The Forgotten Garden: Book summary and reviews of The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

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Cathryn Conroy

An Engrossing, Ingenious Page-Turner That Doubles as a Highly Imaginative Fairy Tale
This is a magical book.

What will draw in most readers almost immediately is the complex, multilayered plot that is so twisted (in a good way!) it's nearly impossible to figure out (too far) in advance. But this is so much more than an ingenious story. Author Kate Morton has crafted a novel that almost doubles as a fairy tale. The end result is a book that is both entrancing and highly original.

The novel bounces back and forth in time and place in way that could be jarring and absolutely discombobulated in the hands of a less-talented writer. But in the hands of Kate Morton, it is brilliant. And I can't imagine it being written in any other way. It's a little slow to get started—so stick with it—but it really takes off by the fifth chapter.

Taking place in the first two decades of the 1900s, 1975, and 2005, this is the story of several girls/women in one family. It opens with Nell, a four-year-old who boards a ship in England bound for Australia as she holds the hand of her dead mother's cousin and trusted friend. And then the cousin disappears, leaving Nell completely alone. After the ship lands, she is standing on the dock in Maryborough, Australia with her child-sized white suitcase when Hugh, a kind dockworker, takes her home. The only clue to her identity is a book of fairy tales found in the suitcase. Hugh and Lil are childless and lovingly care for the little girl who has no memory of her name. They call her Nell. How Nell got to Australia, the stories of her grandparents, parents, the cousin who is the author of fairy tales, and Nell's own daughter and granddaughter make up the riveting story that follows. This is a tale filled with secrets galore—from family secrets to secret gardens—that takes place from colonial Australia to the sea swept coast of Cornwall, England.

Several fairy tales are part of the story, all written by one of the book's characters, and each cleverly presages the novel's next plot development.

Bonus: Frances Hodgson Burnett, author of the beloved book, "The Secret Garden," makes a cameo appearance.

This is an engrossing page-turner with characters so bright and bold they give the book a big heart and soul. The twists and turns of the plot and the mesmerizing storytelling result in a magical, gripping novel.

This is a delightful, escapist book that will take you far away from your real life.

Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews

An All-Time Favorite - The Forgotten Garden
I would give this book a 10 if I could. Loved it...absolutely amazing....the writing is a masterpiece.

All the mysteries and secrets of the Mountrachet family are revealed....the ending is superb.

The story goes back and forth in time telling the story of how little Nell was put on a boat to Australia without an adult and how the portmaster and his wife in Australia took her in as their own. Nell's life makes a complete turn around for her when her father tells her on her 21st birthday that she isn't really his child.

The book tells of the generations before and after Nell. It is masterfully written...you don't want to put it down until you find out who Nell really is and until you find all the secrets about how she arrived on the boat and in Australia and the significance of the forgotten garden....the garden plays a huge part in the unraveling of the secrets and mysteries in the book.

I usually don't re-read books, but I would re-read this just to be sure I "got" all the facts straight...it was just fantastic....the story was very clever and the characters unforgettable....I didn't want the book to end.

Jossarne

Great Writing
She does an excellent job of interweaving the story. I love her books! I cannot said enough positive about this author. This was my first Kate Morton read.

Eduardo

The Forgotten Garden
Excellent reading, great plot and interesting characters.

Loli

Magnífico !!!
I have enjoyed it, is very well narrated and it hooks to you from the beginning. I recommend it

Linda Stimpson

The Forgotten Garden
This has to be one of the most enjoyable books I have read. I love that it covers several generations even though at times it is a little hard to follow. I didn't want to put it down but on the other hand I didn't want it to end. Great book for a Book Club. It is a book you want to own to re-read again on a cold winter's day.

...8 more reader reviews

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