madaboutbooks Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 I finished this book last week. I don't normally like books that jump from one year to another and found it hard going to start with, but in the end it turned out to be very good with a surprising ending! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inver Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 Is it as long as her other one, as I felt it did go on a bit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyanddandy Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 I have this one waiting to be read Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madaboutbooks Posted July 17, 2008 Author Share Posted July 17, 2008 Is it as long as her other one, as I felt it did go on a bit! Yes Inver it is quite a long book - over 600 pages, but I think it is better than her first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 I've just ordered this book Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inver Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 I just got this one this week from a fellow bookcrosser who was wanting to send it on. See what you mean about being a big read!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bev Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 Hope you enjoy it Inver, I thought it was better than her first Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supergran71 Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 I enjoyed it very much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VickiH Posted October 29, 2008 Share Posted October 29, 2008 This is in my to be read pile... can't wait to get to it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spooncat Posted October 29, 2008 Share Posted October 29, 2008 It is a long read and I must confess I read 2 other books during the middle of it ( Boy in Stipped Pyjamas being one ) but I did find I could easily go back to it and pick up from where I left off - overall I did enjoy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tillymint Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 I really enjoyed this, I think I preferred it To House at Riverton. Reminded me a little bit of Diane Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale which I absolutely loved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephanie2008 Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 This is on my TBR list. I still haven't got around to it, or The House at Riverton. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted November 1, 2008 Share Posted November 1, 2008 This one is on mount TBR! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkle1106 Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 I read this book whilst on holiday last September. I had really enjoyed The House At Riverton so had high hopes for this one, and I wasn't disappointed. I loved the different time frames and felt that each was so distinct that I didn't get confused which was a bonus! I agree with the previous comment that it is a bit like The Thirteenth Tale, which I also enjoyed. The author does tend to write quite long novels, so if you are after a quick read then it is not ideal, but for a lazy week on the beach it's fantastic. xxSparklexx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilywhite Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Hmmm, I have the book but it's the lazy week on the beach I'm struggling with I have to admit, I've looked at it a couple of times and just been put off by it's size. I suppose I shall be picking it up to read shortly though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Readwine Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Finished The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. Hefty tome, but well worth the exercise to your wrists. Brief summary from Amazon: In 1913, a little girl arrives in Brisbane, Australia, and is taken in by a dock master and his wife. She doesn’t know her name, and the only clue to her identity is a book of fairy tales tucked inside a white suitcase. When the girl, called Nell, grows up, she starts to piece together bits of her story, but just as she’s on the verge of going to England to trace the mystery to its source, her granddaughter, Cassandra, is left in her care. When Nell dies, Cassandra finds herself the owner of a cottage in Cornwall, and makes the journey to England to finally solve the puzzle of Nell’s origins. Shifting back and forth over a span of nearly 100 years (primarily 1913, 1976 and 2005), this is a sprawling, old-fashioned novel, as well-cushioned as a Victorian country house, replete with family secrets, stories-within-stories, even a maze and a Dickensian rag-and-bone shop and a witch of a mother. I really enjoyed this book. Most of the characters are crisp, funny, flawed and well-developed. For some reason, however, one of the main characters (Cas) I thought lacked substance, a little bit of a back-bone (and brain), but you still like her. Morton’s description of places and landscape are also very good. I love Cornwall, so Morton’s portrayal of its rawness and brilliance was a treat. The mystery of Nell beginnings develops with some twists and turns which keep you curious and expectant. I figured it out, but then I did not, but then I think I did? The story flips back and forth among the time periods, and although a bit disruptive, I think it really works towards the denouement of the novel. The story is also interspersed with several fairy tales which in the end you learn how important they are. Unique technique. I give it a 9 of 10 and recommend it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephanie2008 Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 I still haven't read this and I've had it for ages. I might move it up my To Be Read list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate Posted March 3, 2010 Share Posted March 3, 2010 Waterstones Synopsis: 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 has disappeared without a trace. A terrible secret: On the night of her twenty-first birthday, Nell Andrews 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 granddaughter, 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. This is a large book - over 600 pages, and to be honest, I was daunted by the size of it. However, I shouldn't have been. The story flew off the page and the book read very quickly. There was adventure, life changing events, fear and destruction. There was also friendship, love and great fairytales. There is not one main character in the book. The book spans a century and we get to know Nell, Cassandra and the Mountrachet family members well. The book does jump between time eras and events but it follows a stream of consciousness - by that I mean that when Nell or Cassandra discovers something about the past we then jump back in time and read what actually occurred. It is through this that we learn so much about the individuals featured in the book. I didn't struggle with the time changes at all. As long as you note the year at the beginning of the chapter you are fine and it is easy to follow and keep up. I loved the storyline. I loved how it was written so you kept discovering new things, and I enjoyed reading about London at the beginning of the 20th century, and how the upper classes lived. This is a historical novel, and I don't think it was badly or inaccurately written. Nothing notably wrong jumped out at me; and reading the acknowledgements at the end suggests that Morton did research this well. I found this book gripping and a great read. Once I got past the size of the book I loved it and only have praise for it. I have loaned my copy to my Mum I enjoyed it so much and she too is currently enjoying it. Morton is a gripping writer. She wrote characters I liked, set the scene wonderfully and wrote a story I was interested in and wanted to know what happened. I can only give this the top rating. A superb book. 5/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted March 3, 2010 Share Posted March 3, 2010 Fantastic read. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would highly recommend it to anyone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted March 3, 2010 Share Posted March 3, 2010 Oooh I'm glad to see positive reviews, this has been one of those 'will I, won't I?' books for me for a while now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate Posted March 3, 2010 Share Posted March 3, 2010 Fantastic read. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would highly recommend it to anyone I have to thank you Angel - when you told me how good this was I just had to take it off my shelf, and I'm so glad I did Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted March 3, 2010 Share Posted March 3, 2010 Really glad you enjoyed it Kate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inver Posted March 3, 2010 Share Posted March 3, 2010 It was a mega read Kate but obviously worth it. I have that one on my shelf TBR too after having read her other one House at Riverton. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heffalumpi Posted March 6, 2010 Share Posted March 6, 2010 I loved this book and am usually put off when a book jumps backwards and forwards to different time periods. I enjoyed the way the story built right up to the end. This is better than The House At Riverton and that was pretty good too. Both are worth a read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethany725 Posted March 6, 2010 Share Posted March 6, 2010 I feel blue. I LOVE the sound of this book.. LOVED her first book.. but have now tried this book twice and just keep getting stuck. I think it has something to do with the swapping of the perspectives and that making it a tough 'pick up, put down' book maybe? I so wish I could do it.. but I just couldn't make myself go on after getting stuck around the same spot (about 120 pages) twice. *heavy sigh* ... Maybe I'll give it one more go in a couple of years when I have a really large span of time to read.. maybe on a super long flight or something. Glad most of you enjoyed it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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