So first, I think I should explain why it took me so long to get through this book. Excuse #1: I found the first third of the book boring. Excuse #2: I was busy with school. Excuse #3: I found the first third of the book boring. To be honest with you, if a novel doesn’t captivate me within the first few chapters, it will take an excruciatingly long time for me to finish it because I’ll need to occupy my mind with another book or two during the time I’m “reading” the first one. This was the case with The Forgotten Garden. I had heard many wonderful reviews on this book and it had looked promising, so I couldn’t wait to begin reading it. But the plot just dragged out the first third of the book, and I could not bear to get through it all. So I took a break. A four month-long break, to be exact. In that time, I read The Lord of the Rings series. Once school was over, I vowed to pick up The Forgotten Garden again and finally finish it. And I did. From what had been a slow, snail-like-pace start, soon changed into an original and amusing story, with plenty of plot twists and memorable characters. I was so mad at myself for leaving it for so long and giving up so easily because the conclusion made it all worth it. Kate Morton has such a rich and diverse language — she eloquently paints murals for the reader with merely her words. I absolutely love the way she weaved three separate stories together because it flowed so well. Nell, Cassandra and Eliza all had wonderfully strong voices near the end, and Kate left me wanting more. The more I think about it, the more I realize that this novel really is a gem — what girl wouldn’t love a novel brimming with secrets, fairytales, romance, friendship, familial bonds and delicious words? Still though. Even though I did enjoy the latter half of the book, I can’t forgive Kate Morton 100% for the first half. Therefore I can’t say it was completely spectacular, but merely nice. To view more of my book reviews, visit: http://booksteame.com/

I enjoyed this book. There are so many pieces needed to solve the mystery of the origins of Nell, the little girl left alone on the end of a pier in Australia in 1913. However the author does flash between several different story lines in different times as the story develops and that drove me crazy. When I was with one character, I wanted their story to continue and with another character I wanted their story to continue.

This was the first book I ever read by Kate Morton and I have been hooked on her books every since. I didnt want to put it down. Every time I put the book down it was reluctantly and kept me wanting to move on to the next chapter ...then the next.

If you have time to pay attention and keep the various threads and timelines straight, this is a good beach/cottage read. If you like an easy-to-follow, linear plot, this is not the book for you! I enjoyed it but would not put it among my top faves.

A beautifully written novel that covers three different eras in time. Each chapter dives into a brand new perspective told by every character in the book. I could not put this book down and I had to know what happened to Nell. I highly recommend this book it was one of the best that I've read in the last few years.

Decent and well written novel which kept me intrigued. Set in three different times, it provided an atmosphere of fairytale magic, hope and mystery.

Really enjoyed this; kept me thoroughly engaged.

The only thing missing is a physical book I can purchase written by Eliza. Magical!

The further into the book I got, the more I couldn't put it down.

What started off slowly got prettty interesting. By the end of the book I couldn't put it down.