Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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204 of 212 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Haunting tale of deceit, 31 Jul 2008
I loved the House at Riverton, so I couldn't wait to read the Forgotten Garden. It was so worth the wait!! It is a powerful, moving story of lies, love, searching, and finally, knowledge. It tells of a poor little rich girl and her ambitious, devious mother who only wants the very best for her daughter. Whatever Rose wants, Rose gets. Nothing is allowed to get in the way, and when Eliza comes into the picture, she and Rose develope a powerful bond. There is mystery galore in this novel, going back through generations of the Mountrachet family. What happened to the beautiful Georgiana? Why? There are many questions to be answered, and the story eventually unravels the mystery. We travel from Australia to Cornwall, firstly with Nell, who has to search out her origins, and later, with Cassandra, Nell's granddaughter, who hopes to find the answers to so many questions that have haunted Nell throughout her life.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and would recommend it whole-heartedly.
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48 of 51 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Light entertainment for a cold winter's day, 2 Jan 2009
First, let me say this - I'm not normally a fan of 'famliy' saga type novels, and the only reason I purchsed this book was that (a) it was in the sale and (b) I fancied trying something different from my usual list of 'reads'. Secondly, having now read the book over the Christmas break it is fairly clear this book probably isn't going to change your life. However, I wasn't disappointed by the book.
It's a bit on the predictable side, and split between three main characters but it leads you gently by the hand through their different lives. It is paced well and has enough in each chapter to keep you wanting to read the next and the story is as charming as the picture on the front cover. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to someone looking for a deep and meaningful read but if you fancy a bit of light holiday reading, which isn't too mindless, then I would certainly suggest trying it. It's the sort of book I'd lend to my Mum and I would certainly keep an eye out for toerh Kate Morton books in the sales.
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54 of 58 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Even better than her debut..., 16 Jul 2008
I really enjoyed KM's debut novel and in my opinion, 'The Forgotten Garden' surpasses all expectations in terms of richness of plot, depth and magical prose.
Gripped from the beginning, I found this novel absolutely unputdownable. Spanning three generations and almost a Century we are thrown backwards and forwards in time as the great mystery of Nells' abandonment on an Australian Port, aged 4, is uncovered. From the wilds of Cornwall to the suburbs of Brisbane and narrated by Eliza, Nell and Cassandra, it is an immense project and you cannot fail to be impressed by the writing skill of KM.
Like all great novels, every now and again there's a blip and in this instance I found that a large part of the mystery being uncovered in a long lost letter slightly disappointing. However I found the inclusion of Eliza's fairytales enchanting and wholly original - a very clever idea to help the story flow to it's conclusion.
Wonderful storytelling, I cannot wait for her next...
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