The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
A woman from my book club recommended The Forgotten Garden, and I knew right away that I wanted to read it. It starts out with a four-year-old girl found alone at an Australian port, unable to remember her name. The portmaster and his wife take her in and raise her, but when as an adult she learns the truth, Nell feels that she no longer has any idea who she is. She is tormented by the mystery of her origins for more than 40 years, until her father leaves her the small suitcase he found with her. An illustrated book of fairy tales sparks one of a very few memories from her previous life and gives Nell a place to begin the search for her past. But the full story began years before her birth, and her granddaughter Cassandra continues the search for answers even after Nell's death.
The Forgotten Garden spans more than 100 years and is narrated by several different characters in both of her families, as well as Nell herself. The story isn't remotely chronological, jumping around in time in a way that could have been disjointed, but the way Morton wrote it, the progression felt absolutely right. Each chapter revealed just enough about its character and their surroundings to leave me wanting more; it was so tough to find a stopping place at night. I couldn't wait to learn the whole story, but I was so sad when it was done. I was satisfied with the resolution, but I missed the characters. So, I immediately began flipping back to earlier sections to re-read them in the context of the full story. Every detail fits beautifully into place, including the fairy tales interspersed throughout. I did guess the Truth a good while before it was actually revealed, but that didn't take away from the story; I enjoyed learning the how and the why just as much as figuring out what had happened.
I read this during a very tough week, when I was upset to the point of nausea and sometimes it was all I could do not to start crying in public. But this book always made me feel better, always provided the captivating escape from real life I wanted. I'd love it for that alone, but the intriguing story and the vivid, gorgeous descriptions were wonderful in their own right. I'll definitely read Morton's other two books.
(For the record, things are much better now.)
The Forgotten Garden spans more than 100 years and is narrated by several different characters in both of her families, as well as Nell herself. The story isn't remotely chronological, jumping around in time in a way that could have been disjointed, but the way Morton wrote it, the progression felt absolutely right. Each chapter revealed just enough about its character and their surroundings to leave me wanting more; it was so tough to find a stopping place at night. I couldn't wait to learn the whole story, but I was so sad when it was done. I was satisfied with the resolution, but I missed the characters. So, I immediately began flipping back to earlier sections to re-read them in the context of the full story. Every detail fits beautifully into place, including the fairy tales interspersed throughout. I did guess the Truth a good while before it was actually revealed, but that didn't take away from the story; I enjoyed learning the how and the why just as much as figuring out what had happened.
I read this during a very tough week, when I was upset to the point of nausea and sometimes it was all I could do not to start crying in public. But this book always made me feel better, always provided the captivating escape from real life I wanted. I'd love it for that alone, but the intriguing story and the vivid, gorgeous descriptions were wonderful in their own right. I'll definitely read Morton's other two books.
(For the record, things are much better now.)