Stimuli

It is 1913, and a little girl is left, seemingly forgotten, on a ship from England, bound to Australia with nothing more than a suitcase containing a few articles of clothing and a book of fairytales. A man discovers her on the dock and takes her home to his wife where they raise her. Never knowing her real name, they dub her as "Nell" and a new identity begins for her.

Later, she finds out that no one knows who she really is and is given her suitcase with the book of fairytales, which she uses to try to discover the mystery that is her past which takes her all the way to a cottage with a secret garden in Cornwall England. It isn't until Cassandra, Nell's grand-daughter continues putting the pieces together that Nell's real story is told, her name revealed.

I simply devoured this book. It was one of those stories that I wished could go on and on! A story about tragedy, sacrifice, secrecy and identity, The Forgotten Garden casts a spell on the first page.

submitted by Misty O'Donnell of Black Bond Books