I am now confused. I do not know anymore what is my preference when it comes to books.

When I was a kid, I wanted to read only books with pictures like the illustrated "Alice in the Wonderland" or "Rip Van Winkle". Until I read "Silas Marner" with no pictures and I said, wow, books with no pictures are also great!

When I was a teenager, I said I don't like to read books that are hard to understand and read by adults until I read "Lolita" by Vladimir Nabokov and I said, wow, I did not know that there are authors who write this way!

When I was a young man, I said I do not want thick books because I do not have time for them until I read "War and Peace" and "The Fountainhead" and I said, wow, thick books can be really engaging and finishing them can give you a different high!

When I became a husband, my sex life became busy, I stopped heavy reading and concentrated on my job (not on copulating you silly) so I just grabbed some easy-read bestsellers like "The Da Vinci Code", "The Kite Runner" until my daughter came and I had to read some children's books to her and she loved them but I secretly hated them until I read to her "The Little Prince" and said, wow, there are still children's books that can speak to me even if I am a grown up man!

When I became a middle-aged man, I discovered Goodreads. There is an option to screen members who apply to become your friend by asking the applicant a question. I thought then that the choice of genre was important so I chose this question: What is your favorite literary genre?" and from then on, I have been accepting and ignoring invites based on his/her answer. I generally don't accept invites from people who say they don't have any preference. I thought that that kind of answer is wishy-washy or indecisive that reflects his or her not being a serious reader.

Prior to last year, I said, I don't want to read fantasy books. I am too old for that. Until, I read the whole series of J.R.R.Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and I say, wow, wow, wow, I did not know that I could still be amazed by a fantasy book about wizards, trolls, flying horse, monsters and little creatures!

This book, The Secret Garden is a kind of book that I would not even consider reading. It is neither a 501 nor a 1001 book. The reason why I read this is that it is one of the Top 100 Favorite Books of The Filipino Group here at Goodreads. We challenged ourselves to read all the chosen books so I gave this a try.

Story-wise, it is too sweeet. Saccharine corny. Predictable. Inappropriate for a middle-age man like me. Almost insulting to intelligence: feisty girl turns sweet girl. Sickly unwanted boy turns healthy. Then the boy and father embrace each other and profess love for one another. Hu hu hu. Books can just hit you without any warning. I was sad yet happy when I closed this book this morning. I think I am going crazy reading different books and experience all the different emotions while reading them.

So I don't know anymore. I don't know what I like in books. No more preferences. Ask me now, what is my favorite genre. I don't know.

But, the writing in this book is flawless. I have attended a novel-writing workshop last year and all the ingredients of a good novel are here: well-developed characters, each of them has his/her own distinct voice and transforming towards the end, milieu (the garden) is clearly described and very significant in the story, the internal and external conflicts are arranged like small-to-tall majorettes in a parade, the hooks at the end of each chapter, the climax, the falling action, the denouement ties up the loose ends from the conflicts. The theme is solid. The lessons, though corny, are school-textbook-kind of reminders: that love is important to make this world a better place and nature is beautiful so we have to take care of it.

I guess my realization is this: yes, at some points in our lives, we tend to prefer some literary genres over the others. However, the genre is secondary to the writing. If the writer is good, no matter in which genre the book belongs, he/she should be read.

n  It is not the genre, it is the writing.n

3.5 Stars - Yes, Yes, Getting Fresh Air is Important

I am glad I finally read this classic children's novel. Personally, I preferred Burnett's other novel, The Little Princess. I grew a little tired of reading the importance of fresh air and healthy appetites. The author's moral themes felt a little heavy handed in this story.

“The cholera had broken out in its most fatal form and people were dying like flies.”

There, is a cheery start to one of the most optimistic novels I have ever read. Occasionally I pick a Librivox audiobook book based on who the reader is, for this version of The Secret Garden, it is read by Karen Savage, one of the few professional level readers who have graciously narrated entire books for Librivox’s public domain audiobooks.
Listen to a sample and you will understand.

I didn’t really know anything about The Secret Garden, the title did ring a bell but I had no idea what it is about. I was hoping it is a garden where weirdness ensues and corpses pile up, perhaps with a trowel embedded. Alas, no, quite the opposite really. Had I known that it is a children’s book I would not have read it, but by the time shockingly nice things happen I was already under the book’s—and Karen Savage’s—spell. I was thinking “looks like I’m in for a nice time, oh dear”.

Like a lot of people today I am somewhat cynical, I think you would have to be insane to think the world is a particularly nice place to live in at the moment. Still, that is what escapism through fiction is all about. So, OK, I’m game, just let me put these on.


That’s better! In this wonderful world that we live in there are often delightful surprises, discount coupons for our favorite snacks, gift cards, terrific free audiobooks etc. (I’ve run out of examples). The Secret Garden is about that, if you look at life with a kind eye and optimism, you will surprise at what the universe will give back to you (especially if you have the glasses I’m wearing). At the beginning of The Secret Garden ten-year-old Mary Lennox is living with her mother in India, lording over the poor natives. One fine morning she wakes to find everybody in her house either dead from cholera or gone off to look for some places without quite so much cholera in them. Fortunately, some British soldiers pick her up and she is soon transported to her uncle’s isolated mansion called Misselthwaite Manor in Yorkshire, pre-Brexit UK. Little Mary is sometimes called “Mistress Mary Quite Contrary” because in those bygone days the term “pain in the ass” has yet to be coined. She basically hates everybody she comes across, mostly due to parental neglect.
“Perhaps if her mother had carried her pretty face and her pretty manners oftener into the nursery Mary might have learned some pretty ways too”

However, she soon finds the lovely clean air of Yorkshire agrees with her, and a nice maid gives her a skipping rope which is “th' sensiblest toy a child can have”. She soon begins to mellow and even find that some people are not so bad.
“I like you, and you make the fifth person. I never thought I should like five people.”. One day when Mary Less-Contrary-Than-Before is skipping around she finds the eponymous locked up secret garden and a little robin helps her finds the key, because that is what robins do. Mary is enchanted by the neglected garden, she sees all sorts of possibilities in it, perhaps it would be a great place to set up a fight club. Soon she meets young Dickon, the brother of her maid Martha, who knows all about gardening and can charm animals (not so much a talent as a bear necessity), soon after making that acquaintance she discovers a young boy living secretly in Misselthwaite. He is Colin Craven, the son of her uncle who owns the mansion. Colin is in a different league of contrariness from Mary at her worst. When he is not shouting, screaming, or throwing tantrums he sulks quietly to recharge his battery for the next mega-brat session. Fortunately, Mary shows him—with a lot of help from Dickon—the error of his ways and even discovers the error of her own ways. Gardening is the key.


As someone who is not keen on gardening (I just don’t dig ‘em) I had to suspend my disbelief that pottering and frolicking about a garden can bring so many psychological and health benefits. Colin is introduced as an invalid and Mary’s secret garden project turns out to be just what the doctor failed to order. If you are a fan of this book you may get the impression that I am mocking it in my 21st century cynical ways, but really I am not. I am quite charmed by the “magical realism” of this book with its semi-Disneyesque animals psychic-linked to Dikon, subtly supernatural goings on, and kids slowly recovering their health and humanity. What’s not to like? It is all very nice and the ending is very pat (if somewhat abrupt) but I don’t need to be a cynic 24/7.

My favorite aspect of The Secret Garden is what  George Eliot describes as “unfolding of the soul” in Silas Marner. It is a wonderful thing when you see it in real life, in fiction—when it is effectively depicted—it can be quite moving and even inspirational. I like how Mary learns to get on and even like people through receiving their kindness and how Colin finds his humanity through making a friend and getting some fresh air. If I was a hypochondriac the idea of gardening would not appeal to me, but I am not a character in this book and I am glad gardening has this therapeutic effect for them.

Finally, I ought to say something about Frances Hodgson Burnett's writing; this is my first experience of it. It is not high literature like Dickens or Austen, but it is a thing of beauty. Deceptively simple yet full of charm, warmth, sincerity and even goodwill to all man. The Yorkshire dialect in some of the dialogue is delightfully written and the meaning is never obscured (some of the harder to guess ones are directly explained). Her style is clearly not for the hardcore cynic, but then if you are a hardcore cynic perhaps you should give it a rest.

Do I recommend this book? Of course I do, either read it or go run about in the sun, it will do you a world of good!
_____________________

Note:
There is an abridged audiobook version* read by nonother than the time traveling and very lovely Jenna Coleman, I have that version too. Our Clara Jen does a very spirited narration, though she does not put Karen Savage in the shade, both of them can stay out in the sun (uh, in a good way. This metaphor is getting out of control!). However, the abridged version is too short for my liking, only about one hour long, so I would only recommend it to Clara lovin' Whovians or Victoria  fans.

*A copy of this review has been automatically mirrored there by the GR Gremlin.

এত্তো সুন্দর!!

পুরো বইতে কোনো খারাপ মানুষ নেই, নেই টানটান উত্তেজনা। কিন্তু আমি গোগ্রাসে বইটা পড়ে ফেললাম। পড়া শুরুর একটু পর মুখে যে হাসি ফুটে উঠেছিলো, তা শুধু চওড়া হয়েছে ক্রমাগত। আজকের এই বৃষ্টিস্নাত বিষণ্ণ দিনে "দ্য সিক্রেট গার্ডেন" এর সাথে অদ্ভুত এক আনন্দে, অদ্ভুত এক সারল্যে ডুবে রইলাম। মন ভালো করার জন্য আদর্শ একটা বই।

It was an absolutely lovely read.

It is strange how you just know about some books since childhood and you know you should read them... and STILL you don't get round to, only as an adult.

It took me the reading of the author's "adult" books like The Making of a Marchioness and The Shuttle to make me finally arrive back to The Secret Garden.

But I arrived nevertheless and I enjoyed it a lot. It was a lovely walk and recreation.

Re-read this, after many years, as part of my children books experiment. Several revelations so far: One, the plot is basically JANE EYRE, with an asexual Rochester who keeps, not his wife, but his son, in the attic. Two, it's surprisingly easy to read the characters of both Mary and Colin as being on the autistic spectrum. (Her rudeness; her insensitivity to others, her obsessiveness: his tantrums; his introspection; his obsessions.) Three; the pantheism and everyday magic of the story is a lot more sophisticated than I realized as a child, as is the depiction of Nature and the landscape - quite Bronte-like in its intensity. Unexpected moment of joy: the many occasions on which young Mary exclaims with delight that she is getting fatter - fat repeatedly held up as a positive - a refreshing change from so many of the dysmorphic, anxious young girls of contemporary fiction. One jarring note to the modern reader: Mary's attitude towards the people of India; an uncomfortable reminder of the casual racism and arrogance of British colonialism. Overall, however, a lovely novel, subtle and captivating, that stands the test of time, and more.

I can't believe this is a classic..it's filled with discrimination and inimical remarks about Indians. It was mentioned that the girl slaps and abuses her caretaker (who was Indian by the way). She calls her a pig. Out of the blue, some unnecessary negative comments about India would appear like how the weather in India is so unpleasant all the time. I finished the book just to find out if someone tells that little girl that you are supposed to respect your elders, after all, it is a children’s book. But NOPE!
What we read is food for our brain. Bad food and bad books are equally toxic for health.
horrible..blehh !! two thumbs down.

Is there anything better than cocooning in bed on a cold and rainy night, listening to The Secret Garden?? Just PURE BLISS.

Martha & her mother & Dickon & Colin & Mistress Mary... How very charming!


Seriously I got serious deja vu reading about Dickon. I wouldn't be surprised at all if Dickon were to grow up to be Edmund!! (from How I Live Now)



Audiobook narrated by Karen Savage

The Secret Garden is one of my favorite books of all time. It's the book that started my childhood obsession with England and its moors and manor houses, and it's no less magical reading it as an adult.

I mean, I guess adult me is more aware that it's somewhat racist (lots of unflattering talk of “natives” and “blacks” from India), and also a little misogynistic (kids suggesting that a woman should say nice things to her husband so that he doesn't beat her), but I suppose that it's a product of its time. At the same time, however – domestic violence and racism aside – it's a heartwarming tale of childhood friendship and transformation and nature and magic.

And the setting … the setting is absolutely fantastic. Yorkshire is a beautiful place to begin with, but the description in this book really takes it to a whole new level. You almost feel as if you're there in the gardens of Misselthwaite Manor with Mary and Dickon and Colin, watching the robin make his nest in the secret garden. The moor is also described exquisitely, and every time I read this book it makes me pine a little for the English countryside.

The characters, too, are wonderful. Martha and Ben Weatherstaff are my two personal favorites, and who doesn't love the animal-charming Dickon? Mary and Colin are both rather unlikeable children in the beginning, but find themselves transformed for the better by the garden's magic. And I love “hearing” the characters speak Broad Yorkshire, which is perhaps one of the reasons that I adore Martha and Ben so much.

The new illustrated edition by Chronicle Books is gorgeous. Kate Lewis's paintings are colorful and appealing, and she does a fantastic job of capturing the spirit of the text. It's really a lovely edition of this classic book.

The Secret Garden is a beloved classic for a reason, and it'll forever be one of my very favorite nostalgic reads. A resounding five stars, as always.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for providing me with an advance copy of this edition of The Secret Garden to review.

The Secret Garden has been such a delightful read during the cold, dreary winter months. Who else is looking forward to the wonder of spring, the greenery, and warmer weather?

The title "The Secret Garden" almost overshadows the magnificent characters. Colin always had at his disposal the grounds and fresh air, but he needed someone new to come along and offer him encouragement, someone to believe in him, someone who was willing to take him outside.

Burnett does an incredible job with character development. We can see the characters progress and mature. We see imperfect parents and doctors. There are quite a few characters with a loud bark but no bite.

The Yorkshire is a bit difficult to understand at times, but The Secret Garden is an enchanting read, one that I look forward to rereading.

Charming hearts since 1911, The Secret Garden is a whisper of a dream long remembered and the magic of spring and new beginnings.

Note to self: The next time that you are in New York, remember to check out The Secret Garden fountain in Central Park in the Conservatory Gardens.

2025 Reading Schedule
JantA Town Like Alice
FebtBirdsong
MartCaptain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Berniere
AprtWar and Peace
MaytThe Woman in White
JuntAtonement
JultThe Shadow of the Wind
AugtJude the Obscure
SeptUlysses
OcttVanity Fair
NovtA Fine Balance
DectGerminal

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“Where you tend a rose, my lad, A thistle cannot grow.”

A simple and lovely story with a bit of adventure and mystery in it. It is quite difficult for me to point exactly what made this book gave it five stars, yet there is something really engaging about this book.

"Sometimes I think p’raps I’m a bird, or a fox, or a rabbit, or a squirrel, or even a beetle, an’ I don’t know it.”

The length of the story was perfect on my opinion, not too short or not too long, and nor any part lacking sufficient description or any part being over-descriptive. An interesting read.

"At first people refuse to believe that a strange new thing can be done, then they begin to hope it can be done, then they see it can be done—then it is done and all the world wonders why it was not done centuries ago."

this is probably magic.

Frances Hodgson Burnett probably made a deal with the devil, or was BFFs with a fairy, or indulged in some light witchcraft.

i can't imagine another way to make a century's worth of indoor kids think hanging out in a garden, being outside at all seasons, and engaging in manual labor on a regular basis sounds fun. no one who reads children's classics is outdoorsy.

but she did it, because i, a kid who had to be forced to spend time in nature, read this book approximately one million times in childhood.

and i'd do it again!

part of that i-review-books-i-read-a-long-time-ago project. either you already know the drill or you should escape while you still can.