March Book Review: The Forgotton Garden

Not to be confused with The Secret Garden, much better!


Okay, I loved this book! I would now consider myself a big fan of the author, Kate Morton, and plan to read anything else she's written. I think my sister Sara was the first to read this and then recommended it to the rest of us.

This book was fairly long, but such a good read. Especially as things got more intense in the second half of the book, I would look forward to my time before bed that I'd spend reading (which rarely happens). Each chapter jumps around between three different time periods and thus slowly unfolds pieces of the story. It was fun to have some of the perspective be told from the early 1900s, then some in the 1970's and some in present day (present being 2005). The only thing I didn't like was that I would get so engrossed in the story of the moment, that I'd be a little annoyed when the next chapter catapulted me ahead 95 years. But how it all ties together in the end is worth it.

The gist is this: a woman's grandmother dies, leaving her the ownership of a cottage in England, a cottage no one knew she had owned. The granddaughter eventually finds out her grandmother didn't originate from their home of Australia and travels to England to solve the mystery of who her grandma really was and what the deal is with this cottage. Needless to say there are many layers to this story.

The depth of this story is amazing and it has an eeriness about it that is thrilling. It's not necessarily a "happily ever after" story, but what really ever is? The ending does provide absolution in a settling way, which is nice to not be left hanging. I very much recommend this book!

9 comments:

Linda said...

Good review Em- I enjoyed it as well and agree with what you said about getting involved in the story and then have to change to another time period. It's a book I wouldn't mind reading again.

Tricky said...

hmmm....i was looking for a book to read in FL; this might be it!

Daveana said...

Sounds good Em- Thanks for the Review! :) Good to see you read a book all the way through ;) I tease I tease! Hope things are going good for you!

leah said...

i love your book reviews :)

just like i love you.

maybe i'll start reading again. maybe not.

Christen Leigh said...

Sounds like an intruiging tale!

Annnnnddd I think your blog tweet is wishful thinking... I hear we are supposed to get snow tomorrow and Wednesday. Noooooooooo!

emilykate said...

Hmm...well you may have heard wrong. Our forecast for the next couple days is 40s, semi-sunny and dry. You had me in panic mode for a second though. :) Well, depressed more than panic.

Anonymous said...

haha I actually went and looked it up, too, and I think that I heard a faulty weather report. I am totally relieved. :)

Tami said...

I was just asking someone for a good book recommendation! I'm going to have to look for that book!

Molly said...

I agree completely; this book is really good. I will say that I've only found one other Kate Morton book, The House at Riverton, and it is really good. It's even more eerie, though, and slightly unsettling.