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Der verborgene Garten
Als die junge Australierin Cassandra von ihrer Großmutter ein kleines Cottage an der Küste Cornwalls erbt, ahnt sie nichts von dem unheilvollen Versprechen, das zwei Freundinnen ein Jahrhundert zuvor an jenem Ort einlösten. Auf den Spuren der Vergangenheit entdeckt Cassandra ein Geheimnis, das seinen Anfang in den Gärten von Blackhurst Manor nahm und seit Generationen das Schicksal ihrer Familie bestimmt.
641 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
About the author
Kate Morton
32 books24.8k followersKATE MORTON is an award-winning, New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author. Her seven novels - The House at Riverton, The Forgotten Garden, The Distant Hours, The Secret Keeper, The Lake House, The Clockmaker's Daughter, and Homecoming - are published in over 45 countries, in 38 languages, and have all been number one bestsellers around the world.
Kate Morton was born in South Australia, grew up in the mountains of south-east Queensland, and now lives with her family in London and Australia. She has degrees in dramatic art and English literature, and harboured dreams of joining the Royal Shakespeare Company until she realised that it was words she loved more than performing. Kate still feels a pang of longing each time she goes to the theatre and the house lights dim.
"I fell deeply in love with books as a child and believe that reading is freedom; that to read is to live a thousand lives in one; that fiction is a magical conversation between two people - you and me - in which our minds meet across time and space. I love books that conjure a world around me, bringing their characters and settings to life, so that the real world disappears and all that matters, from beginning to end, is turning one more page."
You can find more information about Kate Morton and her books at https://www.katemorton.com or connect on http://www.facebook.com/KateMortonAuthor or instagram.com/katemortonauthor/
To stay up-to-date on Kate's books and events, join her mailing list here: https://www.katemorton.com/mailing-list/
Kate Morton was born in South Australia, grew up in the mountains of south-east Queensland, and now lives with her family in London and Australia. She has degrees in dramatic art and English literature, and harboured dreams of joining the Royal Shakespeare Company until she realised that it was words she loved more than performing. Kate still feels a pang of longing each time she goes to the theatre and the house lights dim.
"I fell deeply in love with books as a child and believe that reading is freedom; that to read is to live a thousand lives in one; that fiction is a magical conversation between two people - you and me - in which our minds meet across time and space. I love books that conjure a world around me, bringing their characters and settings to life, so that the real world disappears and all that matters, from beginning to end, is turning one more page."
You can find more information about Kate Morton and her books at https://www.katemorton.com or connect on http://www.facebook.com/KateMortonAuthor or instagram.com/katemortonauthor/
To stay up-to-date on Kate's books and events, join her mailing list here: https://www.katemorton.com/mailing-list/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 21,083 reviews
July 11, 2010
*Kat looks at The Forgotten Garden*
*Kat looks at the beckoning stack of other books to read*
*Kat looks back at the first 33 pages of The Forgotten Garden*
*Kat groans*
So basically there's this woman. Let's call her Stupidhead because I couldn't care enough to remember her name. She finds out on her 21st birthday party that her loving, adoring family is not her biological family. They found her as a very small child and cared enough to take her in and give her a wonderful home full of people who loved and adored her.
So she breaks up with her perfect fiancee, marries an asshole, has a child, is a terrible mother, distances herself from everyone who ever loved her, screws up her child's life so that her child screws up HER daughters life...
Then I didn't read on. I didn't read on because this book is based on an idiot, and I have a short fuse when it comes to idiots. Let's just say that I don't suffer them lightly.
I'm sure that this book, if I read further, might turn out to be a fantastic and beautifully touching story with a great mystery that it's currently hinting at like a half-dressed male stripper with sad eyes and a g-string whose elastic is so flexible it no longer snaps. However, right now it's just a jumpy, painfully boring mess. I know it's probably realistic, after all there's plenty of idiots in the world. However, since I have so many life sized idiots on-call whenever I need them, I don't feel I have to read a book about them.
Life is too short.
*Kat looks at the beckoning stack of other books to read*
*Kat looks back at the first 33 pages of The Forgotten Garden*
*Kat groans*
So basically there's this woman. Let's call her Stupidhead because I couldn't care enough to remember her name. She finds out on her 21st birthday party that her loving, adoring family is not her biological family. They found her as a very small child and cared enough to take her in and give her a wonderful home full of people who loved and adored her.
So she breaks up with her perfect fiancee, marries an asshole, has a child, is a terrible mother, distances herself from everyone who ever loved her, screws up her child's life so that her child screws up HER daughters life...
Then I didn't read on. I didn't read on because this book is based on an idiot, and I have a short fuse when it comes to idiots. Let's just say that I don't suffer them lightly.
I'm sure that this book, if I read further, might turn out to be a fantastic and beautifully touching story with a great mystery that it's currently hinting at like a half-dressed male stripper with sad eyes and a g-string whose elastic is so flexible it no longer snaps. However, right now it's just a jumpy, painfully boring mess. I know it's probably realistic, after all there's plenty of idiots in the world. However, since I have so many life sized idiots on-call whenever I need them, I don't feel I have to read a book about them.
Life is too short.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 12, 2018
5 stars to Kate Morton's The Forgotten Garden. The plot is mesmerizing and the story-telling of the grandmother and the granddaughter is unparalleled. Morton jumps from time period to time period, country to country, character to character in a flawless manner.
The imagery is astounding. The relationships are well planned. Morton keeps you guessing as to how it's all connected with the garden up front and center the whole way through the ride.
Thoroughly enjoyed the journey this book takes you on. I am very happy with the ending!
The imagery is astounding. The relationships are well planned. Morton keeps you guessing as to how it's all connected with the garden up front and center the whole way through the ride.
Thoroughly enjoyed the journey this book takes you on. I am very happy with the ending!
April 20, 2010
Aussie author Kate Morton deftly managed to push nearly every one of my reading buttons with her lovely book, The Forgotten Garden:
1. Not so young woman with a haunted past - check
2. Not-so-fairy-Grandmother who bequeaths said woman an old house with a mysterious history - check
3. Said old, mysterious house is actually a cottage on the wild Cornish coast, complete with a hidden garden, a handsome neighbor, and the faintest suggestion of the supernatural - check
4. Said woman embarks on a quest to uncover her family secrets and heal thyself --- game, set, match
Each chapter of The Forgotten Garden is told through the voices of 3 women: Eliza, Nell and Cassandra, and covers several different time periods throughout the 20th and early 21st century. We get to know Eliza, Nell and Cassandra intimately, and through them other characters who play a large part in the unfolding story: Rose, Nathaniel, Adeline, and Linus. Not a book to put down for a few days and pick back up later, The Forgotten Garden needs to be savored in long stretches so that the reader can fully connect to each character and their backstory. The continually jumping characters and time periods can get confusing and distracting at times , which prevents me from rating this story with a solid 5 stars. Otherwise, this tale is tailor made for my reading tastes, with sentences, like the following, that speak to me:
"She unlocked the front door and went inside. The house seemed to be listening, waiting to see what she would do. She ran her hand lightly along the inside wall. "My house," she said softly, "This is my house." The words pressed dully into the walls. How strange it was, how unexpected. She wandered through the kitchen, past the spinning wheel and into the little sitting room at the very front. The house felt different now that she was alone. Familiar somehow, like a place she'd visited long ago."
Simple and comforting. My kind of book.
1. Not so young woman with a haunted past - check
2. Not-so-fairy-Grandmother who bequeaths said woman an old house with a mysterious history - check
3. Said old, mysterious house is actually a cottage on the wild Cornish coast, complete with a hidden garden, a handsome neighbor, and the faintest suggestion of the supernatural - check
4. Said woman embarks on a quest to uncover her family secrets and heal thyself --- game, set, match
Each chapter of The Forgotten Garden is told through the voices of 3 women: Eliza, Nell and Cassandra, and covers several different time periods throughout the 20th and early 21st century. We get to know Eliza, Nell and Cassandra intimately, and through them other characters who play a large part in the unfolding story: Rose, Nathaniel, Adeline, and Linus. Not a book to put down for a few days and pick back up later, The Forgotten Garden needs to be savored in long stretches so that the reader can fully connect to each character and their backstory. The continually jumping characters and time periods can get confusing and distracting at times , which prevents me from rating this story with a solid 5 stars. Otherwise, this tale is tailor made for my reading tastes, with sentences, like the following, that speak to me:
"She unlocked the front door and went inside. The house seemed to be listening, waiting to see what she would do. She ran her hand lightly along the inside wall. "My house," she said softly, "This is my house." The words pressed dully into the walls. How strange it was, how unexpected. She wandered through the kitchen, past the spinning wheel and into the little sitting room at the very front. The house felt different now that she was alone. Familiar somehow, like a place she'd visited long ago."
Simple and comforting. My kind of book.
August 7, 2009
While this is ostensibly a novel of secrets spanning four generations, most of the “secrets” are fairly obvious. I kept waiting for the blow to fall — murder? incest? buried treasure?? Alas, no. The narration shifts among different-but-related storylines, all of which, to be fair, I found intriguing: in 1913 a child who can’t remember her name turns up on an Australian dock carrying a book of fairy tales; in 2005 her granddaughter tries to uncover the mysteries of a hidden garden in Cornwall; in Victorian England a wealthy young woman flees her family . . . only to have her orphaned daughter found and taken back to them. In each case I wanted to find out the whole story, but I figured they’d tie together with more punch. Where were the dark secrets-within-a-secret? Where were the gasp-aloud revelations? I know we’re not always going to get Darth Vader breathing, “I am your father!” but a few big shockers would have been nice.
Maybe if the novel were presented a bit differently — as a family saga, not some mysterious tale — then I wouldn’t have been disappointed. It’s really a story of several women and the far-reaching effects their decisions have on their own and each other’s lives. Woven throughout are fairy tales by the mysterious Authoress; it's hard to miss their thematic, at times allegorical, significance. They connect the generations through themes of foundlings, sacrifice, and the dangers of wanting what you can’t have. If you like fairy tales, this would be a plus, but I could have done without them.
Kate Morton is a bit heavy-handed in her characterizations, and, as with The House at Riverton, there’s a bizarrely devoted sister-like relationship that involves extreme self-sacrifice in one of the parties and oblivious selfishness in the other. While many relationships are like this (for instance, I am self-sacrificing and my siblings are oblivious), they're not fun to read about. And with only one exception, the really nefarious characters — they’re like villains out of a Dickens novel but without the flair — sort of fade away. I wanted the satisfaction of seeing them fall off a cliff and get eaten by sharks, or be impaled on pointy fence railings, not just die lonely or disappear from the story. I would have liked less background description and more resolution.
Maybe if the novel were presented a bit differently — as a family saga, not some mysterious tale — then I wouldn’t have been disappointed. It’s really a story of several women and the far-reaching effects their decisions have on their own and each other’s lives. Woven throughout are fairy tales by the mysterious Authoress; it's hard to miss their thematic, at times allegorical, significance. They connect the generations through themes of foundlings, sacrifice, and the dangers of wanting what you can’t have. If you like fairy tales, this would be a plus, but I could have done without them.
Kate Morton is a bit heavy-handed in her characterizations, and, as with The House at Riverton, there’s a bizarrely devoted sister-like relationship that involves extreme self-sacrifice in one of the parties and oblivious selfishness in the other. While many relationships are like this (for instance, I am self-sacrificing and my siblings are oblivious), they're not fun to read about. And with only one exception, the really nefarious characters — they’re like villains out of a Dickens novel but without the flair — sort of fade away. I wanted the satisfaction of seeing them fall off a cliff and get eaten by sharks, or be impaled on pointy fence railings, not just die lonely or disappear from the story. I would have liked less background description and more resolution.
June 12, 2017
God Bless A Milk Cow!
Once again, most of my friends on GR loved this book to death! I'm going to quit picking books my friends love to death!
I have had this book for a year or more. I got it from the used bookstore for $1.00. I love the cover, I loved the summary and I thought I would love the book. Now, don't get me wrong. I liked the book, it just didn't take me there, wherever it took everyone else. Actually, there are 2 or 3 friends that almost everything they love, I will only like or not like at all so I should have known.
This is a big ole book to get through. I was so intrigued in the beginning to find out what really happened to Nell. Why was she on that boat all by herself and not being able to remember everything.
This book is wrapped in mysteries that includes many people and spans many years.
Cassandra is in the current time and she has lived with her grandmother, Nell since she was little. Cassandra's mom wasn't a good woman.
Nell, had a wonderful life until her father tells her a secret when she turned 21 (I think it was 21) and she got all mad and left everyone and dropped everything. Sigh. She got with some idiot and did a few idiot things and had an idiot daughter. BUT. If she hadn't done these things she would never have had Cassandra as a granddaughter and Cassandra was a good person.
Nell and Cassandra run an antique shop together. After Nell's passing, Cassandra's finds all kinds of secrets and is determined to get to the bottom of things. This brings Cassandra to England and a house that Nell had bought.
Cassandra learns so many things about Nell's past. It's not a simple one to find out but it's a pretty sad story none-the-less. There are a few different characters in the story, two prominent ones being Eliza and Rose. Like I said, it's a sad story.
I do like something Cassandra found while she was getting the home fixed up in England. You just never know. . . .
I'm glad nine million and four people loved this book to death =) ♥
MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List
Once again, most of my friends on GR loved this book to death! I'm going to quit picking books my friends love to death!
I have had this book for a year or more. I got it from the used bookstore for $1.00. I love the cover, I loved the summary and I thought I would love the book. Now, don't get me wrong. I liked the book, it just didn't take me there, wherever it took everyone else. Actually, there are 2 or 3 friends that almost everything they love, I will only like or not like at all so I should have known.
This is a big ole book to get through. I was so intrigued in the beginning to find out what really happened to Nell. Why was she on that boat all by herself and not being able to remember everything.
This book is wrapped in mysteries that includes many people and spans many years.
Cassandra is in the current time and she has lived with her grandmother, Nell since she was little. Cassandra's mom wasn't a good woman.
Nell, had a wonderful life until her father tells her a secret when she turned 21 (I think it was 21) and she got all mad and left everyone and dropped everything. Sigh. She got with some idiot and did a few idiot things and had an idiot daughter. BUT. If she hadn't done these things she would never have had Cassandra as a granddaughter and Cassandra was a good person.
Nell and Cassandra run an antique shop together. After Nell's passing, Cassandra's finds all kinds of secrets and is determined to get to the bottom of things. This brings Cassandra to England and a house that Nell had bought.
Cassandra learns so many things about Nell's past. It's not a simple one to find out but it's a pretty sad story none-the-less. There are a few different characters in the story, two prominent ones being Eliza and Rose. Like I said, it's a sad story.
I do like something Cassandra found while she was getting the home fixed up in England. You just never know. . . .
I'm glad nine million and four people loved this book to death =) ♥
MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List
February 21, 2011
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 in England and travels across the many miles to Australia, comes home again to England to undo over a hundred years of secrets. Like the entwining vines of the garden, the story twists and turns, making the path seem impassable, but tenacity is rewarded with clarity.
March 18, 2020
In the midst of chaos and mayhem there are always books and reading and for that I am eternally grateful.
I needed to escape this week and Kate Morton’s The Forgotten Garden
was just what the Doctor ordered.
A foundling, an old book of dark fairy tales, a secret garden, an aristocratic family, a love denied, and a mystery.
A book to get lost in with lots of suspense and intrigue. It was set in several timeframes including the 1890s, early 1900s, 1975 and 2005 which could have been confusing but worked really well for me in this story. A slow moving story with lots of characters but so beautifully plotted. I enjoyed unravelling the story and couldn't put this book down. It was a little predictable and I did figure out what was going on mid ways through the story it still held my attention and didn’t take away from the enjoyment of the book.
In times of need, some people turn to chocolate but I just love a good historical fiction/mystery novel and this one ticked all the boxes for me. It is quite a chunky read at just under 650 pages and quite a time investment but worked perfectly for me over the past few days.
I needed to escape this week and Kate Morton’s The Forgotten Garden
was just what the Doctor ordered. A foundling, an old book of dark fairy tales, a secret garden, an aristocratic family, a love denied, and a mystery.
A book to get lost in with lots of suspense and intrigue. It was set in several timeframes including the 1890s, early 1900s, 1975 and 2005 which could have been confusing but worked really well for me in this story. A slow moving story with lots of characters but so beautifully plotted. I enjoyed unravelling the story and couldn't put this book down. It was a little predictable and I did figure out what was going on mid ways through the story it still held my attention and didn’t take away from the enjoyment of the book.
In times of need, some people turn to chocolate but I just love a good historical fiction/mystery novel and this one ticked all the boxes for me. It is quite a chunky read at just under 650 pages and quite a time investment but worked perfectly for me over the past few days.
May 23, 2018
Oh, this was such a delight to read! I didn't think a story about a family mystery could be so entertaining throughout, while still staying realistic and not going too over the top.
Kate Morton just has the absolute best writing style for stories of this kind. She has a way of completely trapping you in the story she's telling, so that you lose yourself in it and just can't find a way out. And that's something highly positive! This is only the second book of hers I've read, but I'm already certain I'd have a wonderful time just reading her grocery list.
This novel consists of over 50 chapters, each one of them told from a different point of view and taking place in a different time period. Sound like it's going to be confusing, right? Well, Mrs. Morton did her magic once again, and managed to not be confusing at all. I have no idea how she did it, but I was always able to picture everything that happened perfectly and each character had a distinctive voice, which made it easy to tell them apart.
If I had to describe the plot in one word, I'd use "magical". It had so many layers, all very well thought out and interesting. There are many little details that get mentioned throughout. Some might call those details unnecessary, redundant or too elaborate, but as someone who loves long books with attention to minor things, it was an absolute joy to read such a fine work.
I have to say, I was quite surprised at some of the dark themes that played a part. This especially concerns the ending, I really didn't expect this revelation. It was (surprisingly) fitting though, and I'm glad the author didn't shy away from going down this route.
Lastly, I also feel the need to express my appreciation of the included fairy tales by Eliza Makepeace. I'd love to read more of them; they gave me a really comfy, warm and fuzzy feeling and reminded me of my childhood. Just lovely!
Kate Morton just has the absolute best writing style for stories of this kind. She has a way of completely trapping you in the story she's telling, so that you lose yourself in it and just can't find a way out. And that's something highly positive! This is only the second book of hers I've read, but I'm already certain I'd have a wonderful time just reading her grocery list.
This novel consists of over 50 chapters, each one of them told from a different point of view and taking place in a different time period. Sound like it's going to be confusing, right? Well, Mrs. Morton did her magic once again, and managed to not be confusing at all. I have no idea how she did it, but I was always able to picture everything that happened perfectly and each character had a distinctive voice, which made it easy to tell them apart.
If I had to describe the plot in one word, I'd use "magical". It had so many layers, all very well thought out and interesting. There are many little details that get mentioned throughout. Some might call those details unnecessary, redundant or too elaborate, but as someone who loves long books with attention to minor things, it was an absolute joy to read such a fine work.
I have to say, I was quite surprised at some of the dark themes that played a part. This especially concerns the ending, I really didn't expect this revelation. It was (surprisingly) fitting though, and I'm glad the author didn't shy away from going down this route.
Lastly, I also feel the need to express my appreciation of the included fairy tales by Eliza Makepeace. I'd love to read more of them; they gave me a really comfy, warm and fuzzy feeling and reminded me of my childhood. Just lovely!
November 22, 2009
***Added Later:
My summary of this book would have to be this: it is an oddly-plotted book about very stupid people written in lovely language.
But oh, the idiot characters. Honestly. Why would Nell be such a twitty jerk to her fiance and adoptive family? Why on earth would Eliza act as she did? Sorry; don't buy it.
-----------------------
Figured out what "happened" (the mystery of the little girl on the boat) earlier on and scanned much of the rest. Didn't find the characters' behavior believable. Why would supposedly strong women (that's how the characters were drawn) do absurd things that were not in character?
Nice idea with movement through generations, but . . .
-Didn't believe Nell would behave as she did toward "adoptive" family--and supposedly beloved fiance--when told truth about how she came into family. Doesn't click at all.
-Didn't believe Eliza would do what she did with the contingencies laid upon her--and even if she had, what's the point in staying, walled away from everyone, no contact with anyone--found this absurd. She seemed a sane and strong character up until then.
-The romance tacked on for current-day character (such an uninteresting character that I can't recall her name) at end felt rather de riguer. Don't believe that, either.
-Only one woman in the bunch could feel life solid and worthwhile without a man or child or both, but no one was happy even if got what they wanted or thought they wanted.
Why do so many stories about women have all this jealousy and the world view that there is one pie and if one woman gets a piece (happy life) some other woman will therefore lose out? Found this annoying.
Also annoyed on behalf of FHBurnette and her Secret Garden. That wasn't homage, that was a ripoff.
My summary of this book would have to be this: it is an oddly-plotted book about very stupid people written in lovely language.
But oh, the idiot characters. Honestly. Why would Nell be such a twitty jerk to her fiance and adoptive family? Why on earth would Eliza act as she did? Sorry; don't buy it.
-----------------------
Figured out what "happened" (the mystery of the little girl on the boat) earlier on and scanned much of the rest. Didn't find the characters' behavior believable. Why would supposedly strong women (that's how the characters were drawn) do absurd things that were not in character?
Nice idea with movement through generations, but . . .
-Didn't believe Nell would behave as she did toward "adoptive" family--and supposedly beloved fiance--when told truth about how she came into family. Doesn't click at all.
-Didn't believe Eliza would do what she did with the contingencies laid upon her--and even if she had, what's the point in staying, walled away from everyone, no contact with anyone--found this absurd. She seemed a sane and strong character up until then.
-The romance tacked on for current-day character (such an uninteresting character that I can't recall her name) at end felt rather de riguer. Don't believe that, either.
-Only one woman in the bunch could feel life solid and worthwhile without a man or child or both, but no one was happy even if got what they wanted or thought they wanted.
Why do so many stories about women have all this jealousy and the world view that there is one pie and if one woman gets a piece (happy life) some other woman will therefore lose out? Found this annoying.
Also annoyed on behalf of FHBurnette and her Secret Garden. That wasn't homage, that was a ripoff.
April 21, 2010
I read 549 pages and that was the reveal? Really?
God, I was bored. I only stuck it out because I figured the book had to be building up to something. And I suppose that technically, it was. Just not anything particularly interesting or worth waiting for. I get it, everyone in the book has mother/child abandonment issues.
I think this book really wanted to be The Thirteenth Tale, but didn't have the balls (if you pardon the inaccurate expression, what with how female-centric both titles are). Now that book had a deeply buried family secret worth reading about.
The writing wasn't terrible, and since I was able to sit through all 549 (FIVE HUNDRED AND FORTY NINE) pages, this one gets a whole extra star. It wasn't bad, it was just blah.
(That said, I'm pretty sure I would read a book about Georgiana, the original lost mother, but of course that was the story that wasn't really told in long, boring, drawn-out detail. She sounded like fun.)
God, I was bored. I only stuck it out because I figured the book had to be building up to something. And I suppose that technically, it was. Just not anything particularly interesting or worth waiting for. I get it, everyone in the book has mother/child abandonment issues.
I think this book really wanted to be The Thirteenth Tale, but didn't have the balls (if you pardon the inaccurate expression, what with how female-centric both titles are). Now that book had a deeply buried family secret worth reading about.
The writing wasn't terrible, and since I was able to sit through all 549 (FIVE HUNDRED AND FORTY NINE) pages, this one gets a whole extra star. It wasn't bad, it was just blah.
(That said, I'm pretty sure I would read a book about Georgiana, the original lost mother, but of course that was the story that wasn't really told in long, boring, drawn-out detail. She sounded like fun.)
March 23, 2009
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is an easy read, and yet gave me room to pause as I stopped to think. I like books that let me do that without pounding me into a pulp on the way. I suspect the book might appeal more to women then men and it would be a good choice of several of the reading circles I know.
My only regret: that Eliza's book of fairy tales isn't a real book.
Things I like knowing before I buy a book: No profanity that I noticed. Respectful story-specific reference to sex. Emotional issues dealt with tastefully and healthily.
I will read more by this author.
My only regret: that Eliza's book of fairy tales isn't a real book.
Things I like knowing before I buy a book: No profanity that I noticed. Respectful story-specific reference to sex. Emotional issues dealt with tastefully and healthily.
I will read more by this author.
May 18, 2018
The Forgotten Garden is a multi-generational mystery that reveals itself bit by haunting bit, featuring three women:
- Eliza, born in the late 1800s, who is born into poverty in London. Eliza's mother was a young woman who had run away from her upper crust home, for reasons that become clear later in the story, but she is found and pulled back into her wealthy family's embrace (or maybe it's their tentacles).
- Nell, born in 1909, who is found sitting on her suitcase on an Australian ship dock in 1913, adamantly refusing to say where she came from or even what her name is. Eventually she begins searching for her roots in England.
- Cassandra, Nell's Australian granddaughter, who takes up the search in England after Nell dies.
The storyline skips back and forth in time and from person to person (and also tosses in a few other characters' POVs here and there for good measure, which might irk you if you prefer a more linear plotline with a single POV). But the concerns of these characters and the themes of this book - like identity, finding oneself, family connections, desires - are so closely tied together that I didn't feel confused once I got to know the characters.
Eliza is an author of mystical and sometimes dark fairy tales, with lovely sketched illustrations by another character. I really wanted to see these illustrations; I imagine them as something like an Arthur Rackham illustration:
Some of Eliza's stories find their way into the text of this book, and their symbolism and autobiographical qualities help to unravel the mystery of Eliza's life and how it connects to Nell's and Cassandra's. Toward the end I was able to guess the main mysteries of the book, but at least they didn't come out of left field.
There are some nasty and disturbed characters in this book and a few really ill-advised decisions made by characters who are otherwise likeable, so it's not all rainbows and unicorns here. In the end it's a bittersweet but hopeful story, and overall I enjoyed the book.
- Eliza, born in the late 1800s, who is born into poverty in London. Eliza's mother was a young woman who had run away from her upper crust home, for reasons that become clear later in the story, but she is found and pulled back into her wealthy family's embrace (or maybe it's their tentacles).
- Nell, born in 1909, who is found sitting on her suitcase on an Australian ship dock in 1913, adamantly refusing to say where she came from or even what her name is. Eventually she begins searching for her roots in England.
- Cassandra, Nell's Australian granddaughter, who takes up the search in England after Nell dies.
The storyline skips back and forth in time and from person to person (and also tosses in a few other characters' POVs here and there for good measure, which might irk you if you prefer a more linear plotline with a single POV). But the concerns of these characters and the themes of this book - like identity, finding oneself, family connections, desires - are so closely tied together that I didn't feel confused once I got to know the characters.
Eliza is an author of mystical and sometimes dark fairy tales, with lovely sketched illustrations by another character. I really wanted to see these illustrations; I imagine them as something like an Arthur Rackham illustration:
Some of Eliza's stories find their way into the text of this book, and their symbolism and autobiographical qualities help to unravel the mystery of Eliza's life and how it connects to Nell's and Cassandra's. Toward the end I was able to guess the main mysteries of the book, but at least they didn't come out of left field.
There are some nasty and disturbed characters in this book and a few really ill-advised decisions made by characters who are otherwise likeable, so it's not all rainbows and unicorns here. In the end it's a bittersweet but hopeful story, and overall I enjoyed the book.
April 16, 2024
Review summed up in 2 words: OVERBLOWN and UNDERWHELMING A perfect example of FAKE DRAMA and misery porn.
To be fair, this is actually a beautifully written book and its voice is quite seductive, however, the incongruence of voice and story very soon becomes apparent and grating.
I know I was supposed to think that it was the clutches of cruel, inexorable FATE the characters were wriggling in without the hope of escape, instead of their own infinite STUPIDITY, which was so excruciating that I just wanted to bang my head to the wall several times and scream.
This was my second and last book by Kate Morton. We clearly don't hit it off and never will.
To be fair, this is actually a beautifully written book and its voice is quite seductive, however, the incongruence of voice and story very soon becomes apparent and grating.
I know I was supposed to think that it was the clutches of cruel, inexorable FATE the characters were wriggling in without the hope of escape, instead of their own infinite STUPIDITY, which was so excruciating that I just wanted to bang my head to the wall several times and scream.
This was my second and last book by Kate Morton. We clearly don't hit it off and never will.
June 14, 2020
The Forgotten Garden, Kate Morton
The Forgotten Garden is a 2008 novel written by Australian author Kate Morton, driven by the mystery of why a 4-year-old child is found abandoned on an Australian wharf in 1913.
At Nell's joyous 21st birthday party her world falls apart when her father tells her she was adopted as a 4-year-old in 1913, seemingly abandoned on an Australian wharf and unable to remember her name.
The knowledge shatters her self-image and changes the course of her life. In 1975, the only surviving clues to Nell's past are given to her after her father's death; the memories they trigger lead her to travel to England to unravel the puzzle, part of which is connected to the author of a rare fairy tale book in her possession.
She discovers her true identity despite having been thought dead for more than 60 years, and finds her way to Tregenna, and Blackhurst Manor, on the coast of Cornwall.
However, her plans to complete the quest are interrupted when her granddaughter Cassandra comes to stay "temporarily," a stay that becomes permanent. In the end it is Cassandra, haunted by her own griefs, who in 2005 follows in Nell's footsteps to finish the journey of discovery and fit together all the missing pieces.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز چهاردهم ماه جولای سال 2015میلادی
عنوان: باغ فراموش شده؛ نویسنده: کیت مورتون؛ مترجم الگا کیایی؛ تهران افق دور، 1393؛ در 681ص؛ شابک 9786006903187؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان استرالیایی - سده 21م
رمان «باغ فراموش شده»، داستانی دل انگیز، جذاب، و بسیار خواندنی، درباره ی گذشته، اسرار خانواده، و یادمانهاست؛ «کاساندرا»، تنها، غمگین و سردرگم است؛ مادربزرگ عزیزش «نل»، به تازگی درگذشته، و او که همچنان، از حادثه ی رانندگی تراژیک ده سال پیش، در شوک قرار دارد، حس میکند، همه ی چیزهای باارزش زندگیش را، از دست داده است؛ اما ارثی غیرمنتظره، و اسرارآمیز از سوی «نل»، زندگی «کاساندرا» را زیر و رو کرده، و تمام دانسته های او، از خود و خانواده اش را، به چالش میکشد؛ یک کتاب داستانهای افسانه ای تاریک و جذاب، نوشته ی «الیزا میکپیس (نویسنده ی دوره ی ویکتوریا که در اوایل سده ی بیستم میلادی به شکل رازآلودی ناپدید شد)»، به «کاساندرا» ارث رسیده است. او عزمش را جزم کرده، تا راه «نل» را، برای پیدا کردن حقیقت، درباره ی: تاریخ خانواده، و گذشته شان ادامه دهد. اما «کاساندرا» نمیداند، که در حال پا گذاشتن به مسیری است، که زندگی تازه ای برای خود او نیز، خواهد ساخت
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 24/03/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
The Forgotten Garden is a 2008 novel written by Australian author Kate Morton, driven by the mystery of why a 4-year-old child is found abandoned on an Australian wharf in 1913.
At Nell's joyous 21st birthday party her world falls apart when her father tells her she was adopted as a 4-year-old in 1913, seemingly abandoned on an Australian wharf and unable to remember her name.
The knowledge shatters her self-image and changes the course of her life. In 1975, the only surviving clues to Nell's past are given to her after her father's death; the memories they trigger lead her to travel to England to unravel the puzzle, part of which is connected to the author of a rare fairy tale book in her possession.
She discovers her true identity despite having been thought dead for more than 60 years, and finds her way to Tregenna, and Blackhurst Manor, on the coast of Cornwall.
However, her plans to complete the quest are interrupted when her granddaughter Cassandra comes to stay "temporarily," a stay that becomes permanent. In the end it is Cassandra, haunted by her own griefs, who in 2005 follows in Nell's footsteps to finish the journey of discovery and fit together all the missing pieces.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز چهاردهم ماه جولای سال 2015میلادی
عنوان: باغ فراموش شده؛ نویسنده: کیت مورتون؛ مترجم الگا کیایی؛ تهران افق دور، 1393؛ در 681ص؛ شابک 9786006903187؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان استرالیایی - سده 21م
رمان «باغ فراموش شده»، داستانی دل انگیز، جذاب، و بسیار خواندنی، درباره ی گذشته، اسرار خانواده، و یادمانهاست؛ «کاساندرا»، تنها، غمگین و سردرگم است؛ مادربزرگ عزیزش «نل»، به تازگی درگذشته، و او که همچنان، از حادثه ی رانندگی تراژیک ده سال پیش، در شوک قرار دارد، حس میکند، همه ی چیزهای باارزش زندگیش را، از دست داده است؛ اما ارثی غیرمنتظره، و اسرارآمیز از سوی «نل»، زندگی «کاساندرا» را زیر و رو کرده، و تمام دانسته های او، از خود و خانواده اش را، به چالش میکشد؛ یک کتاب داستانهای افسانه ای تاریک و جذاب، نوشته ی «الیزا میکپیس (نویسنده ی دوره ی ویکتوریا که در اوایل سده ی بیستم میلادی به شکل رازآلودی ناپدید شد)»، به «کاساندرا» ارث رسیده است. او عزمش را جزم کرده، تا راه «نل» را، برای پیدا کردن حقیقت، درباره ی: تاریخ خانواده، و گذشته شان ادامه دهد. اما «کاساندرا» نمیداند، که در حال پا گذاشتن به مسیری است، که زندگی تازه ای برای خود او نیز، خواهد ساخت
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 24/03/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
February 9, 2017
If you are looking for a good story to escape into for a while, look no further. The Forgotten Garden weaves a tangled tale of family secrets, kept hidden for generations. Kate Morton does an excellent job of creating mystery and intrigue that spans generations as one woman searches for her true identity and finds her family in an unexpected place along the way. Good Stuff!
September 4, 2012
I became quite enchanted with this tale and really loved the interwoven bewitching dark fairy tales that added more dimensions to this novel. It was a mystery that had me second guessing myself several times. Every time I had it all figured out a new chink was added to the chain of clues. I think the style of writing was superbly done, not often can I say that. I loved the way each chapter transported me to another time and a different POV spanning the generation of women in the family. I did find new evil villains I wanted to see crushed and burned. Such evil greedy self righteous ploys they created for each had their own agendas and were so stone cold hearted.
I honestly would have liked to have read more about Cassandra's new beginnings and how her life changed after revealing so many lost secrets "just a touch more closer". That is why I would hesitate on giving it 5 stars. I was a little put out that I didn't get more of her story. I do think the ending encounter was endearing and made me feel that peace was restored for Nell and lovely Eliza, the most unselfish characters I have ever read about. Made me really wish to have or create an unspoiled secret garden with roots to my own past. Wouldn't we all want a place of solitude to get away from it all and sit with a book while ancestral phantoms sprinkle their fairy dust-like magic into our lives to ease the daily stresses and reassure us we are loved? Really made take a look into the past generations of women in my family and wonder at all the impressions they have naturally left upon me to share with my children and their children's children. Time to journal more that's for sure, cause I have a broken green thumb!
I honestly would have liked to have read more about Cassandra's new beginnings and how her life changed after revealing so many lost secrets "just a touch more closer". That is why I would hesitate on giving it 5 stars. I was a little put out that I didn't get more of her story. I do think the ending encounter was endearing and made me feel that peace was restored for Nell and lovely Eliza, the most unselfish characters I have ever read about. Made me really wish to have or create an unspoiled secret garden with roots to my own past. Wouldn't we all want a place of solitude to get away from it all and sit with a book while ancestral phantoms sprinkle their fairy dust-like magic into our lives to ease the daily stresses and reassure us we are loved? Really made take a look into the past generations of women in my family and wonder at all the impressions they have naturally left upon me to share with my children and their children's children. Time to journal more that's for sure, cause I have a broken green thumb!
May 12, 2011
I am breaking silence here to gush about Kate Morton. Her fiction is carefully researched and crafted, and the writing itself is luminous. The Forgotten Garden unwinds like a fairy tale, slowly curling off the spool where ambiguously benefic crones have wound it. We jump back and forth between present-day Australia where a young woman mourns the mysterious grandmother who inspired her as a child, to England at the turn of the last century where an affluent family in a small coastal town conspires to conceive, and then bury, a tremendous secret, one whose shock waves will reach forward across generations and oceans. At the heart of the England plot we find a friendship between two apparent opposites - one, the sheltered, sickly daughter of the rich family; one, the free-spirited adventurous tomboy - and a secret that rends them apart even as it knits them together. And at the heart of that, we find one of Morton's real strengths : her ability to capture the often bitter logic of human behavior, the ways in which trust and resentment weave together to form a hobbling grown-up-ed-ness rich with the sting of childhood betrayals.
Another of Morton's gifts is especially prevalent in this novel : her intense focus on writers and the imaginary worlds they sculpt from words, especially writers of children's stories. Children's stories, this novel knows, hold their own ancient wisdoms about responsibility, trust and betrayal, and their truths - while far from palatable - are far preferable to the gossamer fables adults tell each other and themselves to make life liveable. Morton alternates between narrative chapters about present-day Australia and early-twentieth-century England, punctuated with insertions of fairy tales from a magical book within the book. As the story unravels, the reader begins to see traces of the real-life narrative in the images and metaphors of the fairy stories. And, at the end of the novel, it is up to the reader to determine whether the reverse is not true, as well - the eruption of fairy-tale logic within the stolid cadre of real life.
I can't say much more about the plot without giving it away. It is a brilliantly structured and performed novel, one I could not put down (to clarify : I began the novel at the airport in Louisiana on my way to France. I finished it as the plane touched down in Paris. A perfect fit for the "life is too short, you can sleep when you're dead" school of thought).
Another of Morton's gifts is especially prevalent in this novel : her intense focus on writers and the imaginary worlds they sculpt from words, especially writers of children's stories. Children's stories, this novel knows, hold their own ancient wisdoms about responsibility, trust and betrayal, and their truths - while far from palatable - are far preferable to the gossamer fables adults tell each other and themselves to make life liveable. Morton alternates between narrative chapters about present-day Australia and early-twentieth-century England, punctuated with insertions of fairy tales from a magical book within the book. As the story unravels, the reader begins to see traces of the real-life narrative in the images and metaphors of the fairy stories. And, at the end of the novel, it is up to the reader to determine whether the reverse is not true, as well - the eruption of fairy-tale logic within the stolid cadre of real life.
I can't say much more about the plot without giving it away. It is a brilliantly structured and performed novel, one I could not put down (to clarify : I began the novel at the airport in Louisiana on my way to France. I finished it as the plane touched down in Paris. A perfect fit for the "life is too short, you can sleep when you're dead" school of thought).
February 7, 2017
I know that this rating of mine is going to be highly unpopular because this specific book seems to have enchanted loads and loads of people. It has an average rating of 4.17 stars here in Goodreads, and while I was reading it people kept sharing their love for this book and this author.
"The Forgotten Garden" was my first book by Kate Morton, and I think it's going to be my last as well. That's because I have a feeling that once you've read one of her books, you know what her stories and her writing style is like. It's not bad at all, but it's reminiscent of so many other authors and books I've read which seem predictable and bland to me and don't really leave that much of an impression.
This novel is most definitely going to be one of those novels that will stay with me for some time to come, because thinking back on it there were some points of it and some characters that I appreciated and that made me continue reading. However, my actual reading of this book left me utterly bored throughout most of it, and I was tempted to give up at several moments.
The thing is that this is a 646-page book and it is structured in a way that makes you realize how it's all going to play out, right from the beginning. It's a mystery family novel going back and forth in time, leaving you with hints and bits of the whole story. Therefore, you know right from the beginning that you'll have to read all 600 pages before you get the full picture - and what's the excitement of that?
A lot of the characters were predictable and caricatured in my opinion. We have the loving granddaughter, the posh mother, the mysterious father, etc. Once again, the characters didn't provide me with much excitement. However, the thing that made me keep reading were two young girls whom we don't really encounter until halfway through the book. Those girls were enchanting, and the way their destinies interweave with well-known fairy tales was beautiful.
I know this might be a shock to a lot of people, but this was such a disappointment. While I do see why some people might find it captivating, I just wasn't one to share that opinion.
"The Forgotten Garden" was my first book by Kate Morton, and I think it's going to be my last as well. That's because I have a feeling that once you've read one of her books, you know what her stories and her writing style is like. It's not bad at all, but it's reminiscent of so many other authors and books I've read which seem predictable and bland to me and don't really leave that much of an impression.
This novel is most definitely going to be one of those novels that will stay with me for some time to come, because thinking back on it there were some points of it and some characters that I appreciated and that made me continue reading. However, my actual reading of this book left me utterly bored throughout most of it, and I was tempted to give up at several moments.
The thing is that this is a 646-page book and it is structured in a way that makes you realize how it's all going to play out, right from the beginning. It's a mystery family novel going back and forth in time, leaving you with hints and bits of the whole story. Therefore, you know right from the beginning that you'll have to read all 600 pages before you get the full picture - and what's the excitement of that?
A lot of the characters were predictable and caricatured in my opinion. We have the loving granddaughter, the posh mother, the mysterious father, etc. Once again, the characters didn't provide me with much excitement. However, the thing that made me keep reading were two young girls whom we don't really encounter until halfway through the book. Those girls were enchanting, and the way their destinies interweave with well-known fairy tales was beautiful.
I know this might be a shock to a lot of people, but this was such a disappointment. While I do see why some people might find it captivating, I just wasn't one to share that opinion.
May 14, 2016
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton is a 2009 Atria publication.
I only recently discovered this author, having read her latest release, “The Lake House,” and loved it. Naturally, I wanted more!
The Forgotten Garden is just the type of novel I can lose myself in. I love family secrets within a historical setting that spans generations.
The story begins with a little girl found all alone in 1913, taken in by a couple desperate for children, raising her as their own, naming her “Nell”. Once Nell learns the truth, she is shattered by the revelations, and sabotages all the plans she has for the future. Years later, she is given a chance to learn more about her true heritage, but it wasn’t until her granddaughter inherits Nell’s estate, that the truth is slowly unearthed.
Kate Morton’s prose is mesmerizing, hypnotizing, and riveting. I enjoyed seeing the mystery unfold due to Cassandra’s persistence, and with the help of those just as eager to help her obtain answers her grandmother never had the chance to.
In some ways the tale is a sordid one, controversial even, with people making choices that affect generations of people. Some were selfish, some were selfless, and the results were often mixed. There are actually three stories here, woven together, carefully constructed to keep the reader in almost unbearable suspense, until all the shocking secrets of the forgotten garden are at last revealed, finally releasing the pain and heartbreak visited on so many, and opening up a new portal for peace and understanding.
While many areas of this story are depressing, and it could be argued that it’s a tragedy, it is also a kind a love story, and ends on such an uplifting note, I felt a huge sense of peace. I loved Eliza’s fairy tales and the way they paralleled real events, in the story. I could help but feel for Eliza, but admired her, too, however, I was often perplexed by Nell’s choices, but Cassandra is a gem and I think she will make sure the legacy of her true heritage is given the honor and respect it deserves.
4.5 stars
I only recently discovered this author, having read her latest release, “The Lake House,” and loved it. Naturally, I wanted more!
The Forgotten Garden is just the type of novel I can lose myself in. I love family secrets within a historical setting that spans generations.
The story begins with a little girl found all alone in 1913, taken in by a couple desperate for children, raising her as their own, naming her “Nell”. Once Nell learns the truth, she is shattered by the revelations, and sabotages all the plans she has for the future. Years later, she is given a chance to learn more about her true heritage, but it wasn’t until her granddaughter inherits Nell’s estate, that the truth is slowly unearthed.
Kate Morton’s prose is mesmerizing, hypnotizing, and riveting. I enjoyed seeing the mystery unfold due to Cassandra’s persistence, and with the help of those just as eager to help her obtain answers her grandmother never had the chance to.
In some ways the tale is a sordid one, controversial even, with people making choices that affect generations of people. Some were selfish, some were selfless, and the results were often mixed. There are actually three stories here, woven together, carefully constructed to keep the reader in almost unbearable suspense, until all the shocking secrets of the forgotten garden are at last revealed, finally releasing the pain and heartbreak visited on so many, and opening up a new portal for peace and understanding.
While many areas of this story are depressing, and it could be argued that it’s a tragedy, it is also a kind a love story, and ends on such an uplifting note, I felt a huge sense of peace. I loved Eliza’s fairy tales and the way they paralleled real events, in the story. I could help but feel for Eliza, but admired her, too, however, I was often perplexed by Nell’s choices, but Cassandra is a gem and I think she will make sure the legacy of her true heritage is given the honor and respect it deserves.
4.5 stars
December 16, 2019
This has a similar feel to it as the Lake House, but I like this ending better. It wasn't so convenient, if you get my drift. She can really keep you guessing. I thought I had it all figured out, then it shifts. It was very enjoyable to read.
December 10, 2017
Eso, querida mía, es lo que hace que un personaje sea interesante: sus secretos.
El jardín olvidado es sumamente rápido, es imposible soltarlo. Está lleno de misterio y secretos. Muchos secretos. Es muy complejo y son tantas las historias, las personalidades, los tiempos y lazos familiares que es increíble ver todo entrelazado y cómo todo tiene sentido y cuaja de manera perfecta al final. Es una historia muy minuciosa y detallista. A medida que vas avanzando en la trama Morton te da un dato que te aclara un poco las cosas, pero te agrega dos más que te dejan absolutamente desconcertado y te obligan a mantener tus ojos sobre las páginas. Es una novela en donde la tragedia, la codicia, la injusticia y los sueños tienen un papel fundamental.
El jardín olvidado es sumamente rápido, es imposible soltarlo. Está lleno de misterio y secretos. Muchos secretos. Es muy complejo y son tantas las historias, las personalidades, los tiempos y lazos familiares que es increíble ver todo entrelazado y cómo todo tiene sentido y cuaja de manera perfecta al final. Es una historia muy minuciosa y detallista. A medida que vas avanzando en la trama Morton te da un dato que te aclara un poco las cosas, pero te agrega dos más que te dejan absolutamente desconcertado y te obligan a mantener tus ojos sobre las páginas. Es una novela en donde la tragedia, la codicia, la injusticia y los sueños tienen un papel fundamental.
June 20, 2011
I feel a bit conflicted about what rating to give this book. On the one hand, I loved and devoured the last three hundred pages of this book. I found Cassandra, Nell, and Eliza to all be compelling characters and I grew attached to each of them individually. The writing is really beautiful, even poetic in parts, and I loved the weaving of Eliza's fairy tales throughout. I also really enjoyed the setup of the book, with the three women narrating and the way Morton wove everything together so nicely, even repeating sections of narration at the end to show continuity. On the other hand, it took me 200+ pages to really grab onto it, which, in my opinion, is a bit too much. In fact, I was about to abandon the book around page 200, when there was a sudden twist. In addition, parts of the back story, particularly Eliza's, while necessary, should have been reduced. Also, the final twist of the story was likely not a twist for many readers - if you have been paying attention, it's fairly obvious. Finally, I felt that some of this was too reminiscent of The Secret Garden. Morton knowingly pays homage to Hodgeson Burnett, and even includes it in the story, but still, I felt it was a bit overdone.
All in all, if you want to choose a family epic about discovering one's history, this is a great choice, though there are some flaws. If you are looking for a mystery, I would suggest that you look elsewhere.
All in all, if you want to choose a family epic about discovering one's history, this is a great choice, though there are some flaws. If you are looking for a mystery, I would suggest that you look elsewhere.
March 9, 2017
Oh for goodness sake.
I know I'm going against the grain here, as a lot of people rated this book so highly, but surely I can't be the only one so disappointed in it?
I usually love Kate Morton's books but this one just dragged and dragged whilst rehashing the same story. At first I thought it may be because I was listening to the audible version, but then remembered that I'd listened to 'The Distant Hours' too and had really enjoyed it.
The story hinted at deep, dark secrets, but there weren't really any. I had guessed the mystery of who Nell's mother was very early on and it was so obvious that I can't imagine that the author didn't mean to tell us which is bizarre. There was some weirdness hinted at about an Uncle that never materialised and the standard romance between two paint-by-numbers characters that was flat and uninspiring. The majority of the protagonists were unlikable or simply so dull that you didn't care for their fate anyway. The epilogue was trite.
I'm sorry Kate Morton, I usually enjoy your books but after 21 hours of listening to this I feel slightly robbed of my time. I feel awful for this review, but hopefully it will direct readers towards her other books instead which are far superior in my view.
2.5 stars.
I know I'm going against the grain here, as a lot of people rated this book so highly, but surely I can't be the only one so disappointed in it?
I usually love Kate Morton's books but this one just dragged and dragged whilst rehashing the same story. At first I thought it may be because I was listening to the audible version, but then remembered that I'd listened to 'The Distant Hours' too and had really enjoyed it.
The story hinted at deep, dark secrets, but there weren't really any. I had guessed the mystery of who Nell's mother was very early on and it was so obvious that I can't imagine that the author didn't mean to tell us which is bizarre. There was some weirdness hinted at about an Uncle that never materialised and the standard romance between two paint-by-numbers characters that was flat and uninspiring. The majority of the protagonists were unlikable or simply so dull that you didn't care for their fate anyway. The epilogue was trite.
I'm sorry Kate Morton, I usually enjoy your books but after 21 hours of listening to this I feel slightly robbed of my time. I feel awful for this review, but hopefully it will direct readers towards her other books instead which are far superior in my view.
2.5 stars.
July 9, 2021
This was a spectacularly written novel that transports you back and forth through time as you unravel a deep mystery with more questions than answers. The setting was beautiful and vivid and probably my favorite thing about the book. The times and characters got a little heavy at times, and I occasionally found myself having trouble remembering who was who, but it all came together in the end. I love the inclusion of the fairy tales, it really put you into the story and made you feel like part of the family. Don’t be daunted by the length, as you won’t be able to resist flying through it!
June 2, 2010
I loved every page of this book, including the hokey stuff.
This is definitely comfort reading, but it's not chick lit and it's not oversimplified. It had enough plot complexity to keep my grown-up mind engaged. At the same time, it had enough enchantment and mystery to appeal to the little girl I once was. I was happy to discover that little girl is still in there, and she still believes in magical gardens and strange coincidences.
This is a long and lovely story about a woman who made the wrong decision for the right reason, with consequences that echo down through the generations. Nell, Cassandra, and Eliza are separated by time, but joined by their individual experiences of loss and longing---and the mysteries that bind them together, which I won't tell! Juicy family secrets and fairy tales and a hint of ghostliness make for a really fun read.
This is definitely comfort reading, but it's not chick lit and it's not oversimplified. It had enough plot complexity to keep my grown-up mind engaged. At the same time, it had enough enchantment and mystery to appeal to the little girl I once was. I was happy to discover that little girl is still in there, and she still believes in magical gardens and strange coincidences.
This is a long and lovely story about a woman who made the wrong decision for the right reason, with consequences that echo down through the generations. Nell, Cassandra, and Eliza are separated by time, but joined by their individual experiences of loss and longing---and the mysteries that bind them together, which I won't tell! Juicy family secrets and fairy tales and a hint of ghostliness make for a really fun read.
November 26, 2012
"The Forgotten Garden" was rather disappointing, as I was sure that I would love this book. Secrets, mystery, a hidden garden...these are ingredients that I love. Just not the most fortunate use for them in this plot.
For one thing, this book should have been half its length - so many and not particularly beautiful descriptions, detailed rendering of unimportant gestures and unnecessary talk. And the secrets were not really secrets, I could glimpse at several possibilities, one of which turned out to be true in the end. If the mystery were deeper, the writing more alert, it would have made a perfect easy read. I made sure to be a fast read though, as I couldn't waste too much time with this book, seeing that it didn't please me the way a good book should.
Some parts of the story are indeed catchy, the setting of Blackhurst estate is amazing (though I made little use of the map enclosed), but some of the characters and events are not quite believable. Nell, for one thing, behaved in a stupid manner; no matter the author's attempts to explain her behavior, I just couldn't relate to her choices. On top of that, I wasn't fond of any particular character in this novel, because they were not easy to like.
If you made a résumé of this book, the resulting story would be interesting enough, but the 500 pages are not worth the time spent in its company, if you're looking for a gripping, fast-paced novel.
For one thing, this book should have been half its length - so many and not particularly beautiful descriptions, detailed rendering of unimportant gestures and unnecessary talk. And the secrets were not really secrets, I could glimpse at several possibilities, one of which turned out to be true in the end. If the mystery were deeper, the writing more alert, it would have made a perfect easy read. I made sure to be a fast read though, as I couldn't waste too much time with this book, seeing that it didn't please me the way a good book should.
Some parts of the story are indeed catchy, the setting of Blackhurst estate is amazing (though I made little use of the map enclosed), but some of the characters and events are not quite believable. Nell, for one thing, behaved in a stupid manner; no matter the author's attempts to explain her behavior, I just couldn't relate to her choices. On top of that, I wasn't fond of any particular character in this novel, because they were not easy to like.
If you made a résumé of this book, the resulting story would be interesting enough, but the 500 pages are not worth the time spent in its company, if you're looking for a gripping, fast-paced novel.
August 11, 2012
Such a great book!!! I rate this 4.5 stars. A wonderful 'epic' journey with characters 'not' to be forgotten. Its a rich and satisfying engaging story.
Given the length of this book (500+ pages)---its amazing how easy it is to retain all the many details and every new character who gets introduced (must credit the writer).
This book just 'flows'. Its the type of book I would have loved to read in the winter --curled up on the couched on a few cold chilly days-- read 'non-stop'....(but I didn't have the pleasure to read it quite that fast ---yet I never forgot a thing, even when I put it down for a day (busy doing something else) --
I found myself sharing every detail of this story with my husband ---as I went along --(I got so involved)
I think 'maybe' the only part of the book (for me) where the writer (or editing) might have made a correction is towards the end. (not the content) --The story line was perfect ---but the writing began to feel rushed -- (yet it 'was' time to end it) --
I don't know how I would have done a damn thing better --[I'm no writer].
I think the book needed a little better editing towards the 'end'---(it felt rushed--& sometimes felt like it was taking 'too' long ---both at the same time) ---
What do I know?
Most: I loved the book ---
Oh...AND....when I first was about to 'start' reading "The Forgotten Garden", I was 'fighting' liking it....I was 'looking' for fault, as I had voted for the 'other' book to read, (our book club picked it) --- I was sure this was going to be a long girlie-book -- which didn't even have historical 'reasons' for being long.... (I observed my 'already' negative thoughts ---then kept reading...
I must say....I was WRONG....
This book was 'enchanting'---'charming' ---magical ---heartfelt --*wonderful*!
Its another one of those books --where you'd love to see the move come out. (knowing of course that the book will be better) ---but at least we get to be part of this story again).
Beautiful author by the way. --Gee---can you get much more pretty? (and talented)! Congrats to her!
I soooooooooooo admire these authors and what they do!
:)
Given the length of this book (500+ pages)---its amazing how easy it is to retain all the many details and every new character who gets introduced (must credit the writer).
This book just 'flows'. Its the type of book I would have loved to read in the winter --curled up on the couched on a few cold chilly days-- read 'non-stop'....(but I didn't have the pleasure to read it quite that fast ---yet I never forgot a thing, even when I put it down for a day (busy doing something else) --
I found myself sharing every detail of this story with my husband ---as I went along --(I got so involved)
I think 'maybe' the only part of the book (for me) where the writer (or editing) might have made a correction is towards the end. (not the content) --The story line was perfect ---but the writing began to feel rushed -- (yet it 'was' time to end it) --
I don't know how I would have done a damn thing better --[I'm no writer].
I think the book needed a little better editing towards the 'end'---(it felt rushed--& sometimes felt like it was taking 'too' long ---both at the same time) ---
What do I know?
Most: I loved the book ---
Oh...AND....when I first was about to 'start' reading "The Forgotten Garden", I was 'fighting' liking it....I was 'looking' for fault, as I had voted for the 'other' book to read, (our book club picked it) --- I was sure this was going to be a long girlie-book -- which didn't even have historical 'reasons' for being long.... (I observed my 'already' negative thoughts ---then kept reading...
I must say....I was WRONG....
This book was 'enchanting'---'charming' ---magical ---heartfelt --*wonderful*!
Its another one of those books --where you'd love to see the move come out. (knowing of course that the book will be better) ---but at least we get to be part of this story again).
Beautiful author by the way. --Gee---can you get much more pretty? (and talented)! Congrats to her!
I soooooooooooo admire these authors and what they do!
:)
December 15, 2018
This book, is my second Kate Morton novel, and I'm glad to say, that she has not left me disappointed. In fact, I ordered another of her novels online, immediately after finishing this one. Anyone that knows me well enough will know that I love mooching around beautiful stately homes and gardens which have a gothic appeal to them. That is also a reason I am a dedicated member of the National Trust. I can spend many, many happy hours at their sites just exploring the wonderful gardens and homes that they have took on and cared for, for many years. That is why I have so much love for this kind of read. The Forgotten Garden is about a garden that is hidden and without saying too much about the plot there is a secret that is discovered based on this garden. It may come across as a bit twee or dull even, but I promise, it most certainly isn't.
I think I actually enjoyed this more than "The house at Riverton". I felt that this one was smooth flowing, and there were many twists and turns that just totally took me by surprise.
However, as much as I like the narration jumping I also didn't like it too. There were parts that were pretty confusing jumping from the past, to the present day. While I totally understand why Morton did that, I do think parts left the reader rather perplexed, as to what was going on. That is my reason for knocking off one star, otherwise this was certainly a five-star read for me.
The character development within this book was creative, interesting and rather haunting really. In parts of this book there was an eerie feel to it, and the descriptions of Blackhurst Manor and the gardens were that detailed and real, I felt as if I was really there. For that to happen to me that takes talent and Kate Morton definitely has that. I'm quite sad, that I've finished this book actually.
I can't wait to read more from this author!
I think I actually enjoyed this more than "The house at Riverton". I felt that this one was smooth flowing, and there were many twists and turns that just totally took me by surprise.
However, as much as I like the narration jumping I also didn't like it too. There were parts that were pretty confusing jumping from the past, to the present day. While I totally understand why Morton did that, I do think parts left the reader rather perplexed, as to what was going on. That is my reason for knocking off one star, otherwise this was certainly a five-star read for me.
The character development within this book was creative, interesting and rather haunting really. In parts of this book there was an eerie feel to it, and the descriptions of Blackhurst Manor and the gardens were that detailed and real, I felt as if I was really there. For that to happen to me that takes talent and Kate Morton definitely has that. I'm quite sad, that I've finished this book actually.
I can't wait to read more from this author!
August 23, 2016
Aviso desde já que tudo o que possa dizer sobre este livro não vai fazer jus à sua história, à sua qualidade. Foi dos melhores livros que li, não só este ano, mas de sempre.
Há muito tempo que ouvia bloggers a falar deste livro, especialmente, a minha amiga Tita do Prazer das Coisas que não se cansava de me recomendar este livro. Como confio nas suas recomendações, pois já deram bons resultados e até temos alguns gostos literários em comum aceitei de imediato a sua recomendação. Quando vi o livro e sabendo a minha relação com livros de mais de 400 páginas fiquei com medo. Medo de não conseguir ler e arrastar a leitura eternamente. Mas isso não aconteceu.
É uma história maravilhosa. Não só bonita, mas muito bem contada e escrita. A qualidade da escrita da autora é indiscutível. Os detalhes, os pormenores da história são fantásticos. As personagens muito bem construídas e com um carácter psicológico muito profundo.
Não há mais palavras para descrever esta leitura. Já tive conhecimento que nem todos os livros da autora são assim, mas a minha estreia foi fabulosa. Vou querer ler tudo desta autora que é candidata a ficar no meu top de autoras preferidas.
Acho que posso dizer que me reconciliei com os "calhamaços".
Recomendo, leiam!!
Há muito tempo que ouvia bloggers a falar deste livro, especialmente, a minha amiga Tita do Prazer das Coisas que não se cansava de me recomendar este livro. Como confio nas suas recomendações, pois já deram bons resultados e até temos alguns gostos literários em comum aceitei de imediato a sua recomendação. Quando vi o livro e sabendo a minha relação com livros de mais de 400 páginas fiquei com medo. Medo de não conseguir ler e arrastar a leitura eternamente. Mas isso não aconteceu.
É uma história maravilhosa. Não só bonita, mas muito bem contada e escrita. A qualidade da escrita da autora é indiscutível. Os detalhes, os pormenores da história são fantásticos. As personagens muito bem construídas e com um carácter psicológico muito profundo.
Não há mais palavras para descrever esta leitura. Já tive conhecimento que nem todos os livros da autora são assim, mas a minha estreia foi fabulosa. Vou querer ler tudo desta autora que é candidata a ficar no meu top de autoras preferidas.
Acho que posso dizer que me reconciliei com os "calhamaços".
Recomendo, leiam!!
October 20, 2018
Una constante en los libros de Kate Morton es que avanzas sin darte cuenta; un día simplemente adviertes que el marcapáginas ya está llegando al final del libro. Y es que leer a esta escritora es realmente placentero, te seduce con su historia y te adentra en un mundo de sentimientos y descripciones muy bien elaborados y con una excelente caracterización de sus personajes y sus secretos. El problema es que cuando ya vas por la tercera de sus obras (mi caso con El Jardín Olvidado) empiezas a generar tolerancia al estilo y como buen lector, exiges más que una historia bien contada.
Eso es lo que a mí me pasó con esta novela. No niego que es un libro muy hermoso, pero probablemente si hubiera sido mi primera lectura de esta autora se habría ganado su quinta estrella.
Eso es lo que a mí me pasó con esta novela. No niego que es un libro muy hermoso, pero probablemente si hubiera sido mi primera lectura de esta autora se habría ganado su quinta estrella.
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