Reviews

I really enjoyed this book. For me, I really enjoyed the different viewpoints, which is unusual for me. I typically don't like revolving door viewpoints, but in this book it worked. The only negative for me was I felt that there were some missing parts. I can't really go into more without giving plot away. Eliza was my favorite character in the book. My favorite parts of the book, by far, were either from her perspective or her fairy tales.

laurehender's review against another edition

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5.0

The Forgotten Garden was so amazing, so refreshing. The characters had so much life. The story switched back and forth between time periods but was not difficult to follow at all. It was a steady unfolding of hinting of events and then revealing the whole story. It captured my attention for the entire book. There were never any times where the book was lagging or where I wished it would hurry and get to the point - which happens all to often. Kate Morton even includes some of the fairy tales that are in the book that the Forgotten Garden is centered around, and they were incredible. There is so much symbolism in this book that really makes you think. This book is so rich in detail. I believe I could read it several more times and keep discovering small nuances. Kate Morton is now, without a doubt one, of my favorite writers. Her style mimics a classic but keeps you entertained. She adds suspense little by little with perfection. I will definitely be reading more of her books. This is the book that I will be comparing historical family secrets fiction to for years to come.

vickeyfoggin's review against another edition

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4.0

Kate Morton's books are really popular amongst my home library clients and I thought it was time to pick one up so I could chat back. I also read this to meet my book club's "Australian" challenge. I enjoyed this read and was captivated enough to read it in one sitting. She's got a real talent for recreating a place and time and that's one of my favourite aspects of historical fiction. She slowly dropped enough hints and discoveries to keep me turning the pages to see where the story went. I liked how Eliza Makepeace's fairytales reflected the occurrences of the "real" parts of the story and how the "real" parts of the story had some fairy tale elements. I think some of the lyrical language was a bit heavy handed but hopefully that gets edited out of her future books - I think this was her second? I'll definitely read more and continue to send them out to my clients!

manadalsu's review against another edition

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4.0

Should say currently listening.

dappeltje's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

bartleybranson's review against another edition

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5.0

Oof. This was great. It took me a bit, but I loved every second of it. It brought me memories of getting lost in stories as a kid, and I love when a book is able to do that for me. Highly recommend if you like generational mysteries/historical fiction/fairytales!

jflowers00's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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