The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton #NetGalley @panmacmillan #hisfic #romance #cornwall #bookreview

I am delighted to share my review today for The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. This book was first released in 2008, Pan Macmillan has re-released it and I am so glad they have.

My huge thanks to Pan Macmillan for granting my request to read this e-copy of the book via NetGalley.#

A tiny girl is abandoned on a ship headed for Australia in 1913. She arrives completely alone with nothing but a small suitcase containing a few clothes and a single book — a beautiful volume of fairy tales. She is taken in by the dockmaster and his wife and raised as their own. On her twenty-first birthday, they tell her the truth, and with her sense of self shattered and very little to go on, “Nell” sets out to trace her real identity. Her quest leads her to Blackhurst Manor on the Cornish coast and the secrets of the doomed Mountrachet family. But it is not until her granddaughter, Cassandra, takes up the search after Nell’s death that all the pieces of the puzzle are assembled. A spellbinding tale of mystery and self-discovery, The Forgotten Garden will take hold of your imagination and never let go.

MY REVIEW

This is a book that was originally published in 2008, it is being rereleased. There are times when it is annoying to see a book republished, but when you have missed a book the first time around, it is great to see it back in the spotlight again. I am so glad this has happened with this book, as it is a gorgeous story that I absolutely adored.

This is a story of a garden set in Cornwall, but to get to understand the garden and its importance, the author takes the reader on a very circuitous journey from Cornwall to Australia and back to Cornwall. This is done over different decades and by different people. Each adds more to the story until the mystery is finally unravelled.

Nell is devastated to learn that the people she thought were her parents found her abandoned on the dock in Australia. They took her and her case in. When she finally hears the truth, she begins to understand some of the differences and, more importantly, some of the random memories she had from her early childhood.

As she gets older, she learns more about her journey, her real mother and how she came to be in Australia. But as much as she discovers, there is still more that alludes her. Her granddaughter then takes on the mantle of trying to solve the mystery. It is far more complex than anyone realised, it is fiendishly clever but also very brutal to those involved.

This story focuses on three characters, but also those who spend time with them. The flitting between times is so well done, and I never felt lost. I adore the setting of this book, I mean, a forgotten garden is something that is always going to catch my attention. Also living in Cornwall, I have visited many gardens, so it was easy to envisage the plants, the atmosphere and the general vibe the author managed to create.

The garden is the key, but it is the story of those who come and go over the years that gives it its central position. The overlooking of Blackhurst Manor and its inhabitants set the scene for Nell as a young girl and those who came before her. Mixing in tragedy, upset, illness, and jealousy is just the top of the emotions that the author brings.

If you have a love of romance, family mysteries, gardens, Cornwall and generally a fabulous story then this is one I would definitely recommend.

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx