One of my most cherished books.

This is a lot of people's favourite children's classic, and for that reason I was very intrigued to read it. Having now finished it, I'm convinced that had I grown up with this story as a child, I would've been even more enchanted by it than I was now, reading it for the first time as an adult.
I'm not going to go into any details as to why I didn't absolutely love this book, simply because I didn't feel like anything was necessarily wrong with it. It was a good and sweet story about changes and the way you look at things, people and life, and it was endearing to read about the protagonist's journey as well as the secret garden.
I will say, though, that this story reminded me a lot of another book I read recently and didn't really like: "The Forgotten Garden" by Kate Morton. I'm sure Morton was inspired by this classic to write her story, but maybe that connection decresed my reading experience of this one. It's hard to say, but for now let's just say that I liked "The Secret Garden" but it didn't manage to find a place near to my heart, unfortunately.

Just finished reading this book with a young student of mine. It was a beautiful, humbling experience to watch the Secret Garden unfold through her eyes, week after week. <3

This story is even more about mental health than it is about physical health. And for such an old book, I was honestly shocked at what a compassionate, yet pragmatic attitude it displays towards depression. Obviously, more than one of these characters could've benefited from medication and psychological counseling, neither of which were available in the 1800s. But the other coping methods the story champions are still perfectly sound even today. YES, by all means, get out in the sunshine and get a hobby. It's not a substitute for therapy, but it's still something any therapist worth their salt will tell you to try.

Brb, crying over the part where Mary realizes the garden is still alive ... and the part where Colin feels the sunshine on his face for the first time ... and the part where ... *snifflessss*

"I shall live forever and ever and ever!"

1 star for a popular and beloved classic?
What a scandal.
Well, I think this is the first classic that I'm giving a 1 star for so it’s a fairly big deal.
Although I did not finish this, I already know how the book wraps up. Take a guess. Bratty kid. Mean uncle. Sick kid.

n  Here's the thing:n
Many classics deal with universal ideas. The Secret Garden deals with kids who have been neglected emotionally by their parents, and even though it's overdone now days, I can understand why it was so popular a century ago. I already know the character will have some self-realization about the fact that she’s a little bitchy, ungrateful kid (of course, she will still be racist), and she will live happily ever after with her uncle, never attending school because she’s a stupid female. “Oh, she doesn’t need school, she needs to jump more rope!”

I just can't connect with a story about a spoiled little rich kid who finds out that they can actually be nice, but it warms my heart to know everyone is capable of such emotion.

I also believe the message of the book was loud and clear: if you grow up in a environment like India instead of England then expect yourself to be a bad and mean person too. The message was not: be a nice person even if you're rich or don't be rude and bratty.

And if I have to read one more line of Martha talking, I'll lose it. Can the women speak properly? I don't care if it’s some accent. It’s goddamn annoying reading it. I also believe her brother was on meth because he would go around the field saying, “ahahaha canna tha’ can you hears the birds and smell the honey…”

Classic? Please!

EDIT: No need to point out to me that racism was the norm in the early 20th century. I held no illusion that was contrary to that. However, I also believe that it was not necessarily something everyone subscribed to even back then. There are people born far earlier than Frances Hodgeson Burnett and held far more progressive beliefs and were not so easily led by society to subscribe to such notions. What of men such as William Lloyd Garrison and Wendell Phillips after all?

Their code of morals were above a novel whose main purpose was to teach about morals. This is what essentially annoys about this novel. I don't care for the racism in other books. H.P Lovecraft's racism doesn't disturb me. After all, his stories weren't written to teach kids about morality or goodness.

It's the fact that this book is dedicated to correcting the behavior and morals of a child at every instance. However, when the child says, "blacks are not people" and no one bothers to contradict her then whatever message this book was attempting to deliver about morality is lost.

The author is a "product of her time." Sorry, I didn't realize that you had to be born at a particular period of human history to see others of different appearance as human.

I know this book seems out of place among the fare I usually read, but hey, all I can say is that I like what I like. There is some intangible quality to this book that really strikes a chord in me. The whole idea of that sickly child being healed with love, attention, and (forgive me an LDS joke) wholesome recreational activities, just somehow speaks Truth to me. I think this book has strong application to today's problems with the rising generation. I really believe that kids these days are getting fatter, less healthy, and less disciplined. I think that a good romp on the heather and a breath of fresh air would do kids a lot of good.

On another level, I really believe that some people are only as sick as they think they are. Working in the healthcare field, it's obvious to me that some people find it quite easy to take the role of a victim. Again, this book speaks Truth concerning the value of attitude and perspective in overcoming perceived problems and finding out that they weren't as bad as you thought they were.

I seem to be the only woman I know who didn't read and cherish this book as a child. So I decided to see what all the fuss was about...

It took me a while to get in step with the tone of this book. The beginning was Jane Eyre-lite...Mary is orphaned and sent from India to England to live with her uncle, a stranger to her. The story progresses...and then....Mary's talking to a robin, and he's showing her where buried keys are. At that point, the mood shifted, and I sat back to enjoy not a literary masterpiece, but a child's fantasy adventure.

I really lost myself in the beauty of the Secret Garden...it's natural beauty and the idea of its powers to cleanse our physical and spiritual sides. One review claimed that re-visiting this made the reader want to "get back into gardening"...and I felt that. It's a gardener's story--a tale for someone who enjoys the process, from planting the seeds to appreciating the beauty of the end product. I loved the vivid descriptions of all the particular plants, trees, and animals...

But if I'm being honest, this book got a bit intense for me. As Colin begins to feel the healing powers of the garden...as he begins to chant and sing his praises to the "magic"...(and on and on about "the magic"), I really began to feel the author's personal philosphies taking over. The introduction suggests that Burnett infused the comfort she found in Christian Science teachings after her son died into this story about the power of mind over body. Hmmmm.

I think what kept me from totally being sold on this novel is that I did try to read it as an adult. I was unable to enjoy the narrative literally and at face-value. I was digging in....always watchful for the deeper meaning. And Burnett's ideas were already at the surface, perhaps a little heavy-handedly at times.

Overall...a nice story, perhaps best enjoyed through the innocent, unaffected eyes of a child.

I first read this wonderful and evocative absolute and utter gem of a story at around the age of twelve (and it was likely one of the first longer novels I read entirely in English, not counting those books read entirely for school). And I simply adored Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden when I read it as a young teenager (or rather, a tween), I continued to love it when I reread it multiple times while at university, and I still massively loved the novel when I reread the story for the Children's Literature Group in 2011 (and I much continue to love it, having reread it at least twice or so since then). And indeed I honestly do think that I have actually enjoyed The Secret Garden even more as an adult than the times I read the novel when I was younger (and that is definitely saying an awful lot). For when I first read The Secret Garden as a young teenager, I was certainly much enchanted by the garden (and of course, the Robin), and really liked and enjoyed reading about the Sowerbys, but I did kind of consider both Mary and Colin as somewhat too spoiled and selfish (I understood their problems and indeed felt empathy, but I also felt more than a bit annoyed at and by them, something that I certainly did not experience as much during my adult rereads). Because as an adult reader, I actually and firmly believe that most, if not even all of both Mary's and Colin's problems and behavioural quirks (be they emotional or physical) were and are the result of parental abandonment and emotional neglect (maybe even abuse). They act and react towards the world the way the world (or at least how most of the world) has always acted and reacted towards them. And without the garden, but also without characters like Martha, Susan and Dickon Sowerby, without Ben Weatherstaff and the Robin, there would never have been any change in and for Mary (or at least, not ever enough change), and by extension, there would never have been any change in and for Colin and his father either.

Now one interesting and thought-provoking fact presented in The Secret Garden is that there actually seems to be a real and almost palpable absence of nurturing father figures throughout (except maybe Dickon, but he is just a boy and in many ways resembles more a Pan-like nature deity, and Ben Weatherstaff really is too old and curmudgeonly to be considered nurturing and fatherly). We do have quite a number of nurturing mother figures portrayed who aid Mary, and later Colin in their recovery (Susan and Martha Sowerby, and even Mary later becomes somewhat of a motherly and nurturing figure towards Colin), but we never see or hear much about a Mr. Sowerby (he is a complete nonentity). And while indeed much is made of the fact that Mary Lennox' mother did not seem to want her child (a fact that is rightfully criticised), that Mr. Lennox did not trouble himself much about his daughter either, while mentioned briefly, is also seemingly accepted as an acceptable societal given. Also that Mr. Craven has spiritually and emotionally totally abandoned Colin, and cannot stand to even see him when he is awake just because his son's eyes supposedly remind him of the boy's dead mother, while this is indeed noted in The Secret Garden, his rather vile and nasty attitude and behaviour towards Colin, towards his son is not (at least in my humble opinion) subject to nearly the same amount of harsh criticisms that Mary's emotional and spiritual abandonment by her mother is. And while I do realise and even understand that the death of Mr. Craven's wife was traumatic for him, both Mr. Carven's and Mrs. Lennox' actions, or rather their lack of love and acceptance towards their children have had the same horrible psychological (and psychosomatic) consequences, basically turning both of them into emotional cripples, and Colin into a hysterical hypochondriac who thinks he has a crooked back.

The Secret Garden clearly and lastingly demonstrates that children (no that anyone) can only show love, can only be lovable, if they have experienced love themselves. In the beginning of the novel, Mary is described as tyrannical, unpleasant, thoroughly "unlovable" and also as somewhat odd. But how can Mary know anything about love, if she has never experienced love? Her parents certainly do not seem to want her, and she has basically been abandoned to the care of servants, who have also been instructed to keep Mary out of the way as much as possible (and in her innermost soul, Mary likely also realises this and much and rightly resents this). Mary's temper tantrums towards her Ayah and other servants, her desire to always get her own way, are not merely Mary imitating the behaviour she witnesses among the ex-pat community in India (although that likely also has a major part to play). I believe that in many ways, the servants also act as representatives of her absent parents, and by lashing out at the servants, Mary is also lashing out at her careless, unloving, absent parents by proxy.

And even when Mary first arrives at Misselthwaite, there is still a real and ever-present danger that she will never be able to change, to emerge out of her shell (or to change enough, for at least in England, Mary has the opportunity to go outside and play/run, which was not possible in India due to the hot, stiflingly humid climate), for many of the inhabitants of the manor, but especially Mrs. Medlock and Mr. Craven regard Mary, or seem to regard Mary the same way that her parents did, either not at all, or as a cumbersome, even loathsome burden. And without Martha, Dickon, and the influence of Martha's mother (Mrs. Sowerby), and of course, Ben Weatherstaff and the Robin (who is a bird, but might just represent the spirit of Colin's deceased mother), not much would likely have ever changed for Mary or within Mary. There might well have been some physical improvement of her health, but her mental health, her soul, would likely have remained for the most part sour and disagreeable and stagnated.

Finally, I do have to admit that I have a bit of a problem with the fact that oh so many of the adults portrayed in The Secret Garden (and even inherently positive individuals like Martha and Susan Sowerby) keep bringing up the fact that Mary's mother was supposedly very physically attractive, and that in many ways, Mary is often judged negatively because she is plain, while her mother was considered very beautiful. However, Mary's mother does not in any way care about or for her daughter, and had, in fact, never wanted a daughter, and in my opinion, her careless, unloving attitude (and that of her husband as well) is reflected in Mary's countenance, her whole being. Thus, even though Mrs. Lennox might have been physically sweet looking, she basically has a careless and unloving and massively sour (read nastily ugly) soul, which is in my opinion reflected in her daughter (both spiritually and physically).

And just to furthermore point out that this here "Norton Critical Edition" of The Secret Garden (which seems to have been published in 2006) is to be most highly recommended, especially for anyone interested in both the novel (the narrative) and its historical contexts, diverse critical voices etc., as it provides not only the text proper (which is simply and utterly magical, of course), but also much supplemental information and materials about Frances Hodgson Burnett and her timeless literary classic. And although I do not think that this edition lists every piece of extant literary criticism on The Secret Garden, there truly and fortunately is a goodly amount presented, as well as a solid, although not extensive selected bibliography (most definitely a more than adequate starting point for serious academic study and research).

Another childhood book close to my heart. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!

Από τα καλύτερα βιβλία που είχα διαβάσει κατά την περίοδο της παιδικής μου ηλικίας.Είναι από εκείνες τις ιστορίες και τις εικόνες που τις διαβάζεις και στο μυαλό γίνεται ολόκληρη γιορτή.Ο "μυστικός κήπος" πραγματικά φαίνεται να είναι ένα μαγευτικό μέρος που θα επιθυμούσατε να βρίσκεστε εκεί.
Οι εικόνες του ίδιου του κήπου είναι απολύτως εκπληκτικές,το πανέμορφο τοπίο και η αρχιτεκτονική που χαρακτηρίζεται σε αυτό.Το σύνολο των εικόνων αντικατοπτρίζει το θαύμα και τη μαγεία που έχουν κάνει το βιβλίο της Frances Hodgson Burnett κλασικό.

Κάθε χαρακτήρας είναι ξεχωριστός και μοναδικός,ο καθένας έχει λίγο ιδιότροπη προσωπικότητα που το κάνουν να φαίνεται πραγματικό,με εκείνα τα μαγικά μυστικά που χει κάθε παιδάκι και τα αθώα παιχνίδια με την φύση κι η αγάπη προς αυτή....όμορφο και το μήνυμά του για το πώς η επαφή με την (πανέμορφη) φύση,η αλληλοβοήθεια και η επικοινωνία μπορούν να μας βοηθήσουν να ξεπεράσουμε ό,τι μας βασανίζει και μας κατατρέχει.

Ξαναδιαβάζοντάς το έκανα ένα ταξιδάκι στον ονειρικό κήπο της παιδικής αθωότητας...που όλοι την κρύβουμε κάπου βαθιά με ξεχωριστό τρόπο ο καθένας...και καλό είναι να θυμόμαστε να την βγάζουμε στην επιφάνεια...γιατί μόνο το κομμάτι του παιδιού μέσα μας μπορεί να υποκινήσει τα νήματα της δύναμης,της θέλησης και των ονείρων.
Αν θέλετε να ξεφύγετε από τον πραγματικό κόσμο για λίγες ώρες,σίγουρα θα το πρότεινα.

I have a confession! this little book was once my favorite of all time when I was young. I have not picked it up since. When you're a kid you believe in books. I believed in the secret garden. I was always outside as a kid. I wanted to be like Dicken. I never attracted wildlife, which I did try to do. I told my classmates the secret garden was my favorite book and they never heard of it. Then I would explain it to them, and they hated the idea of it. Most kids in Georgia have a different idea of nature. Many boys hunt with their dads. Nough said. I'm rambling so I'll wrap this up. This is an outdated tale about children and exercise, really the reason for physical education and playgrounds.

Questo era uno dei miei libri preferiti da bambino, non ho idea di quante volte me lo sia letto nell'edizione dei Fratelli Melita. Erano passati almeno una venticinquina di anni quindi da quando me lo ero letto l'ultima volta, e solo ora mi ci sono dedicato nuovamente, spinto da questa bella edizione Ippocampo.

La storia mi ha sorpreso: la ricordavo, ma la ricordavo come la storia letta dal me stesso al tempo delle elementari. Ricordavo molto bene il difficile inizio di Mary (e stranamente ho sempre ricordato con inquietante precisione la filastrocca che gli altri bambini le cantavano chiamandola Bastian Contrario. Come mai mi è rimasta così marchiata a fuoco nella mente? Boh!), ricordavo la grande avventura del giardino segreto, il cugino malato e dispotico sepolto in un'ala del palazzo.
Comprensibile che all'epoca fossi stato più attratto dalla scoperta del giardino, dalla rinascita di Colin, dal passato indiano di Mary, anche se visto quanto in quel periodo fossi interessato al giardinaggio, probabilmente anche la parte della cura delle piante e dei fiori mi aveva colpito più di quanto non avessi realizzato.

Adesso invece, pur apprezzando sempre questi stessi elementi, ho avuto modo di coglierne gli altri aspetti. La lezione su come i bambini vadano lasciati crescere in adeguata libertà, all'aria aperta, giocando con altri bambini, e come questo tendenzialmente possa renderli molto più sani e vigorosi che non lo starsene rinchiusi in una camera (e immagino che all'epoca, soprattutto in determinati ambienti, fosse proprio quello che invece i medici consigliavano: in questo abbiamo infatti la netta contrapposizione tra il dottor Craven e la signora Sowerby), la lezione sui danni che può fare il viziare i bambini e, soprattutto, il privarli dell'affetto ignorandoli e affidandoli sempre e solo alle cure di altri (sia Mary che Colin sono cresciuti in questo modo, ed è bello poter valutare i progressi fatti da Mary leggendo le sue impressioni su Colin, che altro non è che una Mary nel suo stato naturale, senza ancora aver subito lo scossone che l'aveva spinta al cambiamento), l'inno di amore per il mondo naturale.
E chiaramente, l'amicizia (quasi istintiva, tra bambini) che aiuta a superare ogni ostacolo. Specie se c'è un Dickon semi-leggendario, che incanta gli animali, conosce ogni cosa relativa alla brughiera e alla natura, è conosciuto da ogni abitante della zona e rispettato come fosse un adulto.


Per quanto riguarda questa edizione, che dire?
Belle illustrazioni anticipano ogni capitolo, altre illustrazioni ne arricchiscono le pagine.
I capolettere, i motivi floreali intorno ai numeri delle pagine -diversi a ogni capitolo!-, e poi gli inserti "interattivi": la mappa di Misselthwaite Manor, le lettere richiudibili, il disco con l'evoluzione della rosa.

Un'ottima edizione per un classico, penso proprio che recupererò anche gli altri volumi di questa collana.

“I’ve stolen a garden, it isn’t mine. It isn’t anybody’s.”

Mary is unlikable at first and a bit of a brat, but it’s because she didn’t know any better. She quickly learns and becomes a proper little girl and it’s wonderful to see that development.

I’d like to fight Colin’s father. Grief is something, I know, but to ignore your son for ten years?! That final chapter helps, but I would smack him in an instant for ignoring his son.

I listened to the unbridged version of this audiobook that was narrated by Josephine Bailey and I thought it was a well-done one. I’m not sure if the narrator did a good job or not on the accents, but it was comforting nonetheless and would remind me of my British Nana. Enjoyable to listen to as I pulled weeds on a couple of sunny spring days.



Some broad content notes:
Mary says some things at the beginning that would be considered racist nowadays, but it accurate said for the time this was written in; Mentions of magic (both white and black), using it to benefit you, & believing it (I would argue that you could replace those parts with ‘kindness’ and ‘positive thinking’, but Colin believes in it helping him).