The Forgotten Garden: A Novel

Written by Kate Morton, this is the story of Nell; a little girl who is abandoned on an ocean liner bound to Australia from England and is raised by an Australian dock master and his wife as their own. Not until her twenty-first birthday does she find out the truth, and the force of this knowledge changes her whole life. As she grows older, Nell begins to put the puzzle pieces together and plans to travel to England to finally learn the truth of her origins. But fate intervenes when her daughter arrives with Nell’s granddaughter Cassandra. Nell postpones her plans forever when she agrees to care for Cassandra. Years later, after Nell’s death, Cassandra is surprised to learn that Nell had purchased a property in Cornwall, England, which she has left to Cassandra. She travels there herself; and finally is able to learn of Nell’s true parentage among the aristocratic Mountrachet family. Cassandra also finds a true love of her own. This combination of family saga and mystery, with a touch of atmospheric charm, is an enjoyable read.