Book Review - The Forgotten Garden

The Forgotten Garden

By Kate Morton

 

 

The Forgotten Garden is a beautifully written book, a must read for anyone who loves fairytales. Like all fairytales it includes a beautiful castle, a few Princesses, an evil Queen, a kindly village couple, an Ogre and of course a handsome Prince. In 1913 a tiny girl is left alone on a ship that is sailing to Australia and so begins a story that will take us through many years as Nell searches for her true identity. Nell has in her possession a lovely book of fairy tales written by the lady she only knows as the authoress. This book will eventually lead her on a great adventure in Cornwall and years later her granddaughter Cassandra to the truth. The Forgotten Garden shows us the damage that can come from secrets and also how love and faith can show us the way.

Submitted by Diane Vaughn

Book Review - Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner

 

Winner of the 1984 Booker Prize for Fiction

Hotel du Lac tells the story of Edith Hope, a romance novelist, who "for her own good" is sent away for a respite vacation outside Geneva at a hotel by a lake. In many ways, this is a wonderful book club selection because of the interesting (but not necessarily likeable) characters, and their motivations which are not always obvious. The ending left our members differing significantly over what choice Edith has made as she plans to return to England.

Brookner's Hotel du Lac is not for the reader looking for action. Most of our members felt that "little happened" in the course of the story. However, this IS a book for readers who enjoy elegant, astutely observed prose with meticulously drawn characters.