"The certainty that she would find what it was she sought just slipped away, until one night she knew there was nothing, no one waiting for her. That no matter how far she walked, how carefully she searched, how much she wanted to find the person she was looking for, she was alone" - The Forgotten Garden"
What a phenomenal book! It took me a good three weeks to read, perhaps because it is nearly 600 pages and I've been reading some other books in the mean time, but when it was over I LONGED for more.
From Goodreads:
A foundling, an old book of dark fairy tales, a secret garden, an aristocratic family, a love denied, and a mystery. The Forgotten Garden is a captivating, atmospheric and compulsively readable story of the past, secrets, family and memory from the international best-selling author Kate Morton.
Cassandra is lost, alone and grieving. Her much loved grandmother, Nell, has just died and Cassandra, her life already shaken by a tragic accident ten years ago, feels like she has lost everything 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 - the Victorian authoress who disappeared mysteriously in the early twentieth century - 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.
Georgia Crouch loaned me this book in July. I knew that I would love it and wanted to save it until after Mockingjay was over and I was mourning for a good book to love. I finally picked it up at the end of September and couldn't really ever leave it. It did take me a while to read, but I wanted to soak up all the delicious twists and turns. It hit several literary buttons for me. I am usually a sucker for a good romance, this book is not a romance, although one blooms. I haven't been one to ever pick up a mystery except for the Agatha Christie earlier this summer and the occasional Mary Higgens Clark, but I was very excited to know that Morton has another book coming out next month and a book previously published, which I will buy on Amazon when I finish this review.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good mystery. Books about England, books set in the early twentieth century, books with strong female characters, books that pull at your heartstrings. I think Granma Bea would love it--so look for it Granma.
This book made me want a lovely secret garden, and a lovely book of fairy tales written by Eliza Makepeace.
1 comment:
Thank you for verifying my feelings about this book. Every time I think about how much I enjoyed it, it gives me the same feeling I have when I put on a warm sweater on a cool evening. It was just comfortable and soothing and quite lovely.
I also liked the Australia twist--a little England, a little Australia, a sweet little girl, a mystery and a tiny love story. It just spelled M.e.l.i.s.s.a when I read it.
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