Kate Morton - The Forgotten Garden

Reviewed by Barbara Simpson on 20/11/08
The Forgotten Garden is an absorbing and very satisfying story of three generations of women linked by a shared background. The book is set between Australia and Cornwall and begins with the discovery of a 4yr old girl sitting alone on a wharf in Brisbane in 1913 after the arrival of a ship from England. She refuses to speak and there is no clue to her identity in the small white suitcase that is her only possession. The kindly Docks Manager, tries to find anyone who knows her but is unsuccessful and at the end of the day takes her home to his wife. They have been unable to have children of their own and are delighted to take the child into their care.
The second part of the story involves that same girl, Nell, later in her life. She has grown up in a loving family, now with brothers, and has very few recollections of her early life, apart from a beautifully illustrated book of fairy stories written by The Authoress whom she knows is somehow bound up with her past. When she discovers that she was in fact a foundling, her shock is profound and in 1975, she resolves to find her real family and uncover the story of what happened to her all those years ago.
The third strand concerns Cassandra, Nell's granddaughter, who, on Nell's death in 2005, is amazed to be told that she has inherited a house in Cornwall. She had no knowledge of any connection with that part of the world and, intrigued, sets off to visit her inheritance.
Interwoven with Nell and Cassandra's stories is that of Eliza, the mysterious Authoress of Nell's faint memories. Her tale is quite tragic but she is a resourceful woman who overcomes the difficulties that face her and emerges as a strong and very likable personality.
Kate Morton (winner of Richard & Judy's Summer Read in 2007 with 'The House At Riverton') is a writer who skilfully combines characterisation and lyrical description in a most satisfying way and I can thoroughly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys getting totally involved in a really good story. Published by Pan Books at £7.99 and worth every penny!