9780062660640
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The Forbidden Garden audiobook

  • By: Ellen Herrick
  • Narrator: Fiona Hardingham
  • Category: Fiction, General
  • Length: 8 hours 51 minutes
  • Publisher: HarperAudio
  • Publish date: April 04, 2017
  • Language: English
  • (1627 ratings)
(1627 ratings)
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The Forbidden Garden Audiobook Summary

Perfect for fans of Kate Morton and Sarah Jio, comes a lush imaginative novel that takes readers into the heart of a mysterious English country garden, waiting to spring to life.

Every garden is a story, waiting to be told…

At the nursery she runs with her sisters on the New England coast, Sorrel Sparrow has honed her rare gift for nurturing plants and flowers. Now that reputation, and a stroke of good timing, lands Sorrel an unexpected opportunity: reviving a long-dormant Shakespearean garden on an English country estate.

Arriving at Kirkwood Hall, ancestral home of Sir Graham Kirkwood and his wife Stella, Sorrel is shocked by the desolate state of the walled garden. Generations have tried–and failed–to bring it back to glory. Sorrel senses heartbreak and betrayal here, perhaps even enchantment. Intrigued by the house’s history–especially the haunting tapestries that grace its walls–and increasingly drawn to Stella’s enigmatic brother, Sorrel sets to work. And though she knows her true home is across the sea with her sisters, instinct tells her that the English garden’s destiny is entwined with her own, if she can only unravel its secrets…

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The Forbidden Garden Audiobook Narrator

Fiona Hardingham is the narrator of The Forbidden Garden audiobook that was written by Ellen Herrick

Ellen Herrick was a publishing professional in New York City until she and her husband moved to London for a brief stint; they returned nearly twenty years later with three children (her own, it must be said). She now divides her time between Cambridge, Massachusetts, and a small town on Cape Cod very much like Granite Point.

About the Author(s) of The Forbidden Garden

Ellen Herrick is the author of The Forbidden Garden

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The Forbidden Garden Full Details

Narrator Fiona Hardingham
Length 8 hours 51 minutes
Author Ellen Herrick
Category
Publisher HarperAudio
Release date April 04, 2017
ISBN 9780062660640

Subjects

The publisher of the The Forbidden Garden is HarperAudio. includes the following subjects: The BISAC Subject Code is Fiction, General

Additional info

The publisher of the The Forbidden Garden is HarperAudio. The imprint is HarperAudio. It is supplied by HarperAudio. The ISBN-13 is 9780062660640.

Global Availability

This book is only available in the United States.

Goodreads Reviews

Patty

April 12, 2017

This is the second book from the author featuring her mystical, gardening sisters. In the first book, The Sparrow Sisters, the women were introduced and with this book the eldest surviving sister, Sorrel is featured. There was much trauma in the first book that leads to the actions in The Forbidden Garden. You can easily read this book without having read the first but as is usual with a continuing series, having done so will enhance the experience.Sorrel Sparrow has an uncanny ability with flowers. Her bouquets bring joy and her gardens are a joy to behold. There is no simple explanation for how she does what she does but her talents are sung far and wide. She does make some people nervous but she tries to not let it bother her. A man in England with a garden in desperate need of help learns of Sorrel and writes to her to come and bring his Shakespeare Garden back to life – his family history is dark and he fears that there is something evil that only a stranger can fix.Sorrel agrees and finds herself falling in love with England, the estate and a special someone – but can she trust any of it? Or is it just being out of her element and away from her sisters?I did enjoy this book. I really enjoyed The Sparrow Sisters and this sequel is also good – not as good in my opinion but still a good book. Ms. Herrick really brought both London and the English countryside to life for me as a reader. I wanted more history though – since the premise of the story was the evil in the garden and that evil was due to something that happened in the past I wanted (needed?) more of that part of the story. Maybe it’s my love of historical fiction and I’m in the minority here, I don’t know, but I feel that there was not enough. Other than that it was a good story with a bit of romance, a bit of magic and a touch of history. I do hope there will be further Sparrow Sisters books.

Onceinabluemoon

June 04, 2017

4.5 I love an English garden and I was totally smitten in the Shakespearean garden recreation. First I must say I have two homes, one by the sea, and one in the inland heat with a bountiful but completely neglected garden. For twenty years all I did was toil in my garden from sun up until sunset, the last 7 years I have lived in a cold wet foggy coast where nothing can survive the ceaseless winds, cold and deer. I happened to be inland while reading and listening to this, which made it almost a five star experience for me. I read curled in a gazebo while the fountain tinkled, surrounded by figs, berries, blossoms and blooms. I put on my headset and trimmed boxwood, vinca and burgmansias, all the while listening to them toil in the garden and greenhouse. I WAS LOVING IT! I am not sure I would have loved this on the cold coast, but today I was utterly delighted to feel the warm sun while listening to this perfect in the garden book. Although I wasn't wild about the sparrow sisters, it's great to read that first book to have the sisters in context. I totally enjoyed this, even if predictable it was a wonderful day in the garden to enjoy this fine book.

Deb

April 12, 2017

"Hiraeth: a homesickness for a home to which you cannot return, a home which maybe never was: the nostalgia, the yearning, the grief for the lost places of your past."The Forbidden Garden had me with the above epigraph. I have always believed the old adage, "you can't go home again"--at least not expecting it to be the same home that you left. Sorrell Sparrow hasn't left home quite yet when we meet her at the beginning of the book, but with some traumatic events that have occurred at the Sparrow family home and nursery in New England and her sisters both finding love, she hasn't felt at home lately. This makes the letter she receives from Sir Graham Kirkwood, offering her a professional opportunity to spend six weeks resurrecting the Shakespearean garden on the Kirkwood estate outside of London an opportunity to find her wings and she sets off on an adventure. It turns out that the garden is a disaster, there are dark secrets being kept at the manor along with a potential curse--but there is also a new group of friends, a potential love interest, and perhaps more than a little magic in the works. The Forbidden Garden is a lovely book from the beautiful garden descriptions (it's strange since I don't have any kind of green thumb but gardens and novels with gardens always fascinate me) to all of the detailed food descriptions, making it a book I can easily curl up and get lost in. Ellen Herrick has a way of describing things that had me smelling the sweet peas and lavender and tasting the delicious bounty of fruits and vegetables in my mind. Not a book to read on an empty stomach! I took over three pages of food notes, so I am putting it on my foodie fiction shelf. The magical realism is woven into the story well--both the garden's magic and the magical gifts that Sorrel and her sisters seem to have. I like books where the magic is there but not too the point where it is too unbelievable. Sorrel is a likable character, as are the supporting characters--the Kirkwoods and their friends and family--even when they are not behaving at their best. My only real disappointment is that although I knew that Herrick had a previous book, The Sparrow Sisters, I for some reason didn't pay attention enough to realize that this book picks up where that one leaves off. It's a pet peeve of mine to read things out of order so I usually avoid it--but it's my own fault. I actually have The Sparrow Sisters downloaded on my Kindle to read but The Forbidden Garden was a bit late to arrive and by the time I figured out that reading the first book before The Forbidden Garden would make me happier, I didn't have the time. There is enough background given by the author that you have the gist of what happened to the sisters in the previous book, but that kind of bummed me out as now I know the outcome before I read that one. Anyway, all of my bookish OCD issues and need for order aside, it's a wonderful story that I recommend if you like stories set in the English country side, mysterious gardens, delicious food, and a little magic and mystery thrown in--I would just make sure to read The Sparrow Sisters first.You can see my review, along with a recipe for an (absolutely delicious if I do say so myself) ;-) Asparagus Risotto with Sorrel-Spinach Pesto inspired by my reading on my blog post here: kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/2017/04/t...Note: A review copy of the "The Forbidden Garden" was provided to me by the publisher, Harper Collins, and TLC Book Tours. I was not compensated for this review and as always, my thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rachel

February 07, 2017

The Forbidden Garden was a delight to read. I felt immersed in life at Kirkwood. Herrick beautifully captures the imagination with descriptions of the grounds, the well-developed characters, endless, mouthwatering details about the food, and, of course, the planting knowledge of a true master gardener. The magical touches of the Sparrow sisters are woven throughout this rich novel. While the reveal of the mystery isn't much of a surprise, the journey to the book's climax is well worth it. Having just finished The Secret Garden, this book was a brilliant follow up. The father, Graham, constantly reminded me of Lord Grantham from Downton Abbey. There are definite comparisons to Sarah Addison Allen and Kate Morton. I was just completely charmed. Highly recommended.

Suze

April 12, 2017

Sorrel and her two sisters are famous in New England for their gifts with plants. When someone overseas asks for their help with a problematic garden Sorrel takes the opportunity and travels to England. She will stay at Kirkwood Hall together with the people who hired her. To find out what's wrong with their garden Sorrel needs to learn all there is to know about the family's history, so she has an idea of what she's getting herself into. She has to unravel secrets and she'll have to restore the garden with her own magic hands to have a shot. Are Graham and Stella Kirkwood telling Sorrel the whole truth? What will Sorrel be able to discover about the garden and is it the only thing she will find at Kirkwood Hall or is there something more for her to experience while she's there? Stella's brother Andrew is having a personal and professional crisis and maybe it's up to Sorrel to heal both the garden and his heart. Will she succeed or has her journey been in vain? The Forbidden Garden is an intriguing story. I love the Sparrow sisters and was very happy to be able to read about one of them again. Sorrel is a strong woman who deserves some happiness in her life. She's always there for others and has a caring and nurturing personality. She's amazing with plants and she can make everything grow in a magical way. She's a special person and I found her calm and comforting personality absolutely wonderful. Sorrel is trying to unravel a mystery and I liked the combination of a gripping family history and her loving and nurturing relationship with plants. While trying to make things grow Sorrel also grows on a personal level and that was fabulous to witness. Ellen Herrick has written an enchanting story. She writes about magic like it's the most normal and most enigmatic thing there is, which is what makes me enjoy her stories so much. Sorrel is actively using all of her senses and experiences even the most ordinary things in a fascinating way. It was beautiful to see the world through her eyes. I liked reading about the plants she loves so much and Ellen Herrick's vibrant and colorful descriptions make them come to life incredibly well. I also loved the romantic aspect of The Forbidden Garden and the secrets that are being kept are quite interesting. Ellen Herrick has written a complete and unique story. I really enjoyed reading The Forbidden Garden, it's a gorgeous spellbinding story.

Sue

February 12, 2017

Thanks to LibraryThing for a copy of this book to review. I found this a very interesting book to read but I wish I had read Sparrow Sisters before I read this because there were so many references to what occurred in that book. I have just ordered Sparrow Sisters and that should fill in the gaps for me."Every garden is a story, waiting to be told..."This is the belief of the main character, Sorrel Sparrow, who runs a nursery with her sisters. Sorrel has a remarkable reputation in Granite Point for being able to nurture and grow beautiful plants and flowers. She is still trying to find her way after a family tragedy (unknown to me because it's part of the story of The Sparrow Sisters) and when she is offered a chance to go to England to help restore a garden that appears to have a curse and hasn't bloomed in 200 years, she decides that she needs to go despite the closeness that she has with her sisters. The people at Kirkwood Hall in England are all pretty quirky but they are accepting of Sorrel and try to help her with the garden in their own ways despite their fear of the curse. This is an interesting and compelling book to read. There is a little history, a little romance, a little magic and a lot of family history. If you are a gardner, you're going to love this book because the author goes into lots of details about them. I enjoyed this book but think I will enjoy it even more after I read The Sparrow Sisters.

Michelle

April 12, 2017

The second story featuring the Sparrow Sisters, this one focuses on Sorrel's story.If you haven't read The Sparrow Sisters, you should. It's one of the best books I've read recently.Each of the sisters is known for her possibly magical abilities in the garden.After the rough year they faced in the first story, Sorrel accepts an offer to restore a Shakespeare Garden in England.When she arrives, she is warmly greeted by the Kirkwood family. Graham and Stella are the married couple that hired her, Poppy is their college aged daughter.Sorrel is less warmly greeted by Stella's brother Andrew. He's been through a rough time himself.Stella hopes that Sorrel can pull Andrew out of his funk. Graham hopes that Sorrel can restore the garden. But what Graham doesn't tell her is that his family's garden has a dark history. He is concerned whether the garden is cursed. He wants to keep Stella away from it. He thinks Sorrel may be able to fix the problem without knowing the full story.I enjoyed the new characters but I missed the dynamic of the three sisters always together in the first book.This book felt darker than the first book, but it is not without its own light.I loved the descriptions of the food so much that I feel like there should be a third book devoted to a newfound love of cooking.If the author keeps writing them, I'm going to keep reading them :)

Laurie

February 13, 2017

Sorrel is one of the Sparrow sisters, a trio (once a quartet) of preternaturally gifted women who have a connection with plants. Their nursery in New England overflows with gorgeous plants that grow and bloom fast- that’s Sorrel’s realm. Another sister works with herbs and healing; the third can make any food related plant bear lushly. For this reason, Sorrel has come to the attention of a wealthy British manor owner. Kirkwood Hall has been renovated and made open to the public part time. All is lovely- except for one spot. The old Shakespeare garden lies in ruins, as it has for a couple of centuries. Within its walls, nothing grows. Sir Graham Kirkwood asks Sorrel to come over and make it right. Once she gets there, Sorrel finds a happy extended family. There is only one grim spot- Lady Kirkwood’s brother, Andrew. An Anglican priest on sabbatical, he’s recovering- poorly- from a broken heart. He provides the romance in this combination romance/mystery, as Sorrel and the Kirkwood’s try to not just make the Shakespeare garden beautiful again, but to find out *why* it’s lain fallow for so many decades. Then there is the legend that any Kirkwood entering the garden will fall ill and die… This is a pleasant enough story, with the extended family (that includes the head gardener, the inn keeper, and Lady Kirkwood’s brother) searching for clues while Sorrel designs and plants the garden. Basing it both on other Shakespeare gardens and glimpses of it in the tapestries, she creates a formal arrangement of parterres and knots that bursts into growth and bloom the minute she puts the plants in the ground. But things don’t work out easily; the garden’s curse is still alive. As a gardener and a foodie, I couldn’t help but love the descriptions in this story. Herrick brings to life the look, feel, and scent of the plants. The meals the family eats are described just as lushly as the plants; I was hungry most of the time reading this! The mystery was interesting, although it largely came down to people deliberately hiding information. But the book is not without its faults; this is the second book of I assume a series, and as such referred constantly to events of the first book. Those references took up far too much of the narrative, and it’s far too repetitious. Also, for a mystery, it’s not a very tense story- it dwells on the relationships too much to make us worry much. It’s like the book couldn’t decide if it was a mystery or a cozy woman’s story. Still, I’m going to find the first book and read it. Because plants.

Marne

March 16, 2017

I actually liked this book much more than The Sparrow Sisters, the first one in the series. The writing in this one was much more lyrical and descriptive. I also think I liked the rural English setting much better than the seaside New England village of the first one. However, this book was still far from perfect. A lot of the conflict felt manufactured to me, and I sometimes had trouble believing that any reasonable person would make certain decisions presented here as obvious. Still, if you like gardens, rural England, and romance, this isn't a bad way to pass some time.(Note: I received an uncorrected proof of this book through a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.)

Chris

April 05, 2018

Oh wow, a fabulous garden book featuring Sorrell Sparrow! This one has everything.

Sandee

May 10, 2018

I really liked The Sparrow Sisters when I read it awhile back, and this second book was a hit with me too. Sort of a modern gothic in a way, but still haunting and keeps you reading. I'm pretty sure there will be a third book, and I'm hoping so because the ending was good, but short. From Amazon: Perfect for fans of Kate Morton and Sarah Jio, comes a lush imaginative novel that takes readers into the heart of a mysterious English country garden, waiting to spring to life.Every garden is a story, waiting to be told…At the nursery she runs with her sisters on the New England coast, Sorrel Sparrow has honed her rare gift for nurturing plants and flowers. Now that reputation, and a stroke of good timing, lands Sorrel an unexpected opportunity: reviving a long-dormant Shakespearean garden on an English country estate.Arriving at Kirkwood Hall, ancestral home of Sir Graham Kirkwood and his wife Stella, Sorrel is shocked by the desolate state of the walled garden. Generations have tried—and failed—to bring it back to glory. Sorrel senses heartbreak and betrayal here, perhaps even enchantment. Intrigued by the house’s history—especially the haunting tapestries that grace its walls—and increasingly drawn to Stella’s enigmatic brother, Sorrel sets to work. And though she knows her true home is across the sea with her sisters, instinct tells her that the English garden’s destiny is entwined with her own, if she can only unravel its secrets…

East

June 20, 2017

Wonderful book about love, secrets and a terrible curse that kills everything in this wonderful Shakespeare Garden. It is only through terrible trials, that a horrible secret is revealed and through that discovery, the garden is able to regenerate itself to its once former glory.

Maci

May 27, 2021

LOVED this. It was the perfect palate cleanser in between a bunch of dystopian and fantasy. Gardens, romance and a hint of magic. Fabulous.

Ann

March 06, 2017

An absolutely wonderful story as we continue with the Sparrow sisters. Sorrel goes to England to restore a Shakespeare garden and regain her equilibrium in her personnel life. She finds intrigue and a bit of a dark curse in the walled confines of the garden. As she works with the family to restore the area she discovers that Andrew, a minister who has a crisis of faith is a big help in not only the garden but her own life. A love story with just the minuscule touch of magic and an abundance of flower lore to satisfy every gardener. Hopefully Ellen has another story started for the last Sparrow sister.

Paula

March 07, 2017

I was fortunate to win a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway. Sorrel Sparrow was called to Kirkwood Hall in England to use her wonderful gardening skills to bring a Shakespearean garden back to life. This garden had been dark and lifeless for a long time and carried a family curse for the Kirkwood family. This is where the author weaves together a story full of romance, mystery, family and healing. The cast of characters create a family of their own along with the Kirkwoods. The descriptions of the gardens are lush and you can imagine yourself walking the paths of the gardens touching the soft petals of the flowers and inhaling their intoxicating scents. This was a really enjoyable book. The author's style of writing is wonderful and the mystery keeps you turning pages until the very end. If you enjoy gardening this is definitely a book you would enjoy reading.

Carol

February 14, 2017

What a delightful book! Such wonderfully real characters enjoying life and all it's little mysteries. I love the hint of something slightly supernatural, but only a hint. Loved it completely.

Katherine

February 20, 2017

This was a very enjoyable book. I was so drawn in I read it in 2 days.

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