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What Members Thought
Sometimes when people keep recommending a book, you should listen and read that book. The Forgotten Garden is such a book. You finally read it and end up wondering why in the world you waited so long. Kate Morton provides the intricate layering of different times and places in a masterful manner, gifting the reader with a story that captures the imagination and heart completely. Nell, as the lost child, is the pivotal character around which all mysteries and actions revolve. A tale that begins i
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I got bored. I had less than 1/4 left and I couldn’t do it. I think I read 3 other books before finally picking this back up to finish. The first 3/4 was great. A mystery that entwined and tangled. And then I figured it out. And found I didn’t really care how it ended. So sad, because I thoroughly enjoyed her other books. Maybe I was looking for some thriller type action and didn’t find it.
Jun 19, 2019
Cora
rated it
it was amazing
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review of another edition
Shelves:
audible,
authors,
england,
kindle,
historical-fiction,
mystery,
fairy-tales,
europe,
orphans,
20th-century
This story drew me in. I liked the mystery and I like how the author wove the different women and generation's stories to slowly reveal the answers to the reader. I found the book hard to put down while I was reading it and easy to pick up again when I had the opportunity. The characters all had their flaws, but I connected to them and their search for answers. The author also did a great job creating a sense of place and atmosphere. I will definitely look for more by this author in the future.
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Cute story. Entertainingish. This was only a 3 star book for me though. I can't agree with the "international bestseller" status. Firstly, I found the constant chopping between narrators and times annoying, though by the end of the book I had learnt to cope, and even developed a grudging admiration for the author being able to write this and tie up all the threads of the various generations without tripping herself up. Maybe she wrote three stories, and then just swapped the chapters around-I do
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Nell is found abandoned on a wharf in Australia after everyone else on a ship from Englnad has departed. She's taken in by a loving family but when she's told at age 21 that she's adopted Nell sets out to find the truth of her parentage. Nell's granddaughter Cassandra take sup the quest after Nell's death. Also involved during the late 1800's is Eliza Makepeace. The book alternates between these three women as the truth gradually unfolds.I liked the way the three stories meshed together and enjo
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I really don't understand the rave reviews for this book. I found the "mystery" really pretty unsatisfying, with no great secrets actually revealed and no reason to really care about the family history as told. The shifting perspectives felt basically unnecessary, the "fairy tales" weren't particularly compelling, and I never really liked or disliked any of the characters. The book was long, but set in a pretty big font with lots of chapter breaks, so not really as long as it seemed at first. Th
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Oct 09, 2009
Abigail
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2010,
seasonal-challenge-spring10
Really 4.5 stars. There were times when it dragged for me. At the same time, it's really stuck with me and I didn't want to put it down once I was in the second half.
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This one took me a while to get into as it jumped around from different narrators and settings, but I ended up really enjoying it.
Jun 27, 2010
Kristina
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
own-kindle,
read-in-2012
