The Forgotten Garden
Encyclopedia
The Forgotten Garden is a 2009
novel
written by the Australia
n author Kate Morton
. Morton has published four other works that include: The House at Riverton
, The Shifting Fog, Miscellanea, and The Distant Hours
.
’s style in The Secret Garden
, Kate Morton’s The Forgotten Garden contains its own set of hidden secrets. At the age of 21, Nell discovers that as a young child, she was found alone on a ship headed for Australia
, and that the father she has loved for all these years is merely a man who found her.
Though they loved her like their own, Nell could not continue loving her family the way she had. In an effort of desperation, she sets out on her quest of self discovery, which leads her to the Blackhurst Manor just off the Cornish
coast. It is here that Nell begins to piece together her history, learn the truth about her origins, and unbury the secrets of the Montrachet family.
However, it is Nell’s granddaughter Cassandra, suffering with her own abandonment issues, who finishes Nell’s journey and discovers the family’s darkest secret of all. After unexpectedly inheriting the Cliff Cottage on the grounds of Blackhurst Manor and its forgotten garden, Cassandra slowly finds the missing pieces of Nell’s history which lead to her own self discovery and healing.
, country homes, England
, Cornwall
, Inheritance and succession.
Kirkus describes this novel as "weighty" and "at times unwieldy." The plot is described as "intricate" with "intersecting narratives" and "heavy-handed fairy-tale symbolism."
The Forgotten Garden exhibits many of the Gothic
conventions found in books like Jane Eyre
and Wuthering Heights
, most poignantly the dark and gloomy estate. There are also recognizable parallels between this novel and Frances Hodgson Burnett
's The Secret Garden.
by Atria Books, April 2009, ISBN 1234567890, hardback.
in Cornwall
. All of these elements are weaved throughout her story.
2009 in literature
The year 2009 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*8 October - Romanian-born German novelist Herta Müller wins the 2009 Nobel Prize in Literature....
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
written by the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n author Kate Morton
Kate Morton
Kate Morton is an Australian author, who has enjoyed domestic and international success with her novels The House at Riverton and The Forgotten Garden. Morton's third novel, The Distant Hours, was published in 2010.-Early life and education:Morton is the eldest of three sisters...
. Morton has published four other works that include: The House at Riverton
The House at Riverton
The House at Riverton is the first novel by Australian author Kate Morton, published in the United Kingdom by Pan Macmillan in June 2007. It has been selected as a Summer Read by the Richard & Judy Book Club, and was featured on Channel 4's Richard & Judy Show on Wednesday 18 July 2007....
, The Shifting Fog, Miscellanea, and The Distant Hours
The Distant Hours
The Distant Hours is the third novel from Australian author Kate Morton. Published in the UK by Pan Macmillan, the hardback edition came out in Autumn 2010 and the paperback is due to be published in May 2011. The Distant Hours was a Sunday Times Top Ten Bestseller in hardback.- Author Kate Morton...
.
Plot/review
Reminiscent of Frances Hodgson BurnettFrances Hodgson Burnett
Frances Eliza Hodgson Burnett was an English playwright and author. She is best known for her children's stories, in particular The Secret Garden , A Little Princess, and Little Lord Fauntleroy.Born Frances Eliza Hodgson, she lived in Cheetham Hill, Manchester...
’s style in The Secret Garden
The Secret Garden
The Secret Garden is a novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It was initially published in serial format starting in the autumn of 1910, and was first published in its entirety in 1911. It is now one of Burnett's most popular novels, and is considered to be a classic of English children's...
, Kate Morton’s The Forgotten Garden contains its own set of hidden secrets. At the age of 21, Nell discovers that as a young child, she was found alone on a ship headed for Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and that the father she has loved for all these years is merely a man who found her.
Though they loved her like their own, Nell could not continue loving her family the way she had. In an effort of desperation, she sets out on her quest of self discovery, which leads her to the Blackhurst Manor just off the Cornish
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
coast. It is here that Nell begins to piece together her history, learn the truth about her origins, and unbury the secrets of the Montrachet family.
However, it is Nell’s granddaughter Cassandra, suffering with her own abandonment issues, who finishes Nell’s journey and discovers the family’s darkest secret of all. After unexpectedly inheriting the Cliff Cottage on the grounds of Blackhurst Manor and its forgotten garden, Cassandra slowly finds the missing pieces of Nell’s history which lead to her own self discovery and healing.
Major themes/style
Major themes and subject tags for this novel include: abandoned children, AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, country homes, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, Inheritance and succession.
Kirkus describes this novel as "weighty" and "at times unwieldy." The plot is described as "intricate" with "intersecting narratives" and "heavy-handed fairy-tale symbolism."
The Forgotten Garden exhibits many of the Gothic
Gothic fiction
Gothic fiction, sometimes referred to as Gothic horror, is a genre or mode of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. Gothicism's origin is attributed to English author Horace Walpole, with his 1764 novel The Castle of Otranto, subtitled "A Gothic Story"...
conventions found in books like Jane Eyre
Jane Eyre
Jane Eyre is a novel by English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published in London, England, in 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. with the title Jane Eyre. An Autobiography under the pen name "Currer Bell." The first American edition was released the following year by Harper & Brothers of New York...
and Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights is a novel by Emily Brontë published in 1847. It was her only novel and written between December 1845 and July 1846. It remained unpublished until July 1847 and was not printed until December after the success of her sister Charlotte Brontë's novel Jane Eyre...
, most poignantly the dark and gloomy estate. There are also recognizable parallels between this novel and Frances Hodgson Burnett
Frances Hodgson Burnett
Frances Eliza Hodgson Burnett was an English playwright and author. She is best known for her children's stories, in particular The Secret Garden , A Little Princess, and Little Lord Fauntleroy.Born Frances Eliza Hodgson, she lived in Cheetham Hill, Manchester...
's The Secret Garden.
Publication history
Published in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by Atria Books, April 2009, ISBN 1234567890, hardback.
Developmental history
Kate Morton drew on personal experiences as she wrote The Forgotten Garden. Morton's own grandmother, just like Nell, found out on her 21st birthday that she was not the biological daughter of her parents. It was a secret she kept until she confided in her three older daughters as an old woman, and this dark secret was one of the inspirations for her novel. Morton was also inspired by her own home which sits on a Paddington hillside, and the mysterious Lost Gardens of HeliganLost Gardens of Heligan
The Lost Gardens of Heligan, near Mevagissey in Cornwall, are one of the most popular botanical gardens in the UK. The style of the gardens is typical of the nineteenth century Gardenesque style, with areas of different character and in different design styles.The gardens were created by members of...
in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
. All of these elements are weaved throughout her story.
Reception
The Forgotten Garden has generally been received positively by critics and readers alike. Morton is described as having the "storyteller's touch," an author who has "supreme control of her material," and a "writer who is really getting into her stride." Her novel is described as a "beautifully written and satisfying novel," "another beautiful and compulsively readable romantic mystery."Awards and nominations
- Premiere Main Selection in FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, December 2008 - Australian Book Industry Awards 2009: General Fiction Book of the Year
- New York Times Best Seller