The Forgotten Garden

By: Kate Morton

Narrated by: Caroline Lee

Length: 20 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

A foundling, an old book of dark fairy tales, a secret garden, a maze, an aristocratic family, a love denied, a mystery - The Forgotten Garden is a captivating, atmospheric, and a compulsive listen about the past, ghosts, family, and memories from best-selling author Kate Morton.

Thirty-eight year old Cassandra is lost, alone, and grieving. Her much loved grandmother, Nell, has just died and Cassandra, her life already shaken by a tragic accident 10 years ago, feels like she has lost everything known and dear to her.

But an unexpected and mysterious bequest from Nell turns Cassandra's life upside down and ends up challenging everything she thought she knew about herself and her family. Inheriting a book of dark and intriguing fairytales written by Eliza Makepeace Rutherford - the Victorian authoress who disappeared mysteriously in the early 20th century - as well as a cliff-top cottage on the other side of the world, Cassandra takes her courage in both hands to follow in the footsteps of Nell, on a quest to find out the truth about their history, their family and their past; little knowing that in the process, she will also discover a new life for herself.

©2008 Kate Morton (P)2008 Bolinda Publishing

Critic reviews

"This debut page-turner...recounts the crumbling of a prominent British family as seen through the eyes of one of its servants....Morton triumphs with a riveting plot, a touching but tense love story and a haunting ending." ( Publishers Weekly)

enjoyed

having read a later book by this author, the sophistication of her writing was noticeably less, but I enjoyed the book and would recommend

A really great listen

Not my usual, but I became so caught up in the story and then the stories within the stories I just had to continue listening. The book was compelling as well as intriguing and the narration by Caroline Lee was wonderful to listen to

Artfully Crafted Tapestry

What could easily be a recipe for confusion--a storyline that spans a century with chapters that jump back and forth decades at a time, interspersed with the timelessness of fairy tales woven throughout--results instead in a remarkable blending of the lives of multiple families across four generations to tell a story of love, treachery, an ultimately a celebration of the will to survive. Every main character is portrayed with multiple levels, being slowly fleshed out as the story discloses the reasons behind their actions. (That said, I felt the relationship between Rose and Eliza was never drawn clearly enough to justify the decisions they both made.)

The narrator was outstanding--sensitive, clear, carrying off an assortment of accents with great competency. I will search her out for other readings. And the scope of the story, as grand as it was, encompassing a century and half the globe, was pared down to the essentials enough so that the reader has a good sense of the various eras. A part of me feels that perhaps the story could be told with fewer words, but it would be hard to sacrifice some of the lush descriptions and lovely language.

Wonderful Story!

Enjoyed my second mystery by Kate Morton.
Carolina Lee is a very good narrator.
I recommend this book to anyone who loves a mystery with a good plot.

Loved this

Loved this book, well worth the credit, you won't be disappointed. Captured my interest from the start.

Almost perfect...but not quite.

Loved this book. The only, only issue I had was with the ending. For such an elaborate story, I felt the ending was rushed and not consistent with the intricacies of the rest of the book.

Great story!

Narrator was excellent. Story was very intriguing. Characters were well defined and drew out emotion.

An excellent read

Would you listen to The Forgotten Garden again? Why?

I don't every listen to books again unless they are educational, as there are too many to explore.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I liked Rose. Her intentions were generally loving. Her chapters in the book, lead me more along the story, as I found Nell to be stern.

Which scene was your favorite?

I liked being in the cottage, as it envelopes all of the excitement of Cornwall

Who was the most memorable character of The Forgotten Garden and why?

I think Ivory, as she was the one you wanted to instinctively protect and in essence it was about what happened to her.

Any additional comments?

This was the first novel by Kate Moreton and I enjoyed it, so now downloading the Lake House

Wonderful

An immersive and beautiful story. Caroline Lee’s reading was incredible! I highly recommend this book.

Beautiful.

Wonderful!!! I loved every minute of this book. The narrator was extremely talented. Best book Ever!