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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
I would actually give this book 3.5 stars if I could. Great story line and writing style. Likable characters with enough positive qualities to out way the torment and sadness that could overwhelm this story. My only complaint was simply the length of the book in general, especially the first 200ish pages. Some of the chapters ended up being way to drawn out and unnecessary to get the point. Once I made it halfway through, I was hooked. Overall, enjoyable story. Will recommend to friends and read any others by Kate Morton.
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A nameless little girl is found alone after the long sea voyage from England to Australia. The port master finds her, he and his wife take her in and raise her as their own. Years later, that little girl is now grown and wants to know the truth about her identity, so she travels to England. Her only clues are a volume of fairy tales she carried in her suitcase all those years ago and her memories of a woman she knows only as the Authoress. They lead her to Blackhurst Manor on the Cornish coast, a ramshackle cottage, and a forgotten garden full of secrets. But she never finds answers. And when her granddaughter learns of her surprise inheritance after her grandmother’s death, she embarks on a journey to England, determined to solve the puzzle that has haunted her family for all these years.
Kate Morton is an author whose books have been languishing on my shelves for far too many years. So when the SquadPod were offered the chance to read the beautiful reissued edition of The Forgotten Garden it was the perfect excuse to finally pick up one of her books and discover an author I was sure I’d love. And I did. Beautifully written, intricately interwoven, gorgeously evocative and with a strong sense of place, Morton brings the world she has created to life in exquisite detail. She knows exactly how to pique the interest of her readers, using little details to keep us reading such as the slightly sinister elements, subtle nods to Gothic and Victoriana, and ending each chapter with a revelation and then switching to another timeline. But my favourite detail was how Morton wove dark fairytales written by the Authoress into the narrative. Not only were they brilliantly written, they also served as clues and foreshadowing for the secrets hidden for a century that were being slowly unveiled.
The story is told by a cast of compelling and richly drawn narrators, but it is Nell who is at the centre of this entire story. She narrates at different stages of her life: a child, a young woman, and elderly lady. I enjoyed seeing how she’d changed and how she’d remained the same at all these points in her life, and admit to having a real soft spot for little Nell. The other narrators - Authoress Eliza and her cousin Rose, and Cassandra, Nell’s granddaughter - are all equally as fascinating to read, pulling me into their lives, immersing me in their stories and making me feel invested in the outcome. Moving seamlessly between timelines and continents, Morton took me along for the ride as these women embarked on journeys of self discovery and tried to unravel the mystery that surrounds them.
Hypnotic, immersive and enthralling, don’t miss this magnificent book.
Kate Morton is an author whose books have been languishing on my shelves for far too many years. So when the SquadPod were offered the chance to read the beautiful reissued edition of The Forgotten Garden it was the perfect excuse to finally pick up one of her books and discover an author I was sure I’d love. And I did. Beautifully written, intricately interwoven, gorgeously evocative and with a strong sense of place, Morton brings the world she has created to life in exquisite detail. She knows exactly how to pique the interest of her readers, using little details to keep us reading such as the slightly sinister elements, subtle nods to Gothic and Victoriana, and ending each chapter with a revelation and then switching to another timeline. But my favourite detail was how Morton wove dark fairytales written by the Authoress into the narrative. Not only were they brilliantly written, they also served as clues and foreshadowing for the secrets hidden for a century that were being slowly unveiled.
The story is told by a cast of compelling and richly drawn narrators, but it is Nell who is at the centre of this entire story. She narrates at different stages of her life: a child, a young woman, and elderly lady. I enjoyed seeing how she’d changed and how she’d remained the same at all these points in her life, and admit to having a real soft spot for little Nell. The other narrators - Authoress Eliza and her cousin Rose, and Cassandra, Nell’s granddaughter - are all equally as fascinating to read, pulling me into their lives, immersing me in their stories and making me feel invested in the outcome. Moving seamlessly between timelines and continents, Morton took me along for the ride as these women embarked on journeys of self discovery and tried to unravel the mystery that surrounds them.
Hypnotic, immersive and enthralling, don’t miss this magnificent book.
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
*My review may contain spoilers*
This is sadly my least favorite book of the three books I've read by Kate Morton. My #1 favorite: The Secret Keeper, #2 favorite: The Lake House and this be my #3 favorite. I admit, much as I adore Kate Morton's writing style, delicious descriptive prose and story-telling style with shifting timelines, I felt a wee bit bored. The story was moving along slooooowly and the plot was dragging at times and moving in directions that didn't seem to connect at other times, and in the end, some of the loose ends are still bothering me (more on that in a minute). Let me talk about my favorite parts: I loved Nell's storyline and more than anything, sad as it was, I was mesmerized by Eliza Makepeace's storyline.
I'm proud of myself for guessing the mystery around Nell's mother before it was revealed to me in the story. Morton has trained me well and this time, I beat her to the secret and guessed part of the truth, but that was to be the 'big revelation' and I'm afraid it just wasn't enough of a secret, it didn't deliver enough of a punch given the massive buildup we had been working towards. The disappearance of Eliza was somewhat intriguing, but it was just disappointing. You do not get satisfaction - your protagonists (well, in my eyes, Eliza, Nell and Cass were all protagonists, each in their own storylines) - do not exactly win. At least, Eliza doesn't. She doesn't get revenge on those who hurt her and betrayed her and mistreated her all her life, and that was, I tell you, highly dissatisfying. HIGHLY! Cass's storyline bored me. I only cared about her to the extent of having to figure out what happened in the past. She was a vehicle of the present to the past and nothing more. The best timelines were when she takes us back to the storylines of Georgiana and Linus, and then building it up to Eliza and Rose.
The loose thread that still bugs me is the letter that Hugh received from who (????) looking for Nell (Ivory), and we never close the loop on that. It's a big one because who would have gone looking for her, when everyone in her life was gone.
Insofar as the writing style and author's voice, the story-telling, the characterization (even if at times drawn out), Kate Morton is still truly exquisite and continues to impress.
I started The House at Riverton too, but couldn't get into it. Maybe it will call me again. I listened to the book on audio by Caroline Lee, who also narrates the other books by Morton, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Now, what to listen to next? :)))
This is sadly my least favorite book of the three books I've read by Kate Morton. My #1 favorite: The Secret Keeper, #2 favorite: The Lake House and this be my #3 favorite. I admit, much as I adore Kate Morton's writing style, delicious descriptive prose and story-telling style with shifting timelines, I felt a wee bit bored. The story was moving along slooooowly and the plot was dragging at times and moving in directions that didn't seem to connect at other times, and in the end, some of the loose ends are still bothering me (more on that in a minute). Let me talk about my favorite parts: I loved Nell's storyline and more than anything, sad as it was, I was mesmerized by Eliza Makepeace's storyline.
I'm proud of myself for guessing the mystery around Nell's mother before it was revealed to me in the story. Morton has trained me well and this time, I beat her to the secret and guessed part of the truth, but that was to be the 'big revelation' and I'm afraid it just wasn't enough of a secret, it didn't deliver enough of a punch given the massive buildup we had been working towards. The disappearance of Eliza was somewhat intriguing, but it was just disappointing. You do not get satisfaction - your protagonists (well, in my eyes, Eliza, Nell and Cass were all protagonists, each in their own storylines) - do not exactly win. At least, Eliza doesn't. She doesn't get revenge on those who hurt her and betrayed her and mistreated her all her life, and that was, I tell you, highly dissatisfying. HIGHLY! Cass's storyline bored me. I only cared about her to the extent of having to figure out what happened in the past. She was a vehicle of the present to the past and nothing more. The best timelines were when she takes us back to the storylines of Georgiana and Linus, and then building it up to Eliza and Rose.
The loose thread that still bugs me is the letter that Hugh received from who (????) looking for Nell (Ivory), and we never close the loop on that. It's a big one because who would have gone looking for her, when everyone in her life was gone.
Insofar as the writing style and author's voice, the story-telling, the characterization (even if at times drawn out), Kate Morton is still truly exquisite and continues to impress.
I started The House at Riverton too, but couldn't get into it. Maybe it will call me again. I listened to the book on audio by Caroline Lee, who also narrates the other books by Morton, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Now, what to listen to next? :)))