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A review by koalathebear
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
3.0
As the blurb discloses, the mystery of the novel is who is the little girl found abandoned on the ship to Australia from England? Why was she alone on the ship and to whom did she belong? The mystery unfolds over several generations, hopping from the early 1900s, to the thirties, to the seventies and then to 2005. The story is told in the third person but as each chapter jumps to a different period of time, the focus is on a different female character - Eliza Makepace, Nell O'Connor and Cassandra. At first the jumping was a little jarring but oddly enough, it wasn't terribly confusing. Each chapter set out quite clearly the time period and the location and it wasn't difficult to keep the circumstances of each woman in your head.
For me, the English scenes were probably the most gripping, the tale of Eliza's childhood and growing up in poverty. The scenes in Australia were a little less successful - they were strangely 'sunny' and didn't really fit into the very dark and menacing tone of the story.
It's difficult to discuss much of this novel without giving away spoilers because even going summarising the beginning or some of the characters gives away important plot-lines.
So, all I will say is ...
1. All of the female characters seem a little aloof and it's hard to get to know them.
2. The motivations at one point for a pivotal decision never really seem to make sense to me, love and loyalty aside
3. The very minor love story appears tacked on, although I quite liked it - it was sweet and an uplifting moment in an otherwise rather depressing novel
4. By the end of the book, when you realise what's happened and why, you really do feel sorry for the little girl making the journey over on her own
5. The novel is interspersed with stories from the fairy tales written by Eliza Makepeace - these are rather charming
6. Is there any ancient English family that doesn't seem to have a Dark Tragic Secret and Countless Misfortune in their past?
7. This is very much a woman's book for women - much like The Joy Luck Club, the men are very sketchily drawn and for the most part aren't particularly sympathetic. Weak, evil or unmemorable.
8. Did I see the ending coming? Yes, there were a few plot elements that were a little predictable although that didn't detract from the story. The only problem was that the predictability made it a little bit hard to reconcile with how Deep and Dark the mystery was supposed to be.
I read the trade paper back edition so it was quite a heavy read although only 488 pages. For a library book, it was a good read although I probably wouldn't have shelled out the $25 to buy it. I'm not in a book club any more, but this is certainly the sort of book that we would have read when I was in a club
For me, the English scenes were probably the most gripping, the tale of Eliza's childhood and growing up in poverty. The scenes in Australia were a little less successful - they were strangely 'sunny' and didn't really fit into the very dark and menacing tone of the story.
It's difficult to discuss much of this novel without giving away spoilers because even going summarising the beginning or some of the characters gives away important plot-lines.
So, all I will say is ...
1. All of the female characters seem a little aloof and it's hard to get to know them.
2. The motivations at one point for a pivotal decision never really seem to make sense to me, love and loyalty aside
3. The very minor love story appears tacked on, although I quite liked it - it was sweet and an uplifting moment in an otherwise rather depressing novel
4. By the end of the book, when you realise what's happened and why, you really do feel sorry for the little girl making the journey over on her own
5. The novel is interspersed with stories from the fairy tales written by Eliza Makepeace - these are rather charming
6. Is there any ancient English family that doesn't seem to have a Dark Tragic Secret and Countless Misfortune in their past?
7. This is very much a woman's book for women - much like The Joy Luck Club, the men are very sketchily drawn and for the most part aren't particularly sympathetic. Weak, evil or unmemorable.
8. Did I see the ending coming? Yes, there were a few plot elements that were a little predictable although that didn't detract from the story. The only problem was that the predictability made it a little bit hard to reconcile with how Deep and Dark the mystery was supposed to be.
I read the trade paper back edition so it was quite a heavy read although only 488 pages. For a library book, it was a good read although I probably wouldn't have shelled out the $25 to buy it. I'm not in a book club any more, but this is certainly the sort of book that we would have read when I was in a club