The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
Author; Kate Morton http://www.katemorton.com/
Publisher; Washington Square Press (Simon and Schuster) http://books.simonandschuster.com/Forgotten-Garden/Kate-Morton/9781416550549
I pack light. When I travel I use a 19-inch roller bag and a shoulder bag, for every trip, any length over 3 days. So, you can guess that my excess space for ‘stuff’ is small.
I loaned my eReader to my sister.
My Niece passes this book along to me just as she’s tossing me out at the airport. “Here, I like it and thought you would too.” It’s 552 pages. I have nowhere to put it.
The Ticketing Agent snuffs her nose at my shoulder bag + roller bag + BOOK. “That fit in your bag?”
“Yup.” I reply, direct lie. She lets me through despite her visible concern.
I sit down at the gate and start to read. It’s a mystery. A little girl is abandoned on a ship bound for Australia. She gets ‘adopted’ by a family and lives happily until her engagement, when her adoptive Father spills the beans, “we found you…”. The knowledge tears away her foundations and exposes her life as a lie.
I board the airplane. She lives her life without telling her family. Her Daughter never knows. Her Grand-Daughter learns the secret and investigates. As she does, things begin to make sense; the troubled relationship with her adoptive family, her caustic relationship with her daughter, her loving relationship with her Grand-Daughter.
I read at home, until the mystery resolves itself.
My Niece was right, it was a wonderful read. Light and entwined intelligently. The Characters followed reasonable personality traits, they were motivated by appropriate emotions, things happened that seemed realistic. It was refreshing and fun. There were no bizarre or out-of-the-blue clues or answers, it all made sense.
I enjoyed reading this well thought-out novel, the writing style is light and easy. The story is engaging and quick enough that it maintains your interest. It was a perfect selection for travel, or a summer read, or a winter snuggle by the fire.
Pick it up, it will not disappoint.
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The above is an opinion of Hubbaloo’s.
