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)

Unexpectations

This book suprised me. I don't mean by it's quality either, which was great! I just mean the plot was unexpected. Not another cookie cutter mystery. Bravo!!

Another wonderful story by Kate Morton

I have decided that Kate Morton is my favorite author. I love a good mystery that doesn’t rely on violence or sex to make a great story. I can’t wait to read more of her books. The narrator is wonderful as well.

Just the sort of 'Storytime' tale I was seeking!

The Forgotten Garden filled my desires for an new audio book. I was seeking a good, easy, engrossing story, read superlatively, not too intellectual (but not dumbed down, poorly written or insipid, either). I found these elements in Caroline Lee's fabulous narration of Kate Morton's The Forgotten Garden. I'm an author, a mom, wife, daughter of elder parent caregiver and I do a lot of outdoor physical work and exercise as well. I wanted a story to relax with -- to ooze into my ears as I sat with a cup of tea or lay down for a nap; or, if I awakened in the middle of the night, unable to turn off compulsive concerns and anxiety, a story to take my mind in a new, pleasant direction and help me get back to sleep. I wanted it to be a story I'd look forward to; a story without irritating quirks in narration so that I could have confidence in listening enjoyment. I wanted to be TOLD a nice story and that's exactly what Caroline Lee reading The Forgotten Garden delivered!

The music lead-ins were a nice touch and the consistent relating of date and place to open each chapter helped keep the multi-layered story lines straight -- important in such a tale spanning multiple generations and different locations.

A couple of detractions, in my opinion:
Other readers (and, perhaps listeners) have written reviews mentioning the lack of development of some characters, particularly of the male characters, in the story; I would agree; it was something that I noted to myself as the story unfolded. More character development in that regard would have added somewhat to the length of the story, but, since I thoroughly enjoyed it, that would have been no problem for me, at all -- I would have welcomed a few more pages/minutes and added richness/dimension of the tale.

Also, later in the book, there is dialogue written for the three-to-four years old little Nell, that I found years too mature and disingenuous -- even for a superlatively-bright and precocious tot, which Nell was never purported to be. Perhaps, however, without that stretch of years-too-much maturity in the story, Kate Morton would not have been able to have placed Nell on board that boat to Australia in the manner that she did. To me, that dynamic and story thread was weak.

Back to the good points:
Early on, I figured out the main mystery, but that didn't at all detract from the story -- or, from the satisfying unfolding of attendant mysteries and elements, right up to and through the last pages/minutes. I liked that there were sub-mysteries! I thought Kate Morton did a fantastic job of not being stingy with filling in all the blanks. She had created what I found to be a wonderfully told story and she brought all of the threads together, respectfully honoring the reader/listener and taking what I considered to be just the right amount of time to create a complete, satisfying ending. She wasn't rushed or lazy in the last chapters, at all. I was impressed with that and I found myself mentally thanking Kate Morton for having respected the reader enough to do this. I hope she feels satisfaction in having created this experience for her readers/listeners.

Perhaps, The Forgotten Garden would not be as pleasant a reading experience as it was an audio book, but as a curl-up-and-listen, anticipate-the-experience story told personally to me by a great story narrator, it was just right! I hope others find it so, as well. I gave The Forgotten Garden five stars overall. Though it wouldn't be considered great literature, it gave me exactly what I wanted, as I wanted it, with no irritating, deal-breaking detraction -- and I was sorry to have the story end. I can easily imagine myself listening to it again in the future, enjoying the tale twice told!

Compelling

A great listen! A plot with lots of twists and turns. Interesting characters. Excellent narration.

Good, but not gripping

This is a great "curl up by the fireplace" sort of book! However, towards the end I had already figured it all out and was a little bored.

Loved this!

Although I had a difficult time knowing what period the author was speaking about some time, I was able to follow the story line. I listen primarily when I commute so I start and stop the book frequently.

Loved the story and kept guessing till the last minute where the story line would end up. Loved the characters. Looking forward to listening to her other book.

I didn't get bored.

What an Unforgettable Storybook, unlike any other

I love everything about this book, I’ve listened almost nonstop until I just now finished it.....and I’m crying :)
Now I will go back and listen to the fairytales again, to glean from them more insight into the real life stories.

Venture into this story maze & explore the garden!

As a lifelong lover of fairytales, mysteries & human nature, I highly recommend this book!

As always, Kate Morton has delivered another masterpiece.

Kate Morton has become one of my favorite authors. She weaves the most wonderful stories that use such vivid descriptions you can see her characters and their surroundings.

In this novel, Morton made a quote I loved so much, I played the audiobook back several times until I got it right..."for to think was to dip the paint-loaded brush of doubt into the clear water of certainty." I don't know why, but this line with it's subtle imagery spoke to me.

As for the performance, Caroline Lee was fabulous. She went from Australian, to Cornish, to Irish, male to female, old to young. I am a retired narrator and I value quality performances like Lee's. She is truly talented.

Wonderful story. Excellent audiobook.

better than expected

This is an excellent fairytale about fairy tales, for people who do or don't like fairy tales.