The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

I'm always behind everyone else in reading the 'hit' books of any particular year, and this is the case for Kate Morton's book, The Forgotten Garden (2008).


I didn't think I would like this book, not sure why, but I find most books that get a lot of hype, aren't usually to my taste, but I'm glad I bought this book and decided to read it when I was feeling a little low.

The Forgotten Garden is a thick book, over 600 pages. I love thick books, especially when the story is engaging because it lasts longer.
The story revolves around one family over a period of three separate eras and mainly on three different characters - Eliza 1907-1913, Nell 1975 ans Cassandra 2005.

It did take me a little while to get into the book, but once I was in, I was hooked on finding out what happens. I enjoyed the way the author went between the three characters and the eras with ease. Three stories within one story would have been hard work, and could easily lost its way, but the author remained true and steady to unravelling the central mystery of the abandoned little girl, Nell.

This is the first book by Kate Morton I have read, and to start with I wasn't keen on the distant omniscient point of view, but that changed into a deeper POV once the characters were established, which I much prefer.
The descriptions were good and I could clearly see the scenes and the characters.
I had solved the mystery half way through the book, but that didn't diminish the story for me at all.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and the effort it must have taken to weave the eras and characters together was very well done.
P.S. The cover above is different to the one on my copy.