The Forgotten Garden: A Novel [Hardcover]

 

 

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I have read literally thousands of books during my lifetime; some forgotten as soon as the pages have been read. However, "The Forgotten Garden" will remain with me for the rest of my days. In 1913, a young girl is abandoned on a ship from England to Austraila, and what follows through the pages is a journey back and forth through time in search of her true identity.

The author, Kate Morton weaves a story so profound and magical, the reader will be be captivated by its intrigue from beginning to end. The story holds mystique, fantasy, realism and leaves the reader never wanting the story to end. The characters and plot are stong and well developed, grabbing the reader with such intensity one feels a part of the journey. It is a lengthy book, but one filled with every emotion possible, sadness, joy, antiipation, revenge, jealousy, longing and love.

This is truly an enchanting book, an absolute masterpiece and one you will definitely not want to miss.

Kate Morton's multi-general genealogical saga is as complex as the over-grown and secluded garden which forms the story's title. Laden with memory and with the dark secrets of the grand aristocratic Cornwall estate, Blackhurst Manor, this novel takes the reader on a colorful journey into an Edwardian England of envy, abandonment and betrayal. In 2005 in Brisbane Cassandra maintains a silent vigil over her grandmother Nell Andrews. Towards the end of her life she peaks about a woman, a lady whom she calls the Authoress. She seemed to think they were on some kind of boat. When Nell finally passes, Cassandra discovers she's gifted her the deeds to an isolated Cornish cottage complete with a hidden walled garden, the back completely covered with brambles.

Traveling to London and then into the village of Tregenna which lies on the outskirts of Blackhurst Manor, Cassandra is overwhelmed by the circumstances of her visit, and that of the dark mystery surrounding Nell's past and why, in 1913, she was left abandoned on a sailing ship bound for Australia with a funny looking case with white leather and with silver buckles. Only a book of children's fairy tales published in London in 1913 remains inside. Secrets have a way of making themselves known, and both the garden and Cliff Cottage have a formidable reputation according to the inhabitants of the local village Tregenna.

Soon enough Nell's family, her blood and her past, and these secrets steadily materialize in the wake of Cassandra's investigations, all knitting together: Nell's unknown parentage, her arrival as a child at an ocean port, the suitcase, her mysterious trip to England the early 70's and of course the secret house. Morton steadily weaves the complicated narratives of Cassandra and Nell into that of the life of the Authoress, Eliza Makepeace, her delicate fairy tales anchoring the long forgotten memories and the threads that tie the Authoress of Nell's memory, the name of the Mountrachet family, particularly Rose Mountrachet and her marriage to the handsome artist Nathaniel Walker.

This novel constantly tosses up flecks of the past, offering a maze of unanswered questions. Yet the issue remains of what happened to Eliza who was last seen in London in late 1913, with a small girl Ivory Walter, perhaps Rose's daughter. Revenge and animosity play out in this Dickensian drama. The gorgeous Cornish countryside is eventually shattered by a shocking act of betrayal, Eliza finding herself envious of the glamorous American man who causes her cousin's affections to shift so readily and who steals her dearest friend in the blink of an eyelid. And then there's the fiercely manipulative Adeline lady Mountrachet, who runs a tight ship at Blackhurst and fears Eliza the interloper, the cuckoo who was sent back to Blackhurst by her husband Linus to supplant Rose and to push her from the nest that Adeline had fought to make her own.

With characters who are both compassionate and also cruel, the pitiless manipulations of those at Blackhurst Manor give much of this novel its dramatic heft. Packed with genealogical indexes and hidden scrapbooks, and fairy tale stories, the fear, uncertainty and the excitement of Eliza and Nell - and Cassandra's life gradually unfolds. Meanwhile, the weeds of brambles of the forgotten garden shape the narrative, the hole, very small, at the bottom of the wall, concealing a dark secret. As the jagged memories appear to Cassandra, it is finally revealed that it is Nell who'd spent enough of her life waylaid by regret, drowning in untruths and uncertainty in this painful allegory of love, family secrets, and mistaken identity. Mike Leonard May 09.

The Forgotten Garden is one of those rare, absolutely page-turning books. I read it a few months ago on a trip to South Africa, but the plot and characters are still very much alive in my head. This book has everything: history, mystery, loss and love. (That sounded like a poem!) Kate Mosse writes fluidly and the story line just flows so that you don't even realize you're turning pages and have been sitting in the same exact spot for the past four hours. Only a select few books take me to that place, and The Forgotten Garden was one of them. An excellent read!

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5.0 out of 5 stars The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
If they offered ten stars to rate a book it still wouldn't be enough to cover The Forgotten Garden! After years and years of having my personal favorite authors, I added this... Read more

Published 9 days ago by Linda MacNutt

1.0 out of 5 stars Plain boring
This book sounded so compelling and had so many great readers reviews that I ordered it at my book club and spent $13 for it. What a waste of money and time!!! Read more

Published 3 months ago by C. Mathieu

4.0 out of 5 stars A pensively perplex web
A little girl arrives in Australia, having been a stowaway on an English ship. She can't remember her name or her past. Read more

Published 5 months ago by S Svendsen

5.0 out of 5 stars Forgotton Garden
I loved all of Kate Mortons books; but this was my favorite!! It took me in from the very first page and couldn't stop Reading. I was in withdrawl when I finished it. Read more

Published 6 months ago by Peggy Neufeld

3.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing Story, Poor Delivery
I wanted to like this book. It has some great story elements: An intriguing mystery, an abandoned little girl, a lovely seaside setting in Cornwall, and even fairy tales. Read more

Published 8 months ago by EllenBC

5.0 out of 5 stars mysterious and engrossing
This is the first Kate Morton book that I have read and just finished.
I tried reading The House At Riverton, but didnt get through it. Read more

Published 8 months ago by Novel Girl

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book I have read in a long time
What an enchanting book...it took me far away into my imagination. I dreamt about it and couldn't put in down. Highly recommended :)

Published 11 months ago by Tiffany

5.0 out of 5 stars Enchanting
A memorizing read that pull the reader in with a touch of pixie dust. This is a book to be shared with all your girlfriends. Read more

Published 13 months ago by Berry

3.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, but not original
I found myself immediately drawn into this lush and lovely story, into the landscape of Blackhurst Manor, London and Brisbane, into the lives of Eliza and Rose, Cassandra and... Read more

Published 15 months ago by Lisa Stephens-Deith

5.0 out of 5 stars Delicious
A delicious read that was extremely hard to put down! The story was well-written, the plot and characters were well-developed and the setting was beautiful. Read more

Published 15 months ago by Margaret Marie

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