The Forgotten Garden

一個被遺棄的小女孩……

　　第一次大戰前夕，一位小女孩被遺棄在前往澳洲的船上。一位叫做女作家的神秘女人承諾會照顧她，但她卻消失無跡。

一件可怕的祕密……

　　奈兒．歐康諾在21歲生日那晚，得知一個永遠改變她人生的祕密，以致她選擇放棄深愛的未婚夫、嫁給另一個人並遠赴美國，最後又因這個祕密而破壞了她與女兒的母女關係。

一份神秘的遺產……

　　與奈兒相依為命的外孫女卡珊娜繼承了一個意想不到的遺產──那是距離澳洲千里之遙，位於惡名昭彰的英國康瓦耳芒特榭莊園旁的懸崖小屋。

這座花園，究竟隱藏著什麼祕密，以致被人選擇遺忘……

　　卡珊娜在外婆死後，意外發現向來跟自己無話不談的外婆居然擁有一處遠在英國的小屋，並且遺留給她。但是為何外婆從來不曾說過這棟小屋的事情？為何她從來不知道外婆去過英國？而且這個祕密似乎跟外婆藏在床底下的一只白色兒童行李箱、小屋所在當地人避而不談的布雷赫莊園，以及一個維多利亞童書女作家依萊沙．馬克佩斯有關。白色行李箱中有一把銀梳子、一本馬克佩斯所寫的童話書，還有外婆當初前往英國期間的手記。

　　卡珊娜為了親愛的外婆，決意遠赴英國去找出這個家族百年謎題的真相。在探訪懸崖小屋期間，卡珊娜發現了一座荒廢已久的迷宮花園，花園有道門被堵住了，為什麼花園會被莊園主人選擇遺忘？當年外婆究竟為何要買下這棟頹圮的小屋？迷宮花園就竟隱藏著怎樣的祕密？

　　在卡珊娜從外婆手記和她自己的探究下，一片接一片的事實拼圖，終於拼出了完整的真相！

　　From the #1 internationally bestselling author of The House at Riverton, a novel that takes the reader on an unforgettable journey through generations and across continents as two women try to uncover their family’s secret past

　　A tiny girl is abandoned on a ship headed for Australia in 1913. She arrives completely alone with nothing but a small suitcase containing a few clothes and a single book-a beautiful volume of fairy tales. She is taken in by the dockmaster and his wife and raised as their own. On her twenty-fi rst birthday, they tell her the truth, and with her sense of self shattered and very little to go on, ”Nell” sets out to trace her real identity. Her quest leads her to Blackhurst Manor on the Cornish coast and the secrets of the doomed Mountrachet family. But it is not until her granddaughter, Cassandra, takes up the search after Nell’s death that all the pieces of the puzzle are assembled. A spellbinding tale of mystery and self-discovery, The Forgotten Garden will take hold of your imagination and never let go.

　　本書中譯版《被遺忘的花園》由商周出版。

作者簡介

凱特．莫頓　Kate Morton

　　成長於昆士蘭東南部山區。她有戲劇和英國文學學位，目前是昆士蘭大學的博士班候選人。凱特和丈夫及年幼的兒子們住在布利斯班。她的第一部小說，《霧中回憶》於全球出版，為二○○七年暢銷書第一名。她並獲選為二○○八年澳洲昆士蘭五十位最優秀人士之一。

　　Kate Morton, a native Australian, holds degrees in dramatic art and English literature and is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Queensland. She lives with her family in Brisbane, Australia, and is writing her third novel.