The Forgotten Garden

Goodreads Synopsis: Cassandra is lost, alone and grieving. Her much loved grandmother, Nell, has just died and Cassandra, her life already shaken by a tragic accident ten years ago, feels like she has lost everything 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 – the Victorian authoress who disappeared mysteriously in the early twentieth century – 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. 

My Ramblings: Kate Morton, the author of this book, should by rights be quite proud of this work. However, as much as I try to appreciate it I really can’t. I’ve tried. Maybe it’s just because I’m insanely tired of the heroine who’s had a difficult life storyline. I try to warm to it. I really do, but it has never worked. It’s not that it’s terrificly bad. I think it’s just that after a while, only things that are a little bit different from what I read before really intrigue me. It’s got a little bit of that ‘dark fairytale’ thing going on, mixed in with the careful splicing of different time periods. Whilst I know that this book is much loved by many, it’s really not my cup of tea. It seems to be a bit like marmite- you either love it, or you hate it.