Hide this

Results from Google Books

Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
Loading...

The Forgotten Garden (2008)

by Kate Morton

Other authors: See the other authors section.

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
3,9982751,166 (4.04)267
2009 (19) 2010 (21) 2011 (25) 2012 (17) abandoned children (29) adoption (18) Australia (183) Australian (24) book club (31) Cornwall (69) ebook (19) England (148) fairy tales (71) family (64) family saga (23) family secrets (38) fiction (370) gardens (16) historical (39) historical fiction (153) Kindle (20) mystery (177) novel (30) orphans (30) own (17) read (37) read in 2011 (18) Roman (18) secrets (23) to-read (87)
Loading...

Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book.

English (245)  Spanish (7)  German (6)  Dutch (5)  French (2)  Catalan (2)  Norwegian (1)  Lithuanian (1)  Basque (1)  Italian (1)  Finnish (1)  All languages (272)
Showing 1-5 of 245 (next | show all)
The Forgotten Garden is a cross-generational mystery about a girl named Nell who was found on a dock in Australia and adopted into a local family. When Nell is old enough she sets out to solve the mystery of her identity with very few clues except a book and a memory of a lady called “the authoress.” Her search is continued by her granddaughter, and as they both search the lives of their ancestors are revealed to the reader.

The Forgotten Garden is at its heart a book about identity; about who people are in their own right, but also about how the actions and character of ancestors live on long after they are gone. The story alternates perspectives between the women of their family. Part of the fun for the reader is in knowing more than the characters do, because as they research the past and get glimpses via diaries and notes, we get to flash back and read about the actual occurrence as it happened.

This is a finely crafted novel with well-developed characters (as it ought to be at 560 pages). If you want to lose yourself in a family saga then this is the book for you. It has the feel of a historical fiction novel, yet flirts with the Gothic genre as well at times, with an undercurrent of suspense and an old family curse. ( )
  akreese | May 16, 2013 |
It's wonderful how different generations live simultaneously in the readers mind. For those that enjoy historical fiction, it's always a treat when the past walks through the door - or in this case - through the garden gate. ( )
  swivelgal | Apr 30, 2013 |
I rarely give 5 stars, but this book earned it. The strong female characters, the 4 generations of women, all searching for their lineage. I loved the bit of mystery and surprises. The garden is a place I'd love to go. It reminds me of the gardens I visited in Germany. A wonderful novel. ( )
  bibliobethica | Apr 27, 2013 |
I read this book last year and quite enjoyed it. You can read my review of The Forgotten Garden over at my blog (contains some spoilers): http://www.rulethewaves.net/blog/?p=1634 ( )
  caffeinatedlife | Apr 26, 2013 |
It's kind of hard not to like Kate Morton's novels. Her stories seem to always have the elements that suck me in: family secrets, shifts from past to present, an ability to capture the particular era she's writing about, and a nice variety of characters. Though I have all of her books on my shelf, this is actually only the second I've read, but based on reviews & such, I always got the feeling this was the "best" of the bunch. So I feel as though I went into this one with higher-than-usual expectations. And while I enjoyed this story a lot, I can't help but feel a little bit disappointed. I think I was expecting near-flawlessness & a 5-star rating, but it wasn't quite there for me. I felt there were a few loose ends, or rather a few characters, that weren't explored as much as the reader was led to believe they would or could be. Regardless, the overall storyline of this novel was intriguing, as Morton's often seem to be, and I still consider her one of my favorite authors. I look forward to reading her other books just as much as I did before. ( )
  indygo88 | Apr 26, 2013 |
Showing 1-5 of 245 (next | show all)
All the pieces don’t quite mesh, but it’s a satisfying read overall, just the thing for readers who like multigenerational sagas with a touch of mystery.
added by Christa_Josh | editBooklist, Mary Ellen Quinn (Apr 15, 2009)
 

» Add other authors (13 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Kate Mortonprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Ayers, AlanCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Faulkner, IanMap artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Kwan, LaywanCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Mock-Maniscalco, DavinaDesignersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
You must log in to edit Common Knowledge data.
For more help see the Common Knowledge help page.
Series (with order)
Canonical title
Original title
Information from the German Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to the English one.
Alternative titles
Original publication date
People/Characters
Important places
Important events
Related movies
Awards and honors
Epigraph
Information from the Dutch Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to the English one.
'Maar waarom moet ik drie haren van de Elfenkoningin mee terugbrengen?'
vroeg de jonge prins aan het oude vrouwtje.'Waarom geen ander aantal,
zoals twee of vier?'
Het oude vrouwtje boog zich naar voren zonder haar werk aan het spinnewiel te onderbreken.
'Er is geen ander aantal, mijn kind. Drie is het getal van de tijd,
want hebben we het niet over verleden, heden en toekomst? Drie is het getal van het gezin, want spreken we niet van moeder, vader en kind? Drie is het getal van de fee, want zoeken we niet tussen eik, esdoorn en doornstruiken?'
De jonge prins knikte, want het wijze oude vrouwtje sprak de waarheid.
'Daarom moet ik drie haren hebben om mijn tovervlecht te maken.'


Uit: 'De Elfenvlecht' van Eliza Makepeace
Dedication
For Oliver and Louis More precious than all the spun gold in Fairyland
First words
It was dark where she was crouched but the little girl did as she'd been told.
Quotations
Last words
Disambiguation notice
Publisher's editors
Blurbers
Publisher series

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English (1)

Book description
A lost child: On the eve of the First World War, a little girl is found abandoned on a ship to Australia. A mysterious woman called the Authoress had promised to look after her - but has disappeared without a trace. A terrible secret: On the night of her twenty-first birthday, Nell Andrews learns a secret that will change her life forever. Decades later, she embarks upon a search for the truth that leads her to the windswept Cornish coast and the strange and beautiful Blackhurst Manor, once owned by the aristocratic Mountrachet family.A mysterious inheritance: On Nell's death, her granddaughter, Cassandra, comes into an unexpected inheritance. Cliff Cottage and its forgotten garden are notorious amongst the Cornish locals for the secrets they hold - secrets about the doomed Mountrachet family and their ward Eliza Makepeace, a writer of dark Victorian fairytales. It is here that Cassandra will finally uncover the truth about the family, and solve the century-old mystery of a little girl lost.
Haiku summary

No descriptions found.

"From the author of "The House at Riverton" comes a story of outer and inner journeys as "Nell," abandoned as a child, leaves her adoptive parents in Australia and travels to England to trace her story, to find her real identity--a quest that ultimately leads her to Blackhurst Manor on the Cornish coast and the secrets of the doomed Mountrachet family."… (more)

» see all 10 descriptions

Quick Links

Popular covers

Rating

Average: (4.04)
0.5
1 12
1.5 3
2 36
2.5 22
3 208
3.5 113
4 531
4.5 98
5 422

Audible.com

Two editions of this book were published by Audible.com.

See editions

Is this you?

Become a LibraryThing Author.

 

Help/FAQs | About | Privacy/Terms | Blog | Contact | LibraryThing.com | APIs | WikiThing | Common Knowledge | Legacy Libraries | 81,855,103 books!