A Morning in Eden

by Anna Gilbert

Following the death of her beloved Aunt Belle, Lorna Kent abandons her life in the city to move to a small country town. Once an ancient valley settlement, Canterlow's surrounding countryside remains, even in 1919, virtually untouched by the passage of time. Immediately welcomed by her new community, Lorna soon finds herself helping at the local school and befriending its well-respected headmaster, Adam Ushart. Enchanted by its beauty, and enraptured...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312284381
• ISBN13: 9780312284381
• Release Date: December 2001
• Publisher: Minotaur Books
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.8" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Beautiful book.

Anna Gilbert is my favorite writer. I usually save her books for Sunday afternoon so that I can read them straight through and at around two hundred pages apiece, that's quite possible. Although her books are all well plotted, with sometimes, unpredictable twists and turns, the plot isn't the point. The point , and the thing I believe Miss Gilbert does better than any author alive, is her amazing creation of atmosphere. While reading her books, I always feel as though I've time-traveled back to the quiet, pre WWI settings. Her protagonists are always young women and while they are fully realized, complete with faults and misconceptions, they are also some of the nicest, most likable girls in fiction. Consequently, whether we're experiencing a spine chilling moment in an abandoned cottage, or simply having tea in a Victorian garden, it's all a delightful escape from 21st century life. I hope she writes many more.

A good, cozy tale...

A Morning in Eden is the first book I have read by Anna Gilbert. It is a cozy tale about lives in the early twentieth century and a mystery hidden beneath a towns' history. Lorna, the main character, is a young girl living with her Aunt Mabel in Canterlow, England. She soon becomes the victim of many secrets and people who have hidden more than they have told. Wonderful story.

An interesting coming of age tale

Her mother giving birth to Lorna Kent so her Aunt Belle in Donneston, England raised her. Her father left Lorna when she was five, but staying with her beloved Belle was fine to the little girl. She especially enjoyed visiting her Aunt Mabel in Canterlow; a place that Lorna felt and still feels is her Eden. In 1919 when Aunt Belle dies, Lorna is content staying with Aunt Mabel. Lorna soon learns that the isolated town is self sufficient with a personality of its own that turns ugly during tumultuous times. She falls in love with Adam an older married person with two children. Lorna knows nothing can come of this so she says nothing. However, after Adam's wife dies, he asks her to marry him, but someone wants to stop a wedding between the duo because she has personal plans for him. There is a gothic undertone to A MORNING IN EDEN though the tale is more of a character study than usually found in that genre. The protagonist is a sweet person who mistakes infatuation for love. Her common sense approach to life and her upbeat innocence makes Lorna an appealing character. Though Anna Gilbert seems to overuse death to further relationships, fans will enjoy her unique voice.Harriet Klausner