A tiny girl is abandoned on a ship headed for Australia in 1913. She arrives completely alone with nothing but a small suitcase containing a few clothes and a single book -- a beautiful volume of fairy tales. She is taken in by the dockmaster and his wife and raised as their own. On her twenty-first birthday, they tell her the truth, and with her sense of self shattered and very little to go on, "Nell" sets out to trace her real identity. Her quest leads her to Blackhurst Manor on the Cornish coast and the secrets of the doomed Mountrachet family. But it is not until her granddaughter, Cassandra, takes up the search after Nell's death that all the pieces of the puzzle are assembled. A spellbinding tale of mystery and self-discovery, The Forgotten Garden will take hold of your imagination and never let go.
Kindle Edition, 660 pages
Published March 13th 2009 by Atria
Source: Library
Three stars: A sprawling family mystery that falters because of unlikeable characters and too many story threads.
In 1913 a dockmaster in Australia finds a young girl sitting on the dock alone with only a small suitcase and no identification. The girl is four years old, she doesn’t know her name or where she came from. Not knowing what else to do, he takes her home. Nell becomes an answer to a prayer for the man and his wife who have been unable to have their own children. For years, the man keeps the secret. Then on Nell’s twenty first birthday, shortly before she is to be married, he tells her the truth. From that moment on, Nell’s life begins to falter. She distances herself from her loving adopted family in order to find out who she is. Her quest takes years and leads her across the ocean to England. Unfortunately, Nell ends up abandoning her search in order to care for her granddaughter. Years later after Nell’s death, her granddaughter Cassandra learns of her grandmother’s secret. Cassandra picks up the trail and uncovers some shocking secrets. Who was Nell and why was she abandoned?
What I Liked:
- This is my third book by Kate Morton. I have to say, Ms. Morton always manages to write sprawling family mysteries that take place over decades. Her tales are captivating and suspenseful. I was sucked into this one from the beginning, and I eagerly followed the clues to learn the secrets.
- If you haven’t read a book by Kate Morton, you need to be prepared for many characters and lots of shifts in time. This story moves from the early 1900s in England to the the early 2000s. There are many people to keep track of and lots of story lines, but eventually, you will find how they intersect. I enjoy the shifts in time, and I always appreciate the attention to detail in the time periods.
- With so many characters it takes time to latch on to a favorite, but luckily in this one, I liked Nell and Eliza. I found Eliza’s tale to be particularly moving, and I was cheering for her the whole time.
- This book is full of secrets, some more shocking than others. I was surprised a time or two for sure, especially when the truth is finally revealed about Nell. Big props to Ms. Morton for keeping me guessing.
- The ending ties up the majority of the story lines. Most of the questions are answered and the mystery is solved.
And The Not So Much:
- I was invested in this book from the beginning, but by the time I reached the end, I was left feeling down. The conclusion was a letdown. Plus, I finished the book and realized that I didn’t like the majority of the characters, especially the people surrounding Eliza. Rose and her mother were terrible. Nathan had no spine. Eliza’s uncle was downright creepy. I couldn’t quite figure out what his deal was. I think he might have been a lecherous old man. Yuck. Just thinking about these characters makes my skin crawl.
- Nell is an important piece of the story, but she dies in the first chapter. I wish that Nell could have been alive to help solve her own mystery. It kind of took something out of the story. I also struggled with the way Nell reacted when she learned the truth. Why did she feel the need to push away her adoptive family?
- I was left scratching my head when it came to Eliza’s mother and her brother. There was something not quite right about the brother’s relationship with his sister. The author hinted at something insidious, but it is never fully revealed why Georgianna ran away. Did her brother drive her away or was it because of the sailor she loved? I wanted more of Georgian’s story line, I felt like there were holes in the story.
- Finally, there is a little romance that occurs when Cassandra goes to England. I felt like the romance was thrown in there. It lacked depth and development. I honestly wish more time had been spent on the romance because it was one of the only bright spots at the end of the book.
The Forgotten Garden was a book that sucked me in with its drawn out family mystery full of secrets and betrayals. I was completely invested in the story, but when I finished I was let down by the revelations. The story left me feeling cold and yucky. I didn’t like the way everything played out, and I especially didn’t like the majority of the characters. I wanted to be left feeling uplifted, but instead I was depressed. Borrow this one from the library if you are thinking of reading it. At over six hundred pages, it might be worth skipping.
I borrowed a copy of this book from the library. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for this review.
