2023 Book Review #24: The Forgotten Garden

 

I really enjoy this author. I've read The Clockmaker's Daughter  by the same author, and loved it! This one definitely did not disappoint. It's rather long but I was on vacation so had lots of reading time!

STORY SUMMARY

It is 1913 and a 4 year old little girl is on a ship sailing towards Australia from England. She has been abandoned. She arrives totally alone and has nothing with her except for a small white suitcase. The only things in the suitcase are a few clothing items and a book of fairy tales.  

The dockmaster, Hugh, and his wife Lil, take her in and raise her as their own child. They also have 4 other girls who are born after they take in the little English girl.  They name the English girl Nell. On her 21st birthday, Hugh tells Nell the truth.  Her sense of self has been shattered and with hardly any clues, she takes off for England to see if she can discover who her biological parents are and find her real identity. 

Her search leads her to Blackhurst Manor on the coast of Cornwell, England.  There are many secrets surrounding the previous owners......the Mountrechat family. But...it's not until 2005, when Nell's granddaughter Cassandra picks up the mystery and tries to figure out the clues left by Nell and her grandmother's (Rose) journals and scrapbooks, that the family secrets are exposed. Why is Nell really named Ivory?  Who is Eliza?? Who is the Authoress??  How does an artist and a photographer enter into this family? 

The key lies in Cliff Cottage....the small cottage surrounded by a forgotten garden and on the grounds of Blackhurst Manor....how is this  cottage related to the book of fairy tales?  And just who is Nell's mother?? (and Cassandra's great-grandmother!).

MY THOUGHTS

This is another wonderful story by this author. She's becoming one of my faves. I have a younger friend who has read all of her novels...I think I'll be looking for more at our town library later this summer.  

It's a very moving family saga with a bit of romance, mystery, and drama. The one thing I've liked about both Morton books I've read, is that they are clean and very literary......no swear words or overt s*xual scenes. I love that. Her books are like modern classics. If that's a thing. 

The character development is strong and although there are a lot of characters in this story, it's easy to keep track of them because each chapter is headed by what year the voice is in.  This story covers the early 1900s, specifically 1913 then 1975, then 2005 and it jumps back and forth. Yet it's so easy to follow.  

I love that fairy tales from the fictional book in the story, are included in this book!  It really shows where Eliza's mind was .....and how it all connects with Rose and Nell. I don't want to say too much here because I don't want to use any spoilers. 

There are several twists and turns in this book and it really kept me turning pages far into the evening.

Some of the main themes in this book are: the inner journey of one's self, family ties, abandonment, love, betrayal,infertility, dishonesty vs honesty,  the art of storytelling, friendship, loss, survival, the meaning of family, trust, and self identity. There's also an element of the Gothic in this book. 

I also loved the fact that this book is so similar to the classic story The Secret Garden.  In fact, the author of that child's classic, is mentioned in the plot.  It's so well done! 

In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 14 and older. (although there are some mature themes)

On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 10. 

I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a good fiction for summer reading.