5/5 stars

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

I do not give 5 stars lightly. That should be your first sign that I really enjoyed this book!

Think of one of your ancestors and what you know about them. Maybe you’ve seen a wedding picture, or you know the names of their children. Maybe you know more or maybe you know less. But likely, all you know of them is a few facts surrounding key events–and that’s it. You know none of the stuff that happens between the main events. Personalities, hobbies, fears, likes, dislikes, feelings, hopes, dreams, goals, passions, health, strengths, loves, mistakes, friendships, regrets, journeys, plans . . . all the stuff you know was part of your ancestor you have no way of knowing. All the stuff in between those key events you are familiar with–you just have to make that up. But imagine if you knew! How fun would it be to intimatly know your your ancestors? This is what The Forgotten Garden gives you a chance to experience.

The first thing I’ll say is that Kate Morton is a fantastic writer. Two reasons. First, her descriptions are so smooth and easy to read–I can picture exactly what the characters are seeing. She is able to give depth and shape to the environment with very few words, and her style suits me very well. Second, (and this amazes me just to write it) she writes from the point of view of SEVEN different people in FIVE different time periods! She bounces seamlessly from one POV to another, and from one time period to another! It’s so fun to read, and I never felt confused or had to go back and remind myself who was talking or when the even was occuring. I’m telling you . . . Kate Morton is smooth!

Not only is the book extremely well written, the story is so engaging! I loved the mystery–which happily isn’t fully solved until the very last few pages. I loved the characters too. Some of them were tragic, all of them had flaws, a couple of them were down right creepy, and in the end my heart ached for some, was happy for others, and glad that the rest got what they deserved.

I loved The Forgotten Garden, and I give it my full recommendation. Happy reading!