The Forgotten Garden
Book Review - The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
Book Review - The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
A friend of mine gave me a copy of The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. Is is an old, worn copy that has clearly been loved by many people. My friend said she wanted to know what I thought of this book, but it sat on my bookshelf for months as I tried to get ahead in my reading. I finally got to a point where it was taunting me, just sitting there unread, so I decided to listen to it via audiobook. It was performed by Caroline Lee, who I had the pleasure of featuring in January for her performance of Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty. Caroline is a fantastic audiobook narrator, I always find myself completely absorbed in the story when she is performing.
Book Review - The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
The Forgotten Garden is best described as part saga, part fairytale. It spans four generations of the Mountrachet family: Adeline, her daughter Rose and her niece Eliza, and Adeline’s granddaughter Ivory. Then there is Nell and her granddaughter Cassandra. The story is intricately woven together with multiple stories and timelines. Plus strands of fairytales here and there. In 1913, Nell is abandoned on a ship headed for Australia. She can’t or won’t say her name or where she is from. She is taken in by a kind family and raised as their own. But she seeks information about her real family and uses clues from the tiny suitcase she was found carrying to piece together her past. When Nell dies, her granddaughter Cassandra takes over the search.
Book Review - The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
Kate Morton is a well-celebrated author, so I had no doubt that this was going to be a beautifully written book. As soon as it was gifted to me, I wanted to read it…but life got in the way and this book sat on my shelf for longer than I would have preferred. I am so glad I finally got around to “reading” (read: listening) to this book. I was completely immersed in the story and invested in the characters. I loved the break in the story to hear Eliza Makepeace’s fairytales. The mix of family saga and childhood fairytales was a breath of fresh air - certainly a unique take on a novel that I haven’t seen before.
