war ended.

It is 1940 and the Spellman family lives in London. Arthur, a German because his parents were born in Germany, English by birth, is one of the three men who keep Big Ben chiming. His wife, Nell and daughter leave London to live in the countryside, until Nell receives a phone call that Arthur has been arrested, he has been accused of being a Facist. She leaves her daughter and heads to London to help Arthur. What happens next makes this a gripping and interesting story. In present day New York, Ellie finds a beautiful watch that belonged to her grandmother, a woman she never met. She decides to find out what happened to her and learn about her ancestors. Her mother, Alice, is in a nursing home and is losing her memory, so this may be her last opportunity to find out about her grandmother. As she begins her search, she finds things that lead her to believe that perhaps she was a traitor. This can't be, so she keeps digging to find the true story.

I really enjoyed this story. I had no idea that Big Ben actually played a part in the defense of Europe. I really liked Nell's character. Her love for her husband surpassed everything and she was willing to risk her life to save him. As plots and secrets become known to her, she has to decide what she is willing to do for her country as well. The Clockmaker’s Wife is a very unique historical fiction story. I really enjoyed reading about the clocks and famous London landmarks. Daisy Wood explains how Big Ben chiming was a symbol of hope and togetherness. She explores part of the Blitz that I had not been aware of and I think the portrayal of a bombed London was very descriptive. I enjoyed her writing style and was drawn in by the plot quickly. This story brought to light the hidden Fascist groups in London: supporters of Hitler’s regime who would happily support Nazi occupation. This was one of the key themes of the book. The other themes mentioned in the synopsis include fierce love, impossible choices and a moment that changes the world forever. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Sophie Bentinck. She does an amazing job with this story, becoming the characters in my mind. Her voice had a lot of emotion, pitch and perfect pacing. Another new narrator to me and one that I will watch for.

Thanks for the opportunity to read this. A lovely book that took me back to a different time and with a captivating plot.

Rating: 3.5/5⭐

Synopsis: This is a dual timeline book.
1940's London, during world war II, one night Nell and Arthur lose their home to bombing and Nell decides to take her baby go live in the country side with her parents where it's safer, while Arthur stays on London and continues to work. When Arthur goes suddenly missing, Nell comes back to London to search for him and to find out what happened to him.
2021, New York, When Ellie finds a watch that belonged to her grandmother, she becomes determined to find out more about her and to discover what happened to her. But, during her search, she comes across things that make her think if it's better to let the past be buried.

Review: I love a good dual timeline story. And this one did good. Apart from this book being historical fiction, it was the dual timeline that made me want to read more of it.

The opening was captivating and strong. The bombing and the aftermath.. but then it kinda lost its charm a bit. The pace of the book was very consistent, which I liked.

But I somehow felt like the misunderstanding and the conclusions that Ellie came to during her search were just not well thought.

Character wise, I loved Arthur the best! I wish there was more of him. I loved the present characters, but was more interested in the past storyline, if that makes sense

I must say that I enjoyed the historic timeline better than the present. I love the writing style, it was beautiful. Easy to follow.

There were some places where I felt like there was too much info dump but then there where places like the discription of London during world war II and the present that was so beautifully captured. The author really could bring out the atmosphere of both time periods.

The story overall didn't come through for me, I felt like there was something missing. But, the audiobook was amazing! The narrator could capture the characters so well. The narration was on point and it made this book really enjoyable.

My review is based on the audiobook version. Fantastic narrator who brought the characters to life. Book is split into 2 timelines of world war 2 and present time. This was an interesting read full of family secrets, would recommend for fans of historical fiction.

Many thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the audio version of The Clockmakers Wife, and think I would have equally enjoyed reading it. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.
Starting in present/future time the book follows Ellie as she heads to England to discover more about her mother’s family that she knows nothing about. With flash backs to 1940 in the middle of the blitz we discover who Ellie’s grandmother was.
A great story, 4 stars.

Set in 1941 London during the Second World War the family are spilt up after their house is bombed, nell goes back to her parents and her husband Arthur stays in London to take care of the clock in Westminster Palace. The other part of the story is set in current times in New York and England, the historical chapters unfold the real story of what happened for the later generations of Arthur and Nell. Thank you #NetGalley for the audiobook to review.

Set on a dual timeline between 2021 and the Second World War, The Clockmaker’s Wife is a tale of love, family and the difficult choices that impact their lives.

In 1940, Nell departs for the countryside with her baby to escape the encroaching threat of war. She leaves behind her husband who works in Westminster as a clockmaker and keeps Big Ben working. When he disappears, Nell takes the decision to return to the city in an attempt to find him. In 2021, Ellie discovers a watch belonging to her grandmother Nell and takes the decision to travel to London and investigate what happened to her grandmother.

The dual timeline is well blended but I must admit to enjoying the historical version more. I enjoy historical novels and for that reason prefer to avoid the dual timeline type of novel. Regardless, this was filled with interesting facts, notable places and I liked the characters, which accounts for the enjoyment of the story overall as this is a character driven story. The audio was well narrated by Sophie Bentinck and I would definitely recommend the audio version.

As historical fiction is one of my favourite genres, my expectations from such books is always high. That’s one main reason this one fizzled out for me. It doesn’t match up to the standard set by other books in the WWII fiction category.

Story:
“The Clockmaker’s Wife” is a dual timeline narrative written in third person.
1940 – London – Nell
The Blitz has just begun, forcing Nell Spellman to leave her husband Arthur behind in London while she escapes with her baby to a safer place. But when her husband mysteriously disappears, she is forced to return to the capital in the hope of discovering what happened. Will she be able to save Arthur and reunite her family?
2021 – New York – Ellie
When she discovers a watch belong to her long-deceased grandmother, Ellie starts researching more into her life. But she discovers a dark secret and regrets her decision to go digging into the past. Should she let things lie or try to find out the truth?

The dual storyline is a pretty common trope nowadays in WWII historical fiction so it loses its edge unless the timelines are used to full advantage. Doesn’t happen in this book. Everything is as predictable as a weather forecast going wrong.

This is primarily a character-oriented book, so when the characters themselves fail to impress you, there’s not much left to salvage. I couldn’t connect to any character. Both the female leads begin as short-sighted and whiny. Nell redeems herself towards the last quarter of her narrative. Ellie remains almost the same throughout. There is also the mandatory superfluous romance in Ellie’s narrative, not essential to the plot at all.

<spoiler>
There are also many illogical bits in the plot:
Ellie assumes that her grandmother is a fascist just because of a Nazi propaganda pamphlet discovered in their possessions. By that logic, I am a fascist too because I own a copy of “Mein Kampf”. It was a silly plot idea.
Ellie is supposed to be 38 and an independent businesswoman yet she doesn’t consider planning her visit to London properly. She doesn’t research anything she needs to find out but dives in there blind, dependent on local help and not even using Google well.
Elie is supposed to be struggling financially. How on earth did she manage to buy a plane ticket for London at the very last minute, that too during the Christmas vacations when the fare is bound to be higher?
</spoiler>

The most irritating thing for me was the ample amount of data thrown into the narrative. You know how students sometimes end up copy-pasting every single bit of information they find on their project topic in the hopes of impressing their teacher? It felt just like that. There is a lot of information overload, and worse… the data is told, not shown. Really amateur writing, there.

The historical storyline is much more interesting than the contemporary one. But not necessarily better. The second half of the book is much better than the first half, but it doesn’t help save the book, only helps you to marginally improve your rating.

Overall, the concept might have been good at first. But it lost its essence amid the unlikeable characters and humdrum storyline. This is a book that works in bits and pieces but doesn’t come together to form a cohesive whole. Of course, this is just my opinion, and an unpopular one at that! The other ratings show that a majority of readers have enjoyed reading it. So give it a try. You never know. As they say, not every reader reads the same book.

Narrator Sophie Bentinck does a good job of bringing the characters alive. Her voice makes the 11.5 hrs audiobook go by smoothly.

Thank you, NetGalley and HarperCollins UK Audio, for the audio ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Historical fiction set in WWII - you would think I would get bored reading so many WWII books but when they are this caliber its not possible!

This one is a dual time line which goes between WWII and current day in America where Ellie comes to London to discover her family history. The two timelines are well written and begin to merge together which really helps to tell the tale.

The narration on this audio is great too, distinguishes the characters well without being annoying.

Thanks so much for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I listened to this on audiobook.

When I saw that this book was historical fiction set in WW2 times which happens to be one of my fave genres, it was an easy choice for me to decide to give this book a read, plus the book cover and blurb were highly apple sing.

It didn't take me long to be drawn into the stories of both Nell and Arthur back in 1940 and that of Ellie in present day, I was captivated right from the first few chapters. I loved how the story went back and forth from 1940 to present day which was done so seamlessly.

Overall I loved the story, it was shocking, emotional, heart breaking and insightful in equal measures. The story really pulled me in and grabbed me tight. It was tense hard reading in places when you imagine that this is what it really was like back in WW2 times.

I thought the story was brilliantly well written and the characters are all so very well portrayed and believable. I have absolutely loved reading this from start to finish.

This is the author's debut novel which I'm completely shocked and in awe of, as it's just so very well told and brilliantly written. Given how much I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this, I will definitely be looking forward to her second book. Just hope I don't have to wait to long.

As for the narrator Sophie Bentinck, whom I have not heard of before, I thought that she narrated the whole story really well, she portrayed each of the characters voices differently and had a nice easier to understand listening voice. I certainly wouldn’t hesitate to listen to future books where she is the narrator. Oh and I also loved the sound effects of Big Ben clock throughout the story.

Firstly, I am afraid I found the reading so slow I nearly gave up on this book, but glad I didn't because I really became invested in the characters. I don't usually read historical novels, but this is different as it is set in the two different eras. However, it was the wartime story that drew me in, which was unusual.. In fact the modern elements of the story felt a little shallow. All being said I really enjoyed this book and will try to be less prejudiced against 'historical' fiction in the future.

I just finished listening to this lovely audio book and I am going to miss it. I very much enjoyed the story and I think it was really well narrated by Sophie Bentinck.
It is set over dual timelines. In London during the blitz then in 2021 in London and New York.
A young American woman wants to find out about her family history and uncovers the story of her maternal grandparents.
I loved the idea of a plot to bomb Big Ben and the bravery of those who worked to foil it I always like to read books set during WW2 and The Clockmaker’s Wife did a really good job of capturing the time and the spirit of those living through it. Daisy Wood appears to have done a lot of research to get it right.
Thanks to her, the publishers and @NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this book and review it prior to publication. I have no reservations I. recommending it.

I’ve just started to get back into historical fiction after a long time of taking a break from it. Not intentionally, just veered more towards thrillers.

I’m glad I received an email asking if I’d like to take a look at this one because although it’s based around 1940’s and the Spelman family live in London, hectic bombings going on from the Germans, this really featured on the fact that Author (Nells husband) has gone missing.

Before that though, Arthur needs for Nell to be safe.
Arthur looks after the clocks in Westminster Palace so he cannot go. He’s needed there.

When Nell receives a frantic call from Arthur saying he’s been arrested, Nell becomes so desperate, what is happening, why has he been arrested.

Returning to London Nell finds herself uncovering dark things.

This is a two timeline story that is easy to follow.

I learnt some things about the clocks in various areas that are known landmarks.

The past to present day elements in this was so good.

I listened to this on audio and found it so easy to follow. The voice of the narrator had great power, pitch and pace. The characters voices so well done.

I thought that this audio was excellent!
The story was a dual time line which was effortlessly switched between the two, even on an audio book, you could tell the era if you happened to miss the date given.

I found some parts of the story incredibly moving and well described that it was incredibly easy to envision.
It is hard to believe that this is the authors first venture into writing books aimed at an adult audience, a fantastic debut book.

If you enjoy WW2 historical fiction that are powerful and keep you enthralled then this is a great book and it deserves to do well.

I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook on my commute. The story of Nell Spelman and her husband Arthur, their families and experiences during the early war years was well paced and the attitudes and ideals fitted well with the era. This is told in two timelines, 1940-42 and the present time.

Nell’s granddaughter Ellie returns to London from NY to try and find out more about Nell, what happened to he and how she died, to fill the gaps in her family history for her mother a Alice (Nell and Arthur’s daughter). It really is a Great War time London based story with great emphasis on Westminster and Big Ben.

When Ellie meets Brenda, well the story really hots up.
I would definitely look for more books by Daisy Wood on the strength of this story.