Friday Favorites is another almost weekly feature here at Simply Living on a Budget. The whole point of this feature is to share some of my favorite finds. Anything is game. Food. Cleaning supplies. Kid stuff. Garden favorites. Recipes. Anything that I really like and want to randomly post about. Everything in Friday Favorites is something that I use and bought on my own.
Up this week …
Details …
Amazon.com Review
Amazon Best of the Month, April 2009: Like Frances Hodgson Burnett’s beloved classic The Secret Garden, Kate Morton’s The Forgotten Garden takes root in your imagination and grows into something enchanting–from a little girl with no memories left alone on a ship to Australia, to a fog-soaked London river bend where orphans comfort themselves with stories of Jack the Ripper, to a Cornish sea heaving against wind-whipped cliffs, crowned by an airless manor house where an overgrown hedge maze ends in the walled garden of a cottage left to rot. This hidden bit of earth revives barren hearts, while the mysterious Authoress’s fairy tales (every bit as magical and sinister as Grimm’s) whisper truths and ignite the imaginary lives of children. As Morton draws you through a thicket of secrets that spans generations, her story could cross into fairy tale territory if her characters weren’t clothed in such complex flesh, their judgment blurred by the heady stench of emotions (envy, lust, pride, love) that furtively flourished in the glasshouse of Edwardian society. While most ache for a spotless mind’s eternal sunshine, the Authoress meets the past as “a cruel mistress with whom we must all learn to dance,” and her stories gift children with this vital muscle memory. –Mari Malcolm
Amazon.com Review
Amazon Best of the Month, April 2009: Like Frances Hodgson Burnett’s beloved classic The Secret Garden, Kate Morton’s The Forgotten Garden takes root in your imagination and grows into something enchanting–from a little girl with no memories left alone on a ship to Australia, to a fog-soaked London river bend where orphans comfort themselves with stories of Jack the Ripper, to a Cornish sea heaving against wind-whipped cliffs, crowned by an airless manor house where an overgrown hedge maze ends in the walled garden of a cottage left to rot. This hidden bit of earth revives barren hearts, while the mysterious Authoress’s fairy tales (every bit as magical and sinister as Grimm’s) whisper truths and ignite the imaginary lives of children. As Morton draws you through a thicket of secrets that spans generations, her story could cross into fairy tale territory if her characters weren’t clothed in such complex flesh, their judgment blurred by the heady stench of emotions (envy, lust, pride, love) that furtively flourished in the glasshouse of Edwardian society. While most ache for a spotless mind’s eternal sunshine, the Authoress meets the past as “a cruel mistress with whom we must all learn to dance,” and her stories gift children with this vital muscle memory. –Mari Malcolm
My review …
I bought this book on a whim. I ran to Walmart for luggage tags and took a quick look at the books as I really wanted a book to take with me. I paid way too much (Amazon’ s price of $7.69 is much cheaper than Walmart’s price of $12.64!) but I was there. In the end, it was worth the price because of my delay and night in the Boston airport. This book sucked me in during my trip up to Boston. That night that I sat in the airport (not sleeping), I just kept reading. I had to know how the story fit together. A few things you could see coming but the story kept have twists and turns in it. I admit I don’t like books that jump over different times. This book has three if my memory is right. I found it hard to read at first but once they were set it was easy to figure them out. I also don’t like books with mini-stories and excerpts in them. I didn’t really like the short stories that were featured in the book but I can over look that as there were only a couple of them.
Overall this book is a really nice read. If you are looking for a book to take on vacation or for a mental escape, consider this book. You will find yourself wanting to finish it before you get home or get to your chores!
Did you read this book already? I would love to “talk” about it with someone! Have another book I might love? Leave me a comment and let me know!
Did you miss my last Friday Favorite? Find it here!
If you have a suggestion for a Friday Favorite, leave me a comment and let me know.
This is a powerful topic that really resonates with many people. I was certainly touched. Thanks so much for posting. I look forward to learning more.
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