This book is lengthy, almost hitting the 700 pages mark- but absolutely perfect for a good Summer read.  I picked it up last year on the way home from Europe and I was really pleased to see it at Costco last week.  I feel awful for shamelessly neglecting to review this book, when it’s been on my shelf for almost a year now.  My favorite adult reads are those that focus on female relationships and the complexities of their friendships, with a little mystery and romance thrown in for good measure.  This book fits that bill perfectly.  The female characters are strong and fascinating and complex.  It’s quite obvious from the get go that Kate Morton finds women to be the vehicles to move the story forward, while the men are mearly the road they drive upon.  They’re just background in the story, but also ultimately necessary for the destination.  The book can be a little confusing at first since it spans five generations of women, and is told not only from a bunch of different perspectives- but also from a bunch of different generations.  A quarter of the way into it and you’ll hardly notice the changes, and I think it just adds to the richness of the story.  It’s a serious read that you’ll want to devout some time too.

The Forgotten Garden is written by Kate Morton