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The Forgotten Garden

Kate Morton

Start date: August 2, 2012

Finish date: August 31, 2012

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What Members Thought

Sep 19, 2011 Chris rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction

I really enjoyed this story and am looking forward to reading more of Morton's work. The story of a young girl left alone aboard a ship as it sets sail from England to Australia and what happens to her afterward is quite compelling. From this starting point Morton weaves three stories: what happens to the little girl who becomes known as Nell; her granddaughter, Cassandra; and Eliza, whom we see grow from girl to woman at the turn of the 20th century and whose fate is the key to Nell and Cassand I really enjoyed this story and am looking forward to reading more of Morton's work. The story of a young girl left alone aboard a ship as it sets sail from England to Australia and what happens to her afterward is quite compelling. From this starting point Morton weaves three stories: what happens to the little girl who becomes known as Nell; her granddaughter, Cassandra; and Eliza, whom we see grow from girl to woman at the turn of the 20th century and whose fate is the key to Nell and Cassandra. The themes of abandonment and loss are carried throughout the story. Eliza is a young girl whose mother has died leaving her and her twin brother in the slums of London worried that their mother's family may come and steal them. She grows up to become "the Authoriess" whose fairy tales of confinement and loss are Nell's only link to her past. Nell has spent her entire adult life trying to find out who she really is and why she was shipped off to Australia. Cassandra has spent ten years in mourning for the husband and son she lost in a car crash. Nell's death, Cassandra's discovery of Nell's past, and her inheritance of a Cornish cottage Nell had bought years before without telling anyone set the stage for the stories to come together. Of course Cassandra sets off for Cornwall to figure out the mystery.

There are more than a few nits to pick, if one wanted to pick nits. The arrival of the perfect clue at exactly the write time for Cassandra becomes a bit ridiculous, in one case perfectly ludicrous. People who have been able to keep secrets for 70 years are suddenly thrilled to be spilling their guts. It would be nice to have more insight into why Nell's relationship with her own daughter was so poor. It definitely makes Nell a less than sympathetic character, despite her experiences. Cassandra's love interest is a little too good to be true, too. (An oncologist who gives up his practice to become a jack-of-all-trades?) But they don't detract too much from the overall story, which definitely kept me turning the pages. ...more

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Apr 02, 2011 Tien rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: australian-author, contemporary, historical-fiction, england, australia

Sorry, Kate Morton, but it was just too painful for me to enjoy.

I love the premise of the story, ie. the discovery of one's past. I love the setting up of the story, ie. a beloved granddaughter continuing her deceased grandmother's wish. I usually loved it when a story alternated between the present and the past but in this case, I knew the past was going to be painful but didn't really know how painful it was going to be until nearly 30% through and it was almost more than I could bear but I wa ...more

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Sep 27, 2011 Trisha rated it really liked it

Shelves: drama, romance

Fantastic storyline! There were parts of it that seemed to move slow, but once the mystery began to unfold I was hooked and felt like I just had to finish the novel. It is told from multiple points of view/time periods, and at first I found it very distracting. But, again, as the plot began to twist and turn, I saw that the POV's were necessary to unlock the secrets. I came up with different theories along the way, one of which was correct, but I hadn't been 100% sure until it was revealed. It w ...more

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