Kate Morton Weaves a Rich Tale That Delights

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
Also by this author: The Distant Hours, The Secret Keeper, The Lake House
Published by Pan Books on June 1, 2008
Genres/Lists: Fiction
Pages: 648
Read synopsis on Goodreads
Buy the book: Amazon/Audible (this post includes affiliate links) four-stars

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton is an intricately woven tale of long-hidden family secrets and the quest to uncover them. Told from the viewpoint of 3 different generations, it is an excellent way to disappear from the world and into the garden!

When I think of Kate Morton, the words “richly woven tale” come to mind. Her stories are so intricate and leave no stone unturned. But not in that overly-descriptive way that leaves nothing to the imagination (like White Oleander). Although there are a few hokey sentences like, “For to think was to dip the paint-loaded brush of doubt into the clear water of certainty”, she manages to find a balance between giving you just enough information to create your own image but without being too vague.

What I loved about this book (although it took a little time to get my bearings) is that it is told from 3 different perspectives, all of which are relevant. Usually when a story is told in this way it leaves huge empty gaps and either the story is not fully wrapped up or it is explained in a rush at the end of the book (which for me, ruins the whole book). That was not the case with “The Forgotten Garden” and is one of the reasons that I love Kate Morton.

This was my third Kate Morton book (the previous two being “The House at Riverton” and “The Distant Hours“) and I’m looking forward to her next one, “The Secret Keeper”, which is expected out this October.

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Isi
Hi there, Allison! 😀
I also loved this book. It was my first novel by Kate Morton, she had become very-very popular in Spain and everybody in the world had already read the book except me, but wow, when I finished it I regret not reading it before.
Then I discovered The secret keeper (I read it in English and this time I was the first Spanish blogger to read it) and I couldn’t believe this book was even better than The forgotten garden 🙂
I must to read the rest of her books!
- The Book Wheel
  You must! Distant Hours was my least favorite but it was still good. I read another book called The Mill River Recluse around the same time and looved it, too.
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Mel
This was my first Kate Morton novel I have read, and I absolutely love it. I can’t wait to read her other novels, however I’ve heard Distant Hours and House at Riverton are not as good…
- The Book Wheel
  Forgotten Garden is definitely her best. I have The Secret Keeper but I haven’t read it yet. I’m hoping it is one of her better ones!

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