The Forgotten Garden

As a little girl, Nell was found alone on a dock in Australia and taken in by a dockmaster and his wife. After her death, her granddaughter, Cassandra, learns this family secret and sets forth to finish what Nell started - the hunt for her true identity. This is a family saga, a mystery, and a tragic fairy tale all in one. I could not put this down, and I had to keep reading to find out the truth behind Nell's abandonment. Morton writes gorgeously, and lushly, and fully pulled me into the world she created. I loved how the story jumps between the present day and points in the past. I'm definitely going to have to hunt out some of Morton's other books.

I just wish Eliza's book of fairy tales is real so I can read it.

Like The Secret Keeper, this is a meaty book, one that develops slowly and beautifully. It's not the type of book you can devour in a couple of sittings, but for me, time disappeared as I was reading it. I was always rather annoyed when I looked at my clock after what felt like a few minutes and saw that it was past my bedtime. Again.

And it's no wonder I loved this book; Kate Morton does a lot of things excellently: her characters (despite the large cast of characters, they were all distinct and interesting), weaving from past to present to a less-distant past seamlessly, a touch of romance, a juicy family mystery that takes three generations to uncover. I also loved the Secret Garden familiarity and, of course, the fairy tales.

4.5*
This was an enchanting story that spanned a century. Kate Morton's writing is beautifully lyrical and descriptive. The characters were so well fleshed out that I couldn't help but love them fully or completely despise them. The author does so well showing what the characters are like that you can't help but feel in a certain way towards them - even those that are are not so clearly "good" or "bad". This made me want my own Secret Garden and makes me want to go watch that movie as well. The only thing I struggled with, and is the reason I couldn't give it a full 5 stars is that the timeline jumps can be extremely confusing since they aren't always following a pattern. And the root of the stories are so similar (girls who lose their show more mothers at a young age which I'm sure was purposeful), that it was difficult to remember which plot I was currently following. I loved hearing about each plot line though, so didn't necessarily find myself wanting to get back to any particular character's plot. There were so many great themes discussed as well! This would be a great book to read and discuss in a book club. Who knows, I may end up changing my mind on this rating if it ends up staying with me long enough. show less

I am a sucker for the modern gothic and this was a truly delicious one. The formula - old estate with secret parts, a haunting history, servants and villagers who know more than they let on, twins - you see what I am getting at here. This more modern gothic typically has a present day heroine ferreting out her ancestors secrets. Throw in an abandoned little girl and a book of fairy tales by a mysterious author and you've got me hooked. This reminded me of an amalgam of 'The Thirteenth Tale' and Byatt's 'The Children's Book.' And I thought it was quite a bit better than her first novel 'A House at Riverton'

I was sucked in from the beginning and the prose is easy reading; not literature, but compelling, albeit in a Hollywood-type fashion. show more It was clear who were the good guys and the bad guys - no nuances of character here. No startling imagery or insights into human nature. But nevertheless thoroughly entertaining. Loved Eliza's childhood - very Dickensian. Adored Nell's flashbacks. Occasionally I grew bored with some of the storylines. I thought the older Nell character was a bit of a dud. And Uncle Linus seemed a bit unnecessary; I though he would have played a more pivotal role. And in the end - I figured things out way before our protagonist - which was my beef with her first novel as well.

A must for lovers of gothic mysteries. I suspect this novel has or will do well. Morton is honing out a nice niche for herself and refining her craft. I think she is capable of more. More haunting, more subtle, a bit less predictable. I am a fan. Perfect escapist reading for me. show less

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 show 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. show less

A multi-generational tale of women searching for their history, uncovering secrets and discovering connections hidden or just plain lost to time. A little girl is left alone, on a ship about to depart for Australia from the English port of Maryborough, by a lady she knows as "the Authoress". Despite her promise, the lady does not return to unite the child with its parents, and the ship sails off. The girl has no ticket, no one knows her name and no one claims her; she cannot or will not explain herself; she is abandoned on the wharf, where the harbormaster takes pity on her, whisks her off home to his wife, and raises her as his own. Morton is marvelous at good old-fashioned story-telling, and she can carry the reader through centuries, show more across oceans and deep into hidden landscapes. I did have to create a little chart for myself early on, to keep the various characters in their proper places and times as the many pieces of this story twisted and turned, much like the maze that plays an important role in all their lives. Not quite as engaging for me as The Distant Hours, but still an immersive mystery-laden goodie for lovers of this sort of thing. show less

Morton is a masterful storyteller, effortlessly weaving together multiple timelines to tell a family epic with a domestic mystery at its heart. Quite enjoyable and deftly avoiding the trap of creating one timeline that is vastly more interesting than the others. I was largely equally happy to hang out in any of them. I got a little squirrely to be done, but mostly I think because it took me over a week to read, not because the book itself grew tiresome. Will likely read some more Morton, especially if the mood strikes to immerse myself in a good long tale.