The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
Review by Brenna B. (demiducky25)
Not that long ago I wrote a blog post about Kate Morton’s The Secret Keeper and mentioned that I planned to read The Forgotten Garden since my mom read both books and thought that The Forgotten Garden was the better of the two books. Although both books were wonderful, I did like The Secret Keeper better. But that doesn’t take away from the wonderful story contained in The Forgotten Garden. This is also an impressive and wonderful story that I readily recommend.
The stories of three women are weaved together across time and country borders. Nell is a woman who learned that she was a foundling and spends her life isolating herself from the family she once was close to. The only person who can get close to her is her granddaughter Cassandra, whose mother abandoned her to Nell’s care. Nell tries to learn her true identity, but Cassandra has to take up the search when Nell is no longer able to. The only clue either woman initially has to go by is a rare book of fairy tales that Nell had when she was found on an Australian dock in 1913. The fairy tale book was written by a woman initially only referred to as The Authoress, an English woman with a mysterious background of her own and whose life story is somehow tied to Nell’s. A hidden garden on an English estate also plays a pivotal role in all three women’s lives.
I think that’s all I can safely say without giving away anything important. Morton really knows how to craft a wonderful story. Each character’s story was engaging and wonderful to read, though there were a few parts where the story felt like it got repetitive or dragged a bit, a feeling I didn’t get with The Secret Keeper. But those moments were few and far between. Time jumps and character shifts occur with nearly every chapter, but Morton helps you safely travel between each thread of the story. A few chapters are excerpts from the book of fairy tales Nell was found with and those stories allude to the lives of the other characters. Also, anyone who has every read Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden will appreciate a number of parallels between this book and The Secret Garden, including a cameo appearance by Frances Hodgson Burnett at a garden party.
All in all this was a great read. It’s the perfect book to start on a dreary, rainy afternoon and get lost in for hours at a time.
My rating- 4 out of 5 stars
Note: To read Brenna’s review of The Secret Keeper, click this LINK
I LOVE so much all the books by Morton. This is the book that made me discover her, it’s probably my favorite, though it’s hard to tell.
The House at Riverton was my least liked.
here is my own review:
http://wordsandpeace.com/2012/05/03/2012-21-review-the-forgotten-garden/