The Forgotten Garden »

Kate Morton, a native Australian, holds degrees in dramatic art and English literature and is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Queensland. She lives with her family in Brisbane, Australia, and is writing her second novel.

From the #1 internationally bestselling author of The House at Riverton, a novel that takes the reader on an unforgettable journey through generations and across continents as two women try to uncover their family’s secret past

A tiny girl is abandoned on a ship headed for Australia in 1913. She arrives completely alone with nothing but a small suitcase containing a few clothes and a single book—a beautiful volume of fairy tales. She is taken in by the dockmaster and his wife and raised as their own. On her twenty-fi rst birthday, they tell her the truth, and with her sense of self shattered and very little to go on, "Nell" sets out to trace her real identity. Her quest leads her to Blackhurst Manor on the Cornish coast and the secrets of the doomed Mountrachet family. But it is not until her granddaughter, Cassandra, takes up the search after Nell’s death that all the pieces of the puzzle are assembled. A spellbinding tale of mystery and self-discovery, The Forgotten Garden will take hold of your imagination and never let go.

Lisa Anderson - Library Journal

A cottage on the Cornish coast is home to secrets that pull together three generations of women, despite the decades and oceans that separate them. Morton follows up her New York Times best-selling debut novel, The House at Riverton(2008)—also available from Bolinda Audio, as The Shifting Fog—with this perfect mix of scandal, drama, mystery, and just a hint of fairy-tale wonder. Actress/narrator Caroline Lee (The Ghost's Child) is a natural to portray this largely Australian cast of characters, though her other accents might leave listeners guessing. Likely to appeal to those who enjoyed Diane Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale. [Audio clip available through www.bolinda.com; the Atria: S.& S. hc was "strongly recommended for readers who enjoy intergenerational family sagas," LJXpress review 3/20/09.—Ed.]—Lisa Anderson, Metropolitan Community Coll. Lib., Omaha