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)

Loved It

One of the best stories I’ve ever listened to. Terrific readers and sound effects. I listen while walking and couldn’t wait to walk every day while walking.

Forgotten Gatden

Very intriguing story, well done and impossible to foresee various key turns in the tale. Like the narration too .

Excellent!

Kate Morton is my favorite author and this is one of my favorites of her books.

Wonderful characters

I enjoyed getting lost in the location and time of the book. Kate weaves a wonderful tale of family, secrets and love.

great narration beautiful story

This book has a magical realism feel to it, it may be because of the fairytales being told throughout but I really enjoyed this beautiful story. It is a hard book to classify so I’m not going to pigeon hole it anywhere. I enjoyed the 3 different generations of women in this story and how their stories intertwined. This book is about family secrets and of how that affects generations. It spans from England to Australia in the early 1900 to the 2000’s. With each generation of women finding something about the past while at the same time finding something about themselves in the process.

I did enjoy this book very much however towards the end though you just want to scream at Cassandra and say hello I figured it out why can’t you! This book can be very sad at times and some may find the jumping around in time not to their liking. But I like books that show different time periods so I enjoyed that part. The prologue has a definite magical realism feel. I will definitely be reading more by this author!

The fairytales are a great and I wish there was an actual book of these fairytales!

I listened to this on audio narrated by Caroline Lee who does a fantastic job with all the accents from English, Australian & American.

Loved It

I just loved this book! It was a bit hard at first to keep the characters straight until I realized the dates stated at the beginning of a change helped keep it straight. Otherwise, a great story and great narrator. I wish Audible had more than 2 of her books available. My new favorite.

The Forgotten Garden

A great yarn with suspense, intrigue and a great cast of characters. Hated to hear it come to an end. Enjoyed the book very much.

Interesting but Slow Moving

A carefully crafted story, a good reader. The plot was interesting, but moved so slowly! Left me completely satisfied at the end, though - no plot twist was left tangled.

I loved this book!

I love books about women and hardships! and books that show generational ties. this book definitely has those. and so many twists and turns and characters. constantly changing. unpredictable. wonderfully perfect ending! I recommend it.

Family Mysteries and Strong Female Characters

What made the experience of listening to The Forgotten Garden the most enjoyable?

This book hooked my attention, and I found that I couldn't put it down. I loved the characters... loved seeing the events through several viewpoints. By the time I finished, I felt inspired to create a walled garden and to research my family history.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Forgotten Garden?

I found it very heartwarming that certain personality traits were passed from great grandmother to grandmother to mother to daughter.... I was almost envious of the main character.. wanting a family mystery of my own to solve! Such a great read.

What does Caroline Lee bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Caroline Lee has a beautiful and soothing voice - and such a great accent! She's the first narrator that's ever truly stood out to me.