On the brink of the First World War, a young girl is discovered following an arduous sea journey from England to Australia. The only memory she retains of voyage is of a woman she refers to as the Authoress, who had vowed to care for her. Yet, the Authoress has disappeared without a trace. Fast forward to 1975 and the now elderly, Nell embarks on a journey to England to uncover the truth about her origins. Her search takes her to Cornwall and to a stunning estate called Black Manor, once owned by the Mountrachet family. What could have inspired Nell to undertake this quest after so many years? Some 30 years later upon Nell's death, her granddaughter, Cassandra, unexpectedly inherits Cliff cottage, located on the grounds of Blackhurst Manor. Among the locals, the cottage is infamous for the secrets it harbours—secrets tied to the ill-fated Mountrachet family. It is at Cliff Cottage long abandoned and nestled within its forgotten garden, that Cassandra unravels the truth about the family and the reasons behind young's abandonment so many decades ago.

A compelling and evocative tale unfolds across different eras as the enigma of Nell's life is gradually revealed. Morton masterfully unveils this narrative through the perspectives of various characters. This is an outstanding read, featuring well-developed characters and a mesmerizing setting. Gratitude is extended to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This re-released book from Kate Morton ticks all the historical fiction boxes, a family saga sweeping from London to Australia to Cornwall and back in a multi-layered, multi-generation narrative.
When her beloved grandmother Nell dies, Cassie goes off in search of a side of the family she never really knew existed, though trauma from her own past confronts her along the way. The book deals with issues of abandonment and isolation as well as grief and is very well written, capturing emotional bonds and themes.
A little long in places but overall worth the effort! Many thanks to the publishers and netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Kate Morton, Pan Macmillan | Pan, and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

A wonderfully written multi-generational historical fiction set in Cornwall and Australia, The Forgotten Garden deserves its accolade of international bestseller. Stories were interwoven well and the setting was rich and immersive. Understandably, with such a huge cast of characters, it can take a while to differentiate between them all. The book is quite long at 640+ pages and probably could’ve been edited down slightly but the payoff is worth the long read. Highly recommend!

This mesmerising and entrancing tale is a must-read. The story is skillfully and gracefully woven, drawing you in so you can’t help but want to know what happens next. The build-up to the climatic ending is beautifully written, making it a truly enjoyable experience. I read this book many years ago and revisiting it is just as joyous as the first time. It’s a fascinating story that truly captures the reader’s attention, holding them fast until the very end.

Thank you Netgalley

I have read and enjoyed all of Kate Morton’s books and this one did not disappoint. It was perhaps a little too long but the way it moved between periods of time kept the pace moving. In all I enjoyed the book and would recommend it.

I loved the way the story crossed generations and continents to tell the tale of a young child put on a ship to Australia who finds out on her 21st birthday she was then adopted. A gripping tale and wonderful writing.

A sweet book of wonder. Reminiscent of The Secret Garden (in fact Frances Hodgson Burnett makes a brief appearance), stories of Nell and her granddaughter Cassandra are told in this book spanning two eras. The narrative switches between the 1900s and the present day to tell the stories of Nell and Cassandra in a way which is engaging.

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton was a beautiful read and what a beautiful book cover this is - a great eye catcher. I just loved reading this book whilst I was sitting in the shade in my garden - which was just perfect setting.
Kate Morton wrote from the heart and with so much love it was a romantic, mysterious and magical read from start to end. It was a delight to read, just what I need.

I highly recommend this book.

This is a re-release and a re-read for me as I had read it when it was first published. This like other Kate Morton books is a beautifully written, gentle, saga set over several generations of well drawn characters that link a mysterious story, giving clues, answering questions and giving the background and consequences of a 5-year-old abandoned on board a ship bound for Australia. The final reveal I thought was emotionally and gut wrenchingly sad. This epic 667 page tome will keep you enthralled and wanting to read the book of fairy tales yourself.

I’m a big fan of Kate Morton, and her latest does not disappoint!

A grieving granddaughter inherits an illustrated book of fairy tales and a decades old mystery which will take her on a journey both literally and metaphorically.

Three time lines weave together beautifully, the fairy tales and setting are brilliantly atmospheric. This book ticks all my boxes for a great read.

Thoroughly recommend and thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy to review.

A spellbinding tale woven across three generations of the same family, with a sprinkling of fairy stories to further enhance the story. As soon as I started this book I could not put it down and I can’t wait to read others by the same author. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys high quality storytelling.

Kate Morton is the queen of a layered story! A family mystery, 3 timelines and 3 women, Nell, Eliza and Cassandra whose stories are all woven together.

I highly recommend this book which I originally read over a decade ago!

I haven't read such a family saga for a long while and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Set in 4 different times from 1897 to 2005 we find ourselves in the company of 4 women. Eliza Makepeace is at the heart of the story, but what is the mysterious "Authoress"'s story? We meet Nell, Cassandra's elderly grandmother on her death bed in 2005. We first meet Eliza as a 10 year old orphan struggling to survive in London; then her cousin Rose, a sickly child to whom Eliza brings much joy. Nell we meet as a 4 year old, abandoned on a ship to Australia in 1913; and Cassandra's story takes place in 2005 as she works hard to pull the various lives together. What a story. It befits the Authoress, Eliza. All are remarkable women and as we find out their backgrounds, life stories, and what unites them we read a great yarn. What a lot of lost opportunity and what a despicable couple Rose's parents are. #netgalley #theforgottengarden

Happy pub day to The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton.

In this book we follow three generations of women across three timelines: Eliza in the early 1900s, Nell in the 1970s, and Cassandra in present day. As the story unfolds, their connection is slowly revealed.

This lyrical novel takes its time to build up the characters and the story. The beautiful writing really brings the locations alive and draws the reader into the heart of the book. The references to fairy tales and the walled garden gave it a Gothic feel. I did figure out one of the main twists quite early on, but it was still a engaging read.

A recommended read for fans of Kate Morton and The Secret Garden.

This book was initially released in 2008 but has been republished today in a new edition.

Thank you to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Nell finds herself abandoned on a cruise ship going to Australia., luckily she's taken in and adopted by a local family. Having made a life in Brisbane she discovers the truth when she is 21. Years later she is determined to travel to Cornwall to find out her true identity and family but only has a fairy tale book by the Authoress to guide her.
Eliza and her brother find themselves at the mercy of a family when their mother dies, unfortunately Sammy dies too. Eliza then finds herself being kidnapped and being taken to Cornwall to become a companion to her cousin Rose. They soon become best of friends and Eliza finds herself encouraging Rose to go out as her mother is determined to make her a permanent invalid. Life progresses fairly happily until Rose marries and Eliza is banned, eventually to go missing.
Cassandra, Nell's goddaughter inherits a cottage in Cornwall which Nell had bought and determined to find out the truth of their heritage and who the 'Autheress' is she too heads to Cornwall.
All families have secrets but some more than others. Just when you think you may have solved the puzzle another twist comes.........a lovely story that combines past and present and really shows what people are capable of to hide the truth.

This is a classic in its genre so if you like historical fiction that is well written and spans several time periods, you should definitely go for it. I have recommended it to several of my high school students and they all loved it and instantly wanted to read more of Kate Morton's books. This seems to be a reprint, but it doesn't make a difference, the book holds its own at any time.

The Forgotten Garden is a rich family saga, spanning five generations, full of intrigue and secrets. At its heart is four year old Nell, abandoned on a ship sailing to Australia with nothing more than a small battered suitcase containing a few clothes and an old book of illustrated fairy tales written by Victorian authoress, Eliza Makepeace. When Nell dies her granddaughter Cassandra is surprised to inherit a cottage on the other side of the world and sets off on a quest to uncover the secrets her family's history contains.

The story is told from multiple points of view, covering several periods between the late 1800s and the current day. Kate Morton"s inspired writing keeps a certain chronology whilst moving from one period to another and back again, which avoids confusion. The inspired writing, clever characterisations, well-researched class hierarchies of the late 19th and early 20th century, and atmospheric fairy tales make for a delightful read. I was torn between curling up for hours with a cuppa, not wanting to put the book down, and spreading out my reading because I didn't want it to end.

A separate mention for the fairy tales, a book within a book - clever, well-crafted, magical, dark with cunning tricks, traps and hidden meanings. I would love for Kate Morton to publish them as a separate volume.

A solid five stars for this engrossing and immensely enjoyable saga.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for my advanced reader copy in return for my honest and unbiased review.

This is the story of three generations of women over three timelines, Eliza Makepeace (and Rose Mountrachet) in 1913, Nell Andrews in the 1975, and Nell’s granddaughter Cassandra in 2005. As the story unfolds, their connection is slowly revealed. It starts with a small girl being found on the wharf in Maryborough, Australia and being taken in by a childless couple, they name her Nell. This is a long book at over well over 600 pages, for me I think the book was a bit too long, and split into three parts, which was good as I did need to take a break! As well as the three women’s stories we are treated to a number of fairytales written by Eliza and later printed as a book.

Briefly, years later Nell’s adoptive father revealed her past and gave her a small white suitcase she had with her when he found her. After his death Nell decided to return to England to try and discover who her biological parents were. Returning to Melbourne she takes granddaughter Cassandra into her home and after Nell’s death Cassandra finds that she has been left a cottage in Cornwall. Determined to complete her grandmothers search Cassandra travels to England.

The three timelines work well but there are quite a lot of characters to get your head around. I liked how the fairytales linked to what happened in Eliza’s real life and the walled garden was almost a character in itself. There are some wonderful female characters in the book but Eliza stood out for me. Strong female characters, family drama (with a gothic feel in part) and a dark mystery made for an enjoyable read.

3.5⭐️

Nell finds out from her beloved father that she isn't actually related to him or the rest of her family, she's a foundling and everything she thought she knew about herself isn't true. She becomes untethered from the life she knew and decides to find out where she belongs. Nell isn't close to her daughter but finds herself looking after her granddaughter, Cassandra who is surprised to find Nell has left her a cottage in the West Country of the UK. Armed with Nell's original suitcase of possessions including a practically unreadable journal, Cassandra decides to travel to England to try to unravel the mystery surround Nell's origins and prepare the property for sale. I was drawn into the story of Nell's origins and the family drama that unfolds in the book. Kate Morton weaves a magical and intriguing tale that kept me riveted until the last page. I will definitely be catching up with her back catalogue.

I was given a free copy of The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton, published by Pan Macmillan and NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Kate Morton has become somewhat of a feature within my reading life. Having now published seven meaty tomes.

I first read – and loved – The House at Riverton (randomly called The Shifting Fog) when I lived in Australia. I tend to find it annoying when people use words like captivated when describing reading a book, as it can feel excessive. In this case, I was transfixed, perhaps partly because I was 22 or 23 (if memory serves), and I was a Brit living in Australia then. Hand-to-glove literature. I think I read this book either when I returned to London or at the tail-end of my time in Oz, which was quite a while ago, so revisiting this book was exciting. I had read her third, The Distant Hours, which I appreciated, but in a way that made me feel that it was great literature with an entirely unconvincing storyline. Her fourth I listened to the audiobook, which I think was a mistake. Somewhere along the line, I stopped reading her novels. There will, naturally, come a time when I keep up with those new novels – and Pan Macmillan and NetGalley have encouraged me by offering this novel to make sure I keep my eye out for her latest novels.

Now, before I begin, I’m *finally* going to Cornwall, all things going well, so this book about life in a Cornish mansion with a charming garden seemed inspired once again.

Okay, now it’s time to begin, no? Evidently, Morton is a bibliophile. Her weaving in of Agatha Christie as a guest in The House at Riverton was a subtle hint to her love of the glamour and grandeur of the 20th Century. In this book, which I’d argue was inspired in part by late-Victorian Dickens, followed by Hodgson Burnett, Morton gives us, the reader, the clues to her inspiration. I’d argue that you could say she ‘borrows’ various thematic elements of The Secret Garden. Not so much ‘spoilers’ but examples - Rose and Linus being the Colin from The Secret Garden, Linus also not wanting to visit the garden due to a character symbolising the heart of the garden, then the new character transplanted to the mysterious, gothic mansion having a natural affinity for this unloved garden with so much potential.

Fundamentally, this garden, the lynchpin of the novel, sounds wonderful. The descriptions are great and Christian, the ‘2005’ gardener, is very much Danus from The Shell Seekers-type character (I’m sure Morton read that wonderful book, too) who represents the majority soft, guileless characters that populate this family saga-esq book.

Before we get to the garden, we have a mystery told in 3 sectors. The UK in 1900-1913, Australia/the UK in 1975 and 2005. The question we’re asking is, who was Nell? Her granddaughter, Cassandra (2005), was, to all intents and purposes, abandoned by her mother (1975, also this was simply not explained very well – why her mother was so entirely useless with her but not with her half-siblings) in homage to Nell’s passing is trying to find out. From Australia, Cassandra travels to London and then Cornwall to follow in the footsteps of Nell as a girl (1913) before she was transplanted, alone, to Australia and adopted by a loving family. That’s the bare bones of the story and it is ambitious in length and scope.

People have rightly criticised some of the elements in this novel. For example, Nell is a bit of a cold fish. We’re meant to believe this is because she feels ‘abandoned’ by her birth mother. Therefore, she treats her fiance and her adopted family as disposable, ghosting them. Really, this isn’t resolved in the novel. She just wasn’t all that nice. Cassandra seems not to care. There’s a bit of sizeism as Nell was a skinny rake, while the children all suffered from genes that caused plumpness. It’s a slightly off detail. Other not-so-nice characters are the Swindells, who are wards of Nell and her brother. Very much in the style of the Thénardiers, or more apt for post-Dickensian London, the Bumbles, are greedy, heartless, and without redeeming qualities. Coupled with the wonderful descriptions of just how awful London life is without money or family, Morton is in her element here. The narrative is tight and flows wonderfully.

Doing as best as possible to keep this spoiler-free, I struggle with this book's characterisation. What Nell does, I think, isn’t explained sufficiently – although I accept that in my favourite book, Gone with the Wind, Scarlett loves Ashley and doesn’t explain it, it’s just a certifiable fact – and this gives a slight two-dimensionality to the book. Although we know the motivations for Rose’s mother, Adeline’s ire towards Eliza, again, I think it's a bit cartoonish.

So why four stars? I think Morton is a bold author ready to push the reader to new realms. She takes risks and puts an admirable amount of research into her novels to give them poise and verve. She's also an Anglophile, which I find charming.

Naturally, I’m thankful for the opportunity to return to the garden, spot where inspiration struck Morton and surrender to the majesty of historical fiction interspersed with a 'mystery' element – really more of a family saga type Who Do You Think You Are? type read.