I tend to really enjoy Kate Morton books, though they are quite lengthy so I need to be in the right frame of mind to pick one up. This was on my TBR for a while, so I was fortunate to get it as an ARC.

This book centres around three women - Cassandra, Nell and Eliza, and covers three different time periods. Predominantly it’s about an orphan who was taken in by a couple who were desperate for their own child, when she was found alone on a dockside, an older woman discovering her heritage and the granddaughter of the woman, piecing the final parts of the mystery together. The three stories seem standalone, but you know that they are going to weave together, which Kate Morton did right at the end in a very satisfying way.

This was a beautiful book. I’d recommend it to anyone who is looking for pure escapism.

Thanks to Kate Morton, Pan and NetGalley for this ARC in return for an honest review.

Like Kate Morton’s other reads, this is a story of family and full of mystery.

Nell’s early memories of time on a ship and a lady called the Authoress leave a mystery over her identity. Years later her granddaughter is prompted to explore Nell’s story…

A captivating read again from Kate Morton.

I really enjoyed this book. Kate Morton always delivers a sweeping plot. This one spans several generations and two continents. The social history and the settings are expertly woven through the story. An excellent read that I thoroughly recommend.

The Forgotten Garden was such a beautifully written, thought provoking story that had me invested from the start.
When Nell turns 21, she is about to get married when she discovers a secret that will change her life forever... she learns that her parents are not her biological parents at all. And now Nell finds herself desperate to know what exactly lead to her being found alone on a boat at the age of 4.

This story is told over multiple timelines... and does alternate between Nell at the age of 21 and the age she is in the present day (60). However, the way its written it is so easy to keep up with it all, and in my opinion it just added another depth to the story.

This was a truly beautiful read!.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishers for providing me with an ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

The story is set over three time periods, the start of the 20th century, the 1970s and 2005. Reading it is a bit like a jigsaw puzzle at first and a bit confusing until the pieces start to slot into place. In 2005 Cassandra, who lived with her grandmother in Australia, learns that her grandmother Nell has left her a cottage in Cornwall. This is a huge surprise as Cassandra is unaware of any Cornish connection. She makes the decision to travel there and unravels the secret of Nell 's mysterious heritage. Nell had been left on a ship in London heading to Australia by a lady who is known to Nell as the Authoress. When she is found there she is adopted by a loving family and doesn't know she has been adopted until she is older. The mystery of why she is on the ship and who her background is the basis for this story. Kate Morton is a wonderful storyteller and the book really draws you in with its layers of intrigue it will keep you guessing until the very end.

This has to be my favourite book I’ve read of Kate Morton’s - it’s enchanting, mysterious, jam packed with intrigue, secrets, suspense, drama and twists and turns.
The book is set over multiple timelines from 1900 and up to 2005, but is simple to follow as the time period changes from chapter to chapter.
With the state of current world and country affairs this is the perfect book to escape into and immerse yourself between Brisbane, London and Cornwall.

I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book through NetGalley and Pan Macmillan, Pan, which did not influence my unbiased and honest review of the book.

A wonderful, moving read which keeps you turning the pages. Set in two time eras it tells a beautiful story which kept me enthralled throughout. As I read it I started to formulate what the outcome would be, but I was so wrong. I would heartily recommend this book, but not if you want to go to sleep early as it will keep you reading far into the night.

"A girl expecting rescue never learns to save herself."

Kate Morton has been an author on my TBR list for so long now, so it was great to have an opportunity to finally read one of her books.

This story definitely gave me 'The Secret Garden' feels, but with an edge of mystery over a wider timescale. This was also the perfect time to read this book, as my class are currently reading The Secret Garden as their core text!

I loved the structure of this novel, being split across three different generations. At first, it was a little confusing but once I was used to which characters were in each time period, it was fantastic. Especially when the links between the storylines started and everything began to come together.

The little extracts from Eliza's fairy tale book were such a great addition to this novel. It gave the story some added context but in such a creative and clever way. It also allowed you to understand the character so much more. My heart broke for her!

The characters were strange for me because there were no characters that I especially 'loved' as such. They all had their own flaws - some definitely more than others! The only characters that I really rooted for was Nell and Cassandra. Though, Christian became a quick favourite too!

My bookshelf now has a bundle of Kate Morton books ready to read, since reading this one. I'm not usually one for historical fiction, but this author is going to be a new favourite for sure!

This is an absolutely incredibly spellbinding book that I couldn't put down. The way Kate Morton presents the past and the present is unique and keeps you guessing, wishing and hoping all the way through. The characters are so relatable as are the places she described in detail like you feel you are there. The way the story is set out is magical. Superb!

On the docks in Maryborough, Australia a small girl is found abandoned. She is taken home, named Nell and becomes part of a living family but in her 21st birthday she is told a secret which changes her life.
Many years later she travels to Cornwall to try to unravel the truth about her birth and the few memories she has before Australia. But Nell dies before she can learn much about her history so her granddaughter, Cassandra, takes up the search for the truth about Nell's birth and the mysterious Authoress.
A sweeping story taking the reader from Brisbane to Cornwall via the slums of London. This is a story of wealth and unhappiness and of poverty and deep love. Quite a Gothic take in many ways but very enjoyable with enough twists and turns to keep the reader entertained.

As with all Kate Mortons books this one was wonderful to read, Grateful story with complex plots and across multiple time lines it keeps you gripped. It's a book tontotally immerse yourself in and I guarenteed you won't want to put it down.

Brilliant. Loved this read. Emotional. Great characters story easy to follow. Will recommend once it is published/released

Kate Morton has a wonderful writing style that captures the period in which her novels are set. This multi-stranded story weaves in and out of our main characters' lives. A clever mix of historical fiction, dark fairy tale and family saga - this novel will keep you enthralled from start to finish.

I have not read any of this author’s previous novels but was intrigued when this one appeared on NetGalley UK been re-published in 2025
The story follows now who has a little girl is found abandoned on the harbour in an Australian town having apparently travelled from the UK to Australia unaccompanied. She is adopted by the harbour master who brings them up as his own child and has a happy childhood however when she reaches 18, her father tells her that he is not her father and she hears the story of her foundling status. As an adult she travels to the UK to try and find out more about her family she has some success in this but the full story is not revealed until her granddaughter years later travels again back to the UK and is able to discover the whole backstory
The novel therefore follows a lot of parallel stories picking up lives in different time periods varying from present day to the early years of the 20th century. The similarities and differences between the related women adds interest and variety to the novel.
This is a book that really grabs you right from the beginning. I was thoroughly immersed in the story and read it in one sitting only breaking for meals.
The forgotten garden of the title refers to a wall garden in a seaside Cornish stately home which is tended by one of the women in the story.
The author is skilled in both story and character development and this is a really impressive novel of great depth and emotion
I loved the way the story was revealed to us gradually through the varying timelines so that eventually you got to know the full story this author really is highly skilled in dropping the little tit bits of information that you need to bulk up your story and understanding of the characters.

The characters themselves develop as you read and their reactions to the stresses and joys in their life feels real and genuinely human.
The author has a beautiful flowing lyrical writing style that is a relaxing experience to read
The various settings in Australia and the UK particularly the seaside settings in Cornwall make me feel that this novel would be a fantastic film or TV series the place themselves seem almost additional characters as you read
I read a copy of the novel on NetGalley UK in return for an unbiased review. The book was published in the UK on the 22nd of May 2025 by PanMcMillan
This review will appear on NetGalley UK, Goodreads, StoryGraph and my book blog bionicSarahS books.wordpress.com. It will also appear on Amazon UK and Waterstones.

Nell is 21 and about to marry when she finds out that Hugh & Lil are not her biological parents. She had arrived in Australia on a boat from England when she was 4 years old on her own. Who had put her on the boat and what had happened to them? Who are her biological parents?

Nell does not try to find out her origins until she is in her 60s and her father Hugh has died. She goes in search of her past but does not tell her daughter or grand-daughter, so when Nell dies 30 years later and leaves a house in Cornwall to her grand-daughter Cassandra, she has lots of questions.

Loved this.
Set in present day and the 1900s a family tries to unravel the mystery of how Nell ended up on a boat travelling to Australia on her own.
A tragic and heartwarming story.

Another great read from Kate Morton
.A child is abandoned on a ship bound for Australia. Years later she, Nell begins to unravel the mystery of her family but it is Cassandra her granddaughter who finally finds the missing pieces in Cornwall
Great storytelling with characters to love and hate

Another brilliant saga from Kate Morton - they just keep on getting better and better !
3 generations telling the story of their mysterious heritage and the forgotten garden that binds them together .
Engrossing and sometimes heartbreaking -you won't want to put it down till the very last page

Thankyou NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review

Wonderfully written book starting with a little girl left on a ship to Australia from England. Who is she? Why did the lady with her not come back and who is the lady? It takes the past and present lives of different but interconnected people to finally get those answers. Twists and turns, secrets and fairy tales make this story a page turner.

I was sent a copy of The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton to read and review by NetGalley. As expected by this author this was a multi-timeline, multi-character story. This made things a little confusing at times, until I managed to get a grip on who was who and in what timeline! The premise of the story is a good one, however I felt that the book was far too long, rather repetitive, and especially towards the end had too much rounding up of absolutely everything! Even though a reader likes to know what happens/happened it is still good to have some things left to the imagination without having been spoon fed. This makes it seem as though I didn’t enjoy this novel but I did up to a point. I just felt bogged down in the last quarter of the book and found reading rather laborious in the way that I just felt I had to read to finish rather than enjoy. Such a shame as it could have been such a good read. I started off thinking that this was a 4 star novel but I’m afraid I had to drop that down to 3 by the end.