Garden of Lies [Hardcover]

Eileen Goudge (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1992

In 1943 Sylvie Rosenthal gives birth to the dark-haired, black-eyed daughter of her lover Nikos and resigns herself to possible divorce and ruin. However the sequence of events that follow provide Sylvie with a means of escape, leading to a life of lies.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Goudge, a distant relation of the durable British novelist and wife of literary agent Al Zuckerman, makes a skillful transition from teenage paperback romances to big-time commercial fiction in this highly readable story of secret loves and tangled lives. When Sylvie Rosenthal's baby girl is born, she realizes that her wealthy husband will surely recognize the resemblance to their Greek handyman, Sylvie's lover. A fire in the hospital gives her the chance to switch her daughter with that of a woman who dies in the blaze. While Sylvie brings up the girl she names Rachel in a luxurious Manhattan apartment, her natural daughter is raised as Rose Santini in Brooklyn by a harsh, vindictive grandmother. Rose's only solace is her love for Brian McCallahan; when he goes to Vietnam, she works her way through law school. Meanwhile, Rachel, devastated after having been forced to abort a pregnancy, also ends up in Vietnam, where she falls in love with Brian. Thus Rose and Rachel are fated to meet, and Sylvie to be confronted with the "lie" of her natural daughter. The novel is adroitly plotted, the dramatic tension rising as the characters finally come together at a sensational trial. At this point, however, the narrative falters because Goudge uses an old device as an easy cop-out (the villain breaks down on the witness stand). Nonetheless, most readers will remain engrossed in this smoothly written romantic tale. 150,000 first printing; $125,000 ad/promo; BOMC featured selection; ABC-TV miniseries.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

The fiction tradition that a woman will do anything for a man is alive and well in this novel by "Sweet Valley High" teen series writer Goudge. Sylvia seizes the opportunity offered by a hospital fire to switch infants, taking a newborn whose appearance resembles her husband's. Her true child, fathered by Sylvia's lover, is left to make her own way in the world. Rachel, raised in luxury as Sylvia's daughter, becomes a doctor. When her career is jeopardized, she is defended by Sylvia's real daughter, who has overcome poverty to become a lawyer. The two women of course compete for the same man, as Sylvia herself tries to decide whether to marry Nikos, her former lover. With the requisite cast of heroes and villains and a backdrop including the Vietnam War, this should be a sure-fire hit for romance lovers. BOMC featured selection; ABC-TV miniseries.
- Elsa Pendleton, Computer Sciences Corp., Ridgecrest, Cal.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Smithmark Pub (March 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0831792272
• ISBN-13: 978-0831792275
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #438,174 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was born on the Fourth of July, and it's been fireworks ever since. I began writing at age eight, with short stories and poems, and I haven't looked back since. From the early days of mostly collecting rejection slips, I went on to publish thirty-two novels for young adults, thirteen (and still counting) of women's fiction, as well as numerous short stories and magazine articles, and one cookbook.

Often I'm asked where I get my ideas. Fortunately, I have a wealth of life experiences to draw from. Starting when I dropped out of college to get married, at age eighteen. Two years later I was divorced, with a baby son and no means of support. I ended up briefly on welfare, and stood in line for government surplus food. But every cloud has its silver lining, and this one led to my determination to make it as a professional writer. I borrowed a typewriter, and lacking a desk, plunked it down on the living room floor. The rest, as they say, is history.

Following a string of young adult novels, I published my first adult novel, GARDEN OF LIES, in 1986. The saga of baby girls switched at birth---one rich, the other poor---went on to enjoy a combined total of 16 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, in hardcover and paperback. Though there's no such thing as an overnight success, I felt like one, having gone in a matter of months from not knowing how I was going to pay the rent to wondering what I was going to do with all that money. The first thing I did was fulfill a fantasy born of years of wearing hand-me-downs: I walked into Saks Fifth Avenue and bought a dress...without even looking at the price tag!

I've since gone on to write many more novels. My most recent, which came out in June of '07, is WOMAN IN RED, a very special story about a woman just out of prison and a man struggling to get back on his feet after losing his wife on 9/11. Look for it in trade paperback in May of this year. I also have another hardcover coming out,in June, titled DOMESTIC AFFAIRS ---a Cinderalla story in reverse: Riches to rags but with a happy ending. I'll be posting sample chapters on my website at www.eileengoudge.com, so stay tuned. I would love to hear your comments once you've read the book! And, remember, there's always more where that came from...

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Positively Riveting and Heartbreaking, May 22, 2002

By 

S. Fischel "S. Fischel" (New Jersey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Garden of Lies (Paperback)

Eileen Goudge's Garden of Lies in my opinion is no light read and certainly no escape. It is a riveting, heartbreaking and thought provoking page turner. It does have some incredible and improbable turn of events, but hey, that's what makes a book a great read, is it not? I cried, blushed, cringed, ached, and dreamed with the heroes and the heroines of the novel. While appreciating the delicious and exquisite love that develops between Rachel and Brian, it was a torture for me to read through it and impossible to enjoy. You will have to read it to find out why. What a book! Filled with all implications of love of every kind. Love stolen, love taken, love given, love lost, love unfullfiled, love unrequited... it still breaks my heart. Ultimately, we get a glimpse of an answer to all the "whys?" in Rose's reflection: "And now I understand. How the winds of change can blow. How events can be bigger, stronger than we are. And even how you can love more than one person, each love with its own subtle shadings, one maybe stronger but now necessarily canceling out the other." It is not about what one deserves. None of us deserve more nor less than any other. Perhaps we deserve nothing. Love is a gift. Some receive, some do not, by forces greater than us. Only if it were true that it is better to give than receive. Thanks to Eileen for your insight into love and life.

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eileen Goudge is in top form with a great novel!!, September 5, 1999

By 

"julesy" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Garden of Lies (Paperback)

Having only read one other book by Eileen Goudge (TRAIL OF SECRETS), she is in top form with this one. GARDEN OF LIES is one of the best books I've ever read. Although there are now many fiction novels about babies switched at birth, GARDEN OF LIES does not constantly dwell on that idea, but instead recounts their path in life from the time they were switched at birth into womanhood. It was wonderful to read how the girls grow up starting in the 1950's and continuing into the 1980's. Both Rachel and Rose had strength and tenacity, managing to withstand the horrors of war, lost love, deception and betrayal.

This is a book not to be missed. Even 10 years later, it's a timeless piece of fiction which goes great with a cup of tea and a warm blanket on the sofa! I'm now reading Ms. Goudge's long-awaited sequel, THORNS OF TRUTH, and anxious to read what happens with Rachel and Rose's children.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My most favorite book of all time!!, October 7, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Garden of Lies (Paperback)

I've read all of Ms. Goudge's novels, but my favorite, and the first I read, was Garden of Lies. The plot and characters keep you reading nonstop until you reach the last page! For weeks after I finished reading, I missed the characters and wanted desperately to know how they were doing. Reading Eileen Goudge's novels is like being involved in another life. Rachel and Rose bacame part of me and I rallied for them both. Garden of Lies is a touching and life-altering novel that will change the way you see life and other literature forever.