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What are readers saying about The Forgotten Garden: A Novel?
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-09-08 09:17:47.
(Language: English)
 
Cassandra finds out after her grandmother, Nell's, death that she was not who she thought she was. Her "father" found her on a ship when she was 4 years old all by herself and brought her home where he and his wife raised her as their own. She did not find out until her 18th birthday that she was not who she thought she was and everything she knew was a lie. After Nell's father passes away when she is in her 60's, she receives the suitcase she had with her all those years ago as a little girl. Inside it she finds a book of fair tales, written by an Eliza Makepeace and illustrated by the well known portraitist Nathanial Walker. The book stirs some memories within her and she sets off to England to find out her true story. After her death, Cassandra follows in her footsteps to finish what Nell had started when she finds out that her grandmother had bought a house in England years ago that once belonged to Eliza Makepeace. Thus begins the journey that will change Cassandra's life.I don't even know how to give this book justice. Beautifully written, heartbreaking, 4 different time periods written about in a way that I was breathless to find out what happened next. This is 550 pages, I bought it for my vacation this week, and I finished it today. Be ready to stay up late to see what happens as the story goes from present time, to Nell's trip to England in the mid-1970's, to the early 1900's with Eliza's story, and Nell's memories as a child, secrets revealed at the turn of every page. May very well be the best book I have read in 2009 so far. 
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Corenna posted a review at 2012-02-03 09:15:22.
(Language: English)
loved this book. right up to the end..:)
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A Reader posted a review at 2012-01-16 08:35:19.
(Language: English)
This was a lovely read with plenty of twists and turns and well-written characters.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-03-19 01:32:21.
(Language: English)
I thoroughly delighted in this story and written style. Perhaps because I stumbled across the book with no preconceptions (I had not read or heard about it before) and so I could read with ease not expecting much. The story was interesting, page turning and beautifully detailed and I loved the mixture of eras from which the stories sprung. It has made me search for more Morton novels.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-04-26 04:09:48.
(Language: English)
I found this book on holiday in Spain - between very few books to choose from, this was the only one that appealed. Phew for that! What a great read! It spans over about a hundred years, and doesn't always know what kind of book it wants to be, but that didn't bother me too much. It's funny, sad, thought provoking, there's a great mystery, tragic fates, several great fairy tales, and she even manages to throw in a love story towards the end. The narrative skips from one age to another effortlessly, keeping true to the style of each era, and I was always willingly brought along. You can sense a fair bit of the classical novel "the secret garden" in the central plot; in fact so much that the author of that - Frances Hodgson Burnett - has been included in this book as having been inspired by events in this book - a sweet touch I think. There's something about the idea of a secret garden that brings out child-like adoration and excitement in me, and this book didn't let me down in that respect.
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Angela posted a review at 2008-11-13 07:04:50.
(Language: English)
This beautifully written story follows a woman and her quest for her identity. Upon her grandmother's death, she discovers that her grandmother was a foundling - found on the docks of Australia after a ship had landed from England around 1913. The story follows three woman from three generations - the grandmother (Nell) as she undertakes her own search for her identity in the 70s and the mysterious lady known as "the authoress" in the 1900s who holds the key to the family secrets. Interspersed with poetic language and eloquently written fairy tales, this is enchanting, enthralling and haunting. Please do yourself a favour. Read it.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-05-29 06:28:04.
(Language: English)
Kate Morton's sophomore effort spans several generations and more than one continent. Ms. Morton chooses to tell the story from several characters' perspectives as well as jumping forward and back in time throughout the novel. The end result is far from seamless, and at times is rather jarring. The strength of this novel is found in the pre-1913 portion of the story, which, as noted, occurs throughout the book. The descriptions of the scenes are vividly crafted, and readers will find themselves caring very much what happens in the early days. The same cannot be said for the descendants.
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A Reader posted a review at 2011-12-24 07:18:08.
(Language: English)
Loved it, couldn't put it down.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-12-06 12:06:27.
(Language: English)
I enjoyed this book. It moved quickly and conjured up so good visuals. I must say though, I figured it out pretty quickly but kept reading to find out how it all played out and didn't feel as though I'd wasted my time doing so. Ms. Morton weaves a good mystery! I liked the fairy tales as well. Now I'm looking forward to the House at Riverton.
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Carys posted a review at 2012-05-14 02:05:42.
(Language: English)
a very interesting book with an unseen twist.
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Lynne posted a review at 2012-01-02 02:36:41.
(Language: English)
Story - 5+ Writing - 4 Characters - 4 Learning - 3 Entertainment - 4 This book is my book choice for my book club. I really, really liked it. I couldn't help thinking of some of my book club members reactions - there are three alternating narratives, and I know that some readers find that confusing. Each chapter identifies the year and the place, so if you take note of that, it helps, although even I found myself confusing Cassandra/Nell and Eliza/Georgianna due to the similarities in their stories. That aside, the story got me from the first page, and I found myself staying up late just to read another chapter. Although I had figured out most of the ending about half way through the book, there were enough twists and turns to make it unpredictable. This is not historical fiction, so there was less "learning" than most of the books that I read, but it still did introduce me to topics of which I had no prior knowledge, for example the Ais Gill rail accident. I loved the addition of the fairy tales within the book. Sometimes this tactic can be gimicky, or just bad (I read some of the most God awful poetry in a chiclit book about a "poet"), but these are very good and pertinent to the story. The characters in the book are weak at times. You don't get to know the women from the past that well, which is somewhat understandable, but even Cassandra is a bit of an enigma. And, I'm still not sure what the purpose of the old creepy uncle Linus was for - I guess a red herring of sorts. All in all, I recommend this book, it's, imo, a great example of how good fiction can be.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-11-21 08:27:08.
(Language: English)
Why do (newly) rich people always think they are more than others and thus cause nothing but heartache, even death? Thankfully, this is only a very small part of the story and necessary to solve the overall mystery. This book is all about hope and discovery overall and you might even learn a thing along the way - such as, you will sometimes make mistakes but it is no good beating yourself over the head about it! What's done is done and we need to move on. Kate Morton also proves that the old writing rule of never jumbling up time frames does not apply to her. She jumps from 1900 to 1913 to 1975 and 2005 and back again to cover all the various 'strands' of the story from rich girl Georgiana who chooses a poor sailor over her coveting brother, Eliza choosing to help her cousin with results that do not quite pan out as expected to Nell who travels across the oceans to a new world at age four and her grand daughter Cassandra who eventually tries to unravel the entire mystery that seems to have fallen into her lap. If you ever thought 'time-jumping' is confusing and doesn't work - this book will prove you wrong. Happy Reading!
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Linda posted a review at 2009-06-16 03:15:40.
(Language: English)
The Forgotten Garden is a long, sprawling mystery that spans over 100 years, loaded with Gothic undertones. We have a spooky old Victorian mansion, an overgrown maze, a derelict cottage on a cliff, a forgotten garden, wealth, poverty, love, betrayal, good and evil all wrapped around an abandoned child. Told through the perspectives of three women, Nell who is found when she is four years old, abandoned on a dock in Australia, with very sparse clues to her identity; Eliza who is the mysterious Authoress whom Nell vaguely remembers and whose book of fairy Tales is in Nell’s tiny suitcase and Cassandra, Nell’s granddaughter, who tries to put together all the pieces of the puzzle after her grandmother’s death. I really enjoyed this story, I like multi-generational family sagas and I found this one to be absorbing and well written and I liked the mystery and all the introduction of little clues. The changes in the perspectives could get a little confusing at times, and it would be hard to leave one story that was really getting interesting, to be taken back to another time and place but after a while I got accustomed to that. The best part of the book were the fairy tales written by The Authoress, lovely but spooky stories that all have clues to the mystery of Nell’s identity. I also enjoyed Ms. Morton’s inclusion of Frances Hodgson Burnett as a minor character, an obvious tip of the hat to the author of The Secret Garden, which clearly inspired portions of this book. I didn’t care for the male characters in the book, they all seemed ephemeral and weak, but I’ve read many a book where the women were relegated to the background, so it didn’t really spoil my enjoyment of this book. Overall a very good read.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-10-26 12:18:10.
(Language: English)
A brilliant book. Morton masterfully weaves a tale that leads to the heart of a family secret, the forgotten lives of those that precede the present and leads the reader to the centre of the mystery. I could not put this book down.I read tbe last 200 pages through the night, despite the fact I was feeling unwell and towards the conclusion my eyes began to sting and before I knew it, I was weepng. Morton not only captures the imagination, she also captures your heart and forces you to reflect on what it means to be a woman. She challenges us to think about social attitudes and morals on certain issues and reminds us to look beneath the surface of history and events so as to discover what is truly in the heart of individuals. A person should not be judged without the the knowledge of what constitutes their true nature. A beautiful book.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-06-26 09:52:06.
(Language: English)
Great story. I have had the book for a long time and finally picked it up. It is a little hard to follow because it switches back and forth between the different characters' stories over the span of 100 years. I think I might actually re-read this one day. Highly recommend...Myrna I think you might really like it.
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A Reader posted a review at 2012-02-13 05:44:38.
(Language: English)
Two chapters in and I was hooked! Very enjoyable read!
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-03-30 07:35:56.
(Language: English)
I loved Kate Morton's "The House at Riverton", and "The Forgotten Garden" doesn't disappoint either. But be warned, this is quite a hefty read and can get a bit confusing at times with the moving back and forth between different time periods. However, the story is engaging enough that it was a fast read for me. The story begins in 1913 London with a little 4-year-old castaway on board a ship headed for Australia. She waits for a woman, the Authoress, who told her she would be back, but never returns. In Australia, the little girl is taken in by the port master, Hugh O'Connor, and his wife. The girl, Nell has no recollection as to her origins and is raised by the O'Connors as their own. It is only when she turns 21 that Hugh tells her the truth. In 1975, Nell makes her way to England to unearth the mystery of her origins, but setbacks in her life dampen her efforts. It is only much later, in 2005, that Nell's beloved granddaughter, Cassandra, who was pretty much raised by her grandmother finds out that she has inherited a cottage in Cornwall, and makes the long due journey to England to discover about her grandmother's roots. As mentioned by other reviewers, this is very much a story about women and the complexities of their lives. It makes for an engrossing read. There are many themes in this multi-layered story and I was riveted throughout. Fairy tales are seamlessly woven into the narrative and we even have a beloved author of literature, "The Secret Garden"'s Frances Hodgson Burnett mentioned in here. "The Forgotten Garden" was possibly inspired by this classic of children's literature. Personally, I found much more to appreciate in "The Forgotten Garden" than in "The House at Riverton" and look forward to more intriguing reads by Kate Morton.
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A Reader posted a review at 2012-02-03 05:15:23.
(Language: English)
Great book! Loved to see how the lives of 3 generations of women were intertwined. Couldn't put it down at halfway point.
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Nellie posted a review at 2009-10-21 09:37:47.
(Language: English)
Difficult to place this book: historic novel? Detective? Romance? Coming of age? All of the above mixed together jumping around between the three different generations and main characters in the book. Additional chapters from the perspective of cousin Rose and mum Lillian add to the confusion. Some chapters are engaging yet other parts are predictable and failed to hold my attention. Not for the novice reader and difficult to read in instalments as it's easy to loose the plot. I finally managed to read all 648 pages end to end when sick in bed. If it weren't a book group book I would not have finished it.
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A Reader posted a review at 2012-02-28 08:31:36.
(Language: English)
Not usually into mysteries, but this one is a winner
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A Reader posted a review at 2011-08-14 11:11:42.
(Language: English)
I loved this book. It was intriguing to go between the past and present. The revealing of buried secrets. It was a little hard to follow at times, as the bounced between 3 time frames. But it all comes together in the end. It was well worth the read.
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Stephanie posted a review at 2011-12-07 12:39:18.
(Language: English)
Enjoyed this book quite a bit. Many twist and turns kept my interest.
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A Reader posted a review at 2012-01-12 07:35:07.
(Language: English)
Great, engrossing read.
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Wendy posted a review at 2009-12-05 07:24:15.
(Language: English)
This was a very engaging book. A little girl was put on a boat in London and ended up in Australia with no-one to accompany her or meet her. The harbour master took her home and he and his wife essentially adopted her. When Nell, as they named her, was 21 her adoptive father told her the truth about her origins causing her to doubt everything she thought she knew about herself. When she was 65 she finally returned to England to search out her origins aided by her dim memories of a woman called the Authoress. She learns part of the mystery but it is up to her granddaughter to uncover the rest after Nell's death. At first I had trouble keeping the various woman and their histories straight but it gets easier with time.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-04-25 03:27:57.
(Language: English)
Part of The Forgotten Garden is reminiscent of Frances Hodgson Burnett's, The Secret Garden published in 1911. An unwanted cousin finds herself at her uncle's manor house, where she develops a bond with a sickly and lonely cousin. The similarity between the two novels ends there. Like Morton's, The House at Riverton, The Forgotten Garden shifts back and forth through time and attempts to solve a mystery that occured over a hundred years ago. The House at Riverton's mystery was the death of poet, Robbie Hunter. The mystery in this novel is why Ivory Walker, a four year old year old girl from a wealthy and aristocratic family, was abandoned and placed on a ship to Australia. Ivory Walker grows up to be Nell. On her eighteenth birthday, her father revealed a secret which ended her life as she knew it - not only was Nell not his real daughter, neither he or his wife knew Nell's real identity. She was found on the docks when she was four years old. The only link to her past is a little white suitcase the child carried on her when she was found. Cassandra, Nell's granddaughter, inherits the mystery surrounding her grandmother's lost identity. After the elderly Nell dies, Cassandra embarks on an adventure in the Cornish countryside in an attempt to put together the pieces of Nell's past. Crucial to the mystery is a childrens book author by the name of Eliza Makepeace, who Nell not only vaguely remembers was the last person she saw before she boarded the ship, but her little suitcase also contained a book written by the mysterious authoress. I loved the way the author scattered subtle clues throughout the book. I guessed the big mystery long before it was revealed, but it didn't make the novel any less compelling. Ms Morton knows how to write a mystery that will grab you from the start. The only gripe I have with The Forgotten Garden was the way the author jumped back and forth across generations. The story didn't transition as smoothly as in her previous book. In fact, the decade jumping was downright confusing at times. Still, I cannot bring myself to give this book any less than five stars. Ms Morton has proved herself a master storyteller. I will gladly pre-order any future books this author publishes.
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