The Forgotten Garden - Kate Morton

Summary: A lost child...
On the eve of the first world war, a little girl is found abandoned on a ship to Australia. A mysterious woman called the Authoress had promised to look after her - but the Authoress has disappeared without a trace.

A terrible secret...
On the night of her twenty-first birthday, Nell O'Connor learns a secret that will change her life forever. Decades later, she embarks upon a search for the truth that leads her to the windswept Cornish coast and the strange and beautiful Blackhurst Manor, once owned by the aristocratic Mountrachet family.

A mysterious inheritance...
On Nell's death, her grand-daughter, Cassandra, comes into an unexpected inheritance. Cliff Cottage and its forgotten garden are notorious amongst the Cornish locals for the secrets they hold - secrets about the doomed Mountrachet family and their ward Eliza Makepeace, a writer of dark Victorian fairytales. It is here that Cassandra will finally uncover the truth about the family, and solve the century-old mystery of a little girl lost.
Summary for katemorton.com, cover photo from barnesandnoble.com

My Review: The Forgotten Garden is another stunning work from Kate Morton that leaves one longing for more of her skilled writing. This is Nell's story. The story of a strong, quiet lady in her sixties who sets out on a quest to solve the mystery of her past. A past that was lost when she was found abandoned on a ship at the tender age of four. However it it not a quest that she is able to complete in her lifetime. After her death Nell's granddaughter, Cassandra, picks up where her grandmother has left off, embarking on her own adventure to solve the mystery surrounding her grandmother's identity.

Vividly detailed scenes instantly draw the reader into this puzzle. The past is effortlessly weaved into the present, taking the reader on a journey which begins in the early 1900's, jumping to Nell's story in the 1970's and leaping forward to present day 2005 to travel with Cassandra, only to leap back and forward again and again. Each story becomes intertwined with the next, yet with visible distinctions. The impact of each generations choices is obviously seen in the next generation. All the while the magic of fairy tales is weaved throughout.

While this mystery can be solved by the reader within the first two-thirds of the book the suspense continues as the characters begin to unravel the past. It is only within the last few pages that one is able to catch a breathe again. This is an absolutely mesmerizing tale filled with twists and turns and plenty of knots along the way. It is heartbreaking to see the story come to an end as the time spent within these pages is so utterly delightful. I'm unsure that any review could do this book justice. You will just have to read it for yourself to discover the magic within.

My Rating: 5 Stars, this book is now right up at the top of my favorites list

If I had to sum this book up in one sentence it would be: A magical mystery that one almost does not wish to see solved, as that would mean having to close the cover on this remarkable book.