Sometimes a good story gets bogged down in too much detail. That is my experience with this novel. The tale encompasses different time periods between the 1860s and present day, jumping back and forth in time with all the action connected in some way to Birchwood Manor and its ghostly resident, Albertine "Birdie" Bell, the clockmaker's daughter of the title. Two world wars, a shooting, a group of artists, a missing diamond, a drowning, a young woman planning her wedding, and a disappearance involve a myriad of characters over 200+ years. Every era visited has a connection to the Manor in some way. In spite of the richly expansive details and interesting plot, I found myself impatient for the book to end, possibly because I figured out part of the mystery of Birdie's death and the missing diamond before it was revealed. I listened to the audiobook version which may be the only reason I finished it instead of setting it aside to leave it neglected.
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