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Book Review of The Forgotten Garden

The Forgotten Garden
The Forgotten Garden
Author: Kate Morton
Genre: Literature & Fiction
Book Type: Hardcover
reviewed on + 330 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 10


In the beginning this book had me a little confused. Keeping the characters and their time frame straight was a bit of a challenge, but as soon as I grasped the feel of each individual, their own voices came through and the overall story and flow was much easier to follow.

Having quite enjoyed The House at Riverton, I knew that Morton wouldn't let me down with this telling of Nell who as a very young child was left on a ships dock in 1913 with no note or adult and only a little white suitcase containing some clothes and a volume of fairy tales. The dock master took pity on her and brought her home and raised her as his child. On her 21st birthday, a day that she had so looked forward to, her father told her the truth. Destroying the dreams that Nell had had for her future she was then determined to find her true history.

Unable to find the answers before her death, Nell's granddaughter Cassandra finds the suitcase and takes up her grandmothers search. What ensues is a slow unwrapping of family, betrayal, fear, and greed. The reader has to pay close attention since each chapter is told in a different time frame and the story is slowly revealed with quite a few, "oh, I get it now" moments.

Morton creates a beautiful setting with mystery and intrigue at a Cliff Cottage on the Cornish coast. Don't rush this book, take your time and find the clues along the way.