Excellent Reads: The Forgotten Garden

Like Frances Hodgson Burnett's beloved classic The Secret Garden, Kate Morton's The Forgotten Garden takes root in your imagination and grows into something enchanting--from a little girl with no memories left alone on a ship to Australia, to a fog-soaked London river bend where orphans comfort themselves with stories of Jack the Ripper, to a Cornish sea heaving against wind-whipped cliffs, crowned by an airless manor house where an overgrown hedge maze ends in the walled garden of a cottage left to rot. This hidden bit of earth revives barren hearts, while the mysterious Authoress's fairy tales (every bit as magical and sinister as Grimm's) whisper truths and ignite the imaginary lives of children... --Mari Malcolm, Amazon.com


This absolutely ranks as one of the very best books I've ever read. I enjoyed it so much I've read it three times and loved it even more with each read.

I adored Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic The Secret Garden as a child, and this book is a clever re-imagining from an adult perspective. Ms. Burnett even makes a cameo appearance!

I'll be honest: the first couple of times I picked this up I failed to "get into it"...the length alone was daunting. But my mother was persistently persuasive for me to keep at it, and I'm so glad she was! About a 1/4 of the way through the book I simply couldn't put it down, and spent many nights reading way later than I should have!

The characters in this story have stayed with me and I often find myself thinking about them. Their tale is simply haunting! Ms. Morton has a beautiful way of writing, and I am eagerly anticipating her next project. I have recommended this book to everyone I know who enjoys a wonderful story. You will not be disappointed!