I remember reading "The Secret Garden" during the early 1990s when I was a kid, and found the book rather bleak and unsentimental and didn't much understand that the book riffed on the Brontes and the Romanticism of the early 19th century. I did enjoy the 1987 and the 1993 film adaptations as a kid and should watch them again one day.

However, revisiting this text over 25 years later as an adult, I found its powerful tale about orphaned cousins, Mary and Colin quite relevant in a Trump presidency filled with uncertainty and loneliness.

Both cousins become a makeshift family of their own: Dickon, his sister Martha, Ben Weatherstaff Susan Sowerby, and even curmudgeon Mr. Craven and Mrs. Medlock become a part of their world.

Riffing on "Jane Eyre" with parallels to Thornfield Hall, and Colin Craven to that of the enigmatic Bertha Mason, Archie Craven, Colin's father is a lesser sadistic Mr. Rochester; just sad and gloomy.

With its story of death, abandonment, grief and finally using the garden as a symbol of sex, repression, chosen families and rebirth, the story still holds true.

I am so glad I finally read this book. And reading it in the Spring time (or almost spring time) was perfect! I loved how Mary Lennox changed throughout the story. She blossomed and bloomed just like the garden. So lovely.

n  Where, you tend a rose, my lad, a thistle cannot grow.n


Originally published in 1911 The Secret Garden is a true children’s  classic.  One that adults should read as well.  

Mary Lennox was born in India.  A plain little girl she was not wanted by her mother or father and consequently handed over to the servants to raise.  Because her Ayah and the other servants feared her mother would be angry if she was disturbed, Mary was consequently given her own way.  She soon became a bossy, nasty, little girl who was frail, yellow and most often angry.  When she was but 10 years of age both her parents and her Ayah succumbed to Cholera, leaving Mary alone with no-one to raise her.

But Mary has an uncle who lives in England on the Yorkshire moors and she soon finds herself at Misselthwaite Manor.  Her Uncle lost his wife ten years ago to a tragic accident and since that time is rarely at the manor, choosing instead a life of solitude while travelling.  So once more Mary is left on her own, only this time without an Ayah.  Through talking and listening to Martha, a young servant at the manor, Mary soon learns about a mysterious secret garden.  A garden behind a locked gate that no-one has opened in ten years.   And what is the source of that plaintive crying that Mary hears from time to time and everyone else pretends they do not.

A secret garden, a hundred room English Manor, the Yorkshire moors, a 12 year old Yorkshire boy bestowed with nigh on magical persuasion over the woodland creatures, a mysterious cry, lessons learned the hard way and the power of positive thinking.  There is plenty to love in this story that can be easily digested by young and old alike.

It is a short read, so take a break, curl up and spend a couple of  hours with this charming children’s classic, guaranteed to fill you with wonder.

This is a Children's classic book. I love the story. This review is hard to write because I love the story, the characters in this book, and the plot of this book, but I did not love the audiobook. The narrator of the audiobook was good, but my big problem with this audiobook is all the sound effects and music in the audiobook. There is times in the audiobook you cannot hear the narrator because of the music or sound effects. I think the audiobook could be so much better without the music all together and less sound effects (or the sound effects be lower). I was kindly provided an e-audiobook of this book by the publisher (Harper Audio) or author (Frances Hodgson Burnett) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review about how I feel about this book, and I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

Edit: Please don't leave self entitled opinions in the comments. This is my review, my opinion and it isn't going to change. If you enjoyed this, good for you. I didn't. Move on.

Straight off the bat I'm going to say that there were several incredibly racist remarks made at the start of this book, mainly from maid Martha. It made me very uncomfortable and I wouldn't give this book to my children to read. I'd rather watch the 1993 film.

Aside from that, which thankfully didn't continue throughout the later stages of the story (although it's never addressed either), I actually really liked the themes of nurturing and rebirth. Mary Lennox is not a likeable child. She's spoilt and cruel and starved of love. However through her love of a little Robin, and a forgotten garden, she learns to appreciate life and all that it has to offer. The dawn of spring brings with it flowers, baby animals and hope for the future, with vivid depictions of the garden and wildlife that help bring the story to life. The parallels between Mary and Colin were nicely explored too, and their relationship brings out the best in each other. Dickon will forever be my favourite character though. His boundless love of animals and the moor were infectious, and integral to Mary's growth.

I'd be hesitant to recommend this, knowing that there are so many amazing childrens books out there these days that are wonderfully diverse and just generally better. However if you're looking for a nostalgic read, this is very true to the 1993 film and brought back quite a few fond memories.

I loved this book when I was little, and I still love it now! I do appreciate different things about it, but from all the times I read it when I was younger I still get that warm and fuzzy feeling you get from heart-warming books. I think all children should read it, honestly.

n

100 days into 2021 and 100 books have been read. Check out my latest BookTube Video to see which ones are my fave!

n  The Written Reviewn

Orphaned Mary Lennox had a sour face, bitter temperment and dismal dispostion.

But could you blame her? Nine years old and she was barely shown an ounce of affection.

Her parents saw her as an accessory (to be paraded about for parties) and when they died, and Mary shipped off to live with a distant uncle...she felt just as alone as ever.

She spent her time on the Yorkshire moors exploring the surrounding gardens...and that's when she found a key. A curious old key that fit perfectly in a mysterious little door.

And then she realizes what she found. A secret garden.

The garden is rough, neglected and unloved...but Mary sees a spark. And so she pours love into this forgotten garden, and she soon finds out what it is like to be loved in return.

This is my first time I read this one...but wow. It was amazing. Why did I wait so long????

This was such an amazing, gorgeous and touching book.

Mary's story was absolutely compelling to read and I could NOT put it down. The way the garden was described made me want to pick up my shovel and head out to fix things up on my own.

And the conclusion of this story? Absolutely perfect.

Highly recommended!!

Book 16 of 30 for my 30 day reading challenge.

The Secret Garden is an enjoyable book. I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed Glenda Jackson’s narration.
Mary is lonely and then finds a secret garden. The Secret Garden is an interesting story. It is a classic story, but I didn’t know anything about it before reading this version.

Thank you NetGalley and William Collins/Harper Audio for The Secret Garden.

She never remembered seeing familiarly anything but the dark faces of her Ayah and the other native servants, and they always obeyed her and gave her her own way in everything, because the Mem Sahib would be angry if she was disturbed by her crying, by the time she was six years old she was as tyrannical and selfish a little pig as ever lived. (PG 4)

It was an adventure reading this as an adult. It was beautiful to read about kids having an imagination especially in the type of world and environment we live in. I personally know of parents and children (older and young) who only speak in reference to TikTok or YouTube. I don't want to criticize anyone's choices because they don't affect me personally or my journey in life but it's disturbing to see a baby or toddler fiddling with the phone next to their parents.

This book was a great reminder of nature needing children and children needing nature. The possibilities are endless. Nature and spirituality (what they call Magic) are great for the soul as we see here. The kid's personalities evolve from spoiled little jerks to kind and happy beings.

I just loved the simpleness of the story. The wholehearted message. The illustrations by Tasha Tudor added an extra layer of enjoyment.

Este libro tiene magia.
Magia que absorben sus personajes y que se transmite a través de sus páginas.

Es una historia muy simple, con unos personajes insufribles al principio y con un final muy predecible pero con un mensaje verdaderamente necesario en nuestra vida. Tan importante para hacernos sentir vivos que necesitamos que alguien nos lo recuerde de vez en cuando.

Precioso libro.

"Permitir que un pensamiento triste o malo penetre en la mente es tan peligroso como dejar que un microbio de escarlatina entre en tu cuerpo. Y si se permite que se quede allí una vez ha entrado, es posible que nunca nos podamos librar de él en todos los años de nuestra vida."

This was an absolute joy ride and like my friend Karin put it, it was 'lovely and heartwarming'