|
The Forgotten Garden | 
 enlarge | Author: Kate Morton
Publisher: Pan Books
Category: Book
List Price: £7.99
Buy New: £2.50
You Save: £5.49 (69%)
New (25) Used (10) Collectible (1) from £2.50
Avg. Customer Rating:  49 reviews
Sales Rank: 2
Media: Paperback
Pages: 350
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.1 x 1.7
ISBN: 0330449605
EAN: 9780330449601
ASIN: 0330449605
Publication Date: June 6, 2008
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
|
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 44 more reviews...
 For once I didn't lose the plot! July 26, 2008
I enjoyed this book immensely. Usually by the time I get to the closing stages of a 500-plus book, I can't wait to get to the end, but not with this one. It's a fairly complex mystery, but nevertheless I found it quite straightforward to follow, and so I didn't end up 'losing the plot' as I do so frequently with other novels! I particularly liked the inclusion of Eliza's fairy tales, which were cleverly linked to the unfolding story. I have not yet read the House at Riverton, but if the Forgotten Garden is anything to go by, it should be a another great read!
 Disappointing 2nd bookd July 25, 2008
Was so looking forward to Kate Morton's 2nd book after being captivated by 'the House at Riverton' but found the characters un believable, too predictable and story too contrived, and unfortuantely could not connect with the story- perhaps I should try again !
 Just Magic July 25, 2008
While I greatly enjoyed The House at Riverton, I enjoyed this one even more.
There wasn't a dull moment and towards the end I just couldn't put it down. Kate Morton weaves a wonderful tale full of twists and turns. The story moves between the 1900s, 1975 and 2005 and tells the story of Eliza, Nell and Cassandra.
Beautiful and unputdownable, I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Rather than the span of years boring me, I found it added to the tension of the story and built up a detailed history of the main characters. For me, the best parts of the book, were the wonderfully created fairytales that were so skillfully brought to life.
Length has never really bothered me and it didn't here. Yes it's long to a degree, but it needs to be to really tell the story that spans three generations. Kate Morton doesn't skimp on detail, by the end you really have a sense and feel of her characters and the places she takes them.
How fairytale can have reverberations to the past July 25, 2008
THE FORGOTTEN GARDEN is the second novel by Kate Morton; THE HOUSE AT RIVERTON being her first. Whilst I did not greatly enjoy THE HOUSE AT RIVERTON, I found THE FORGOTTEN GARDEN to be better.
The story revolves around Nell who, at the age of four, is seemingly abandoned by her mother. Found on the docks in Australia, Nell is taken under the wing of another family as they cannot bear for such a young girl to be left there on her own. Years later, Nell is told the truth that she is not their own, which of course causes her to wonder about her who her parents were and why she was left in such a way.
As Nell's story begins to unfold the reader is tossed from one age to another - Nell was abandoned in 1913, but the story goes back to 1900 and stretches to 2005 as Cassandra, Nell's granddaughter, begins to trace her grandmother's story.
That is all I shall try and convey in regards to the plot - there are a lot of twists and elements which all finally draw togteher to make a whole, and doubtless other reviewers have likely tried to include more of these in their thoughts about the novel. So I shall now describe what I enjoyed about the story, and what I felt a little let down by.
First of all, this novel did not grab my attention from the very beginning. This book, so dense and heavy in your hands, is one which slowly grew on me. In the end perseverance did pay off, so do not give up straight away if the same happens to you. As more and more of the charaters are introduced, especially the time which involves the Blackhurst estate, my attention was hooked. Morton has managed to create more complex and satisfying characters, in my opinion, compared to those within THE HOUSE AT RIVERTON.
What I also loved about the book was the way that fairytales played such an integral part to the story. There is a magical sense to this book - the forgotten garden itself, the maze leading to it are just some ways Morton has achieved this. But she also includes a few 'fairytales' which are penned by one of her characters. This is an original way of adding more to the main body of the plot, giving the reader the sense that life is not always so greatly removed from such magical tales.
One of the reasons why I have not awarded the fifth star to this book is that there are times during Cassandra's hunt into the past that things feel just too convenient - as another reviewer said, the fact that an incredibly important part of Nell's story was discovered through a long forgotten letter did smack a little. But I suppose artistic licence has to be taken into account.
All in all, this was an enjoyable read - not too demanding but offering enough of what it is to be human for it to be engaging. Recommended as a summer read.
Becky from Southampton July 23, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The Forgotten Garden is a fantastic read, it has all the things that make up for a good juicy story, with family mysteries and secretes.
twists and turns leaving you on the edge of the set, I found it very hard to put this book down and like another review also found myself still reading to the wee hours!
I love the way it is written,very descriptive making it so real and vivd and I love that it has short storys included within the story written by one of the characters helping you to understand and picture that character even better.
This really is a brilliant book and I would highy recommend it.
But make sure you give your self time to read it as it is VERY addictive!
|
|
|
| |
