The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
Summary
This novel begins in the year 1913 when a
dock master discovers a four-year-old child left alone on a dock in Queensland,
Australia after all passengers had disembarked from a boat that had sailed from
England. The dock master and his wife
decide to keep the child, as efforts to trace her family have failed, and they
name her Nell. In the present day (this
novel switches perspectives between the years 1913, 1975, and 2005) Cassandra
is grieving for her grandmother Nell’s passing and discovers, while going
through Nell’s things, that Nell had continued searching for her true
parents. Cassandra takes over this search which leads
her to England and a small Cornish village, and finally to a small and very
aged cottage with a walled garden, that may contain answers to some of the many
secrets of the past. This novel was a
real page turner, although rather lengthy at 550 pages, and some may have
difficulty keeping track of what is happening with the frequent going back and
forth between generations. Also, the
male characters in the novel are weak and at times, insipid. These flaws, however, are easily overlooked
with the author’s pacing and attention to character detail. Everyone in our book club thoroughly enjoyed
this great read and would highly recommend it.
Menu
Appetizers
Coleslaw
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Fish Tacos
