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The Forgotten Garden

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The Forgotten Garden

By: Kate Morton
Narrated by: Caroline Lee
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About this listen

 A foundling, an old book of dark fairy tales, a secret garden, a maze, an aristocratic family, a love denied, a mystery - The Forgotten Garden is a captivating, atmospheric, and a compulsive listen about the past, ghosts, family, and memories from best-selling author Kate Morton.

Thirty-eight year old Cassandra is lost, alone, and grieving. Her much loved grandmother, Nell, has just died and Cassandra, her life already shaken by a tragic accident 10 years ago, feels like she has lost everything known and dear to her.

But an unexpected and mysterious bequest from Nell turns Cassandra's life upside down and ends up challenging everything she thought she knew about herself and her family. Inheriting a book of dark and intriguing fairytales written by Eliza Makepeace Rutherford - the Victorian authoress who disappeared mysteriously in the early twentieth century - as well as a cliff-top cottage on the other side of the world, Cassandra takes her courage in both hands to follow in the footsteps of Nell, on a quest to find out the truth about their history, their family and their past; little knowing that in the process, she will also discover a new life for herself.

©2008 Kate Morton (P)2008 Bolinda Publishing Genre Fiction Historical Literary Fiction Mystery Fiction Magic Fantasy Multi-generational Family Exciting

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Critic reviews

"This debut page-turner...recounts the crumbling of a prominent British family as seen through the eyes of one of its servants....Morton triumphs with a riveting plot, a touching but tense love story and a haunting ending." ( Publishers Weekly)
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I loved this book. Although I agree with previous reviewer re-accents (diabolical cornish accent), and it became quite obvious early on how events would probably turn out.That said however, the author draws you in slowly but surely and suddenly 2 hrs have passed by! All in all a really enjoyable way to escape for a while.

Escapism

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I found this irritatingly long winded and the jumps backwards and forwards in time were too frequent. I lost patience about a third of the way through.

Yawn!

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What made the experience of listening to The Forgotten Garden the most enjoyable?

A great story, perhaps a little predictable but beautifully written and narrated.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Forgotten Garden?

Entering the abandoned cottage for the first time and the heroines emotional reaction.

What does Caroline Lee bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Feeling and empathy.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes, I felt very emotionally involved.

Any additional comments?

Loved it.

The past uncovered

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Where does The Forgotten Garden rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Very Highly

What did you like best about this story?

The unexpected twists and turns

Which character – as performed by Caroline Lee – was your favourite?

Nell, the principle character in the book

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No. but I couldn't put it down as the story evolved

Any additional comments?

I think it is a brilliant book. I cannot understand why filmakers keep remaking the same old films. i.e. Spderman and such like, when books of this calibre are available asking to be made into films

A gem of a story

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This was a good story but Oh dear the \" Cornish \" accent was so excruciating to listen to, spoilt it for me.

A good story spoilt

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