"Might I have a bit of earth?"

"One of the strange things about living in the world is that it is only now and then one is quite sure one is going to live forever and ever and ever."

A timeless and magical read for all ages, the story The Secret Garden has more secret lessons than the garden itself. Rereading this as an adult has finally unlocked the door for me to rate and review it deservingly!

This book is pure comfort and delight. It’s like a warm blanket on a winter’s eve. It soothes the soul with its very words. All any of us can do is dream there is a locked secret garden out there somewhere for ourselves that holds the key to transforming our own very existences.

Mary grew up in a poor state of health: neglected, abandoned, spoiled, and quite “contrary.” When she first arrives from India to the unknown moors of Misselthwaite Manor and discovers the secret garden, we get to experience the symbolism the garden has with her very own soul. It’s also in a state of ruin, neglect, and death—having been locked away for 10 years after a family tragedy. But the beauty of the symbolism doesn’t stop there. It isn’t just about the garden blossoming and the lovely animals; it’s about the evolution of all the main characters in their own great states of need. And Mary is very central to this happening. It’s beautiful to watch unfold.

Apparently there is also nothing like the pure air of the moors bringing wellbeing to those in need!! Just after reading this, I’d swear myself that I’d be cured of my own ailments if given the chance to breathe the air of the moors. Oh, how I long to visit this place someday. Adding to my dream travel list now!

“The fact was that the fresh wind from the moor had begun to blow the cobwebs out of her young brain and to waken her up a little.”

“In India she had always been too hot and languid and weak to care much about anything, but in this place she was beginning to care and to want to do new things.”

Anyway, I can’t say enough good things about this book! I actually read this on Kindle using the cool Kindle in Motion version. It was beautiful with the little animations! Frances Hodgson Burnett was a gifted children’s literature writer. Her stories are just pure magical and heartwarming. I’ve experienced her story “A Little Princess” through the film adaptation and fell in love with it for years. Longing to read the actual book someday soon. Now that I’m beaming full of hope and a toasty heart, I shall quietly step away now. ❤️

BOOK #23 READ FOR BELIEVATHON ROUND 2.

representation: all the representation is terrible lol but the book has Indian characters, disability rep (spinal disability?).

[trigger warnings are listed at the bottom of this review and may contain spoilers]

★★

Yeah, nah. This was not it lol. Not only was it racist, but it was just plain boring tbh. Maybe if I had more of an attachment to the movie as a kid (my sister used to be obsessed with the movie but I can't remember watching it), I would have felt more of a connection to it, but I just didn't :(

trigger warnings: racism, colonisation, death from cholera, neglect, death of family members, slurs (racial slurs and slurs against a disabled person).

Book 27/100 of 2015

I had to read this for class, but I'm happy that I did! I read A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett when I was younger and loved it, so I'm pleased that I had the chance to read this for a class.
Definitely recommend this to anyone wanting to read an easy classic as I love her writing.

I really the book in its audio version. The depiction of characters is really memorable, and from the first moment got trapped by these two little children that have been abandoned, in a way or another, by the parents.

The story is simple. A girl comes from India after the death of her parents to a Manor house in England and there, she looks for a secret garden that is full of promises.
I loved the way magic is used, and the effects on the members of the family, and I enjoyed the simplicity and wonders of nature as the childrens did.
A little piece of literature that still catches my heart.

Impresa ardua trovare parole per descrivere una tra le letture più significative della propria infanzia. Trovare parole per il libro che abbiamo più amato quando da bambini leggevamo sulla terrazza o il lettone di casa dei nonni, d’estate, con l’atmosfera magica del tramonto. Quando non ci chiedevamo come fosse possibile essere trascinati in un altro mondo grazie alle parole di un libro, come fosse possibile preoccuparsi, arrabbiarsi, piangere per delle persone che esistevano solo nella nostra testa.

Prendo in prestito le parole di chi, meglio di me, ha saputo rendere il senso di nostalgia che ci invade quando guardiamo, tocchiamo, sfogliamo o addirittura solo pensiamo a un libro che ci è appartenuto (nel senso di letto, divorato, adorato, amato) nell’infanzia:
“Non vi sono forse giorni della nostra infanzia che abbiamo vissuto così pienamente, come quelli che abbiamo creduto di aver trascorso senza viverli, i giorni passati in compagnia di un libro prediletto. Il gioco per il quale un amico veniva a cercarci durante il brano più interessante, l’ape o il raggio di sole fastidiosi, che ci costringevano ad alzare gli occhi dalla pagina o a cambiare di posto, le provviste che ci avevano dato per la merenda e che lasciavamo accanto a noi su una panca, senza toccarle, mentre sul nostro capo la forza del sole andava diminuendo nel cielo azzurro.
Il pranzo che ci aveva costretti a tornare a casa e durante il quale pensavamo solo a quando, subito dopo, saremmo saliti a terminare il capitolo interrotto, vale a dire tutto ciò che, a quanto sembrava, riempiva quei giorni per gli altri, e che noi respingevamo quale ostacolo volgare a un piacere divino, e di cui la lettura avrebbe dovuto farci percepire soltanto l’inopportunità.
Tutto ciò ce ne imprimeva invece un ricordo così dolce (tanto più prezioso, a nostro giudizio attuale, di quello che allora leggevamo con amore) che, se ci capita ancor oggi di sfogliare i libri di una volta, altro non vediamo in essi se non gli unici calendari che abbiamo conservato dei giorni fuggiti, e con la speranza di veder riflesse sulle loro pagine le dimore e gli stagni che più non esistono.” Marcel Proust

I can't believe it's taken me so many years to finally read The Secret Garden! I remember loving one of the film adaptations when I was younger, but I wanted to read the book before the new adaptation this Spring. I buddy read this one with Alexa, who's been encouraging me to read it since we met. I listened to this one on audiobook, narrated by Karen Gillan, and half read along in the Minalima illustrated edition. I really love the message of the story and how Mary helps to motivate Colin to overcome some of the mental boundaries he's set for himself. Mary is a very spoiled child and after facing a tragedy, she's sent to live with her distant uncle in Yorkshire. I love Mary's character arc over the course of the novel and the way she works to amend her manners when she's finally met with some resistance to her outrageous requests. The scenes in the garden were obviously my favorite and I love that Frances Hodgson Burnett wrote the book after loving her own garden on Long Island. The story is not perfect- there are some problematic lines about race and India in general, but overall, I enjoyed it.

"There's naught as nice as th' smell o' good clean earth, except th' smell o' fresh growin' things when th' rain falls on 'em. I get out on th' moor many a day when it's rainin' an' I lie under a bush an' listen to th' soft swish o' drops on th' heather..."

I'm such a sucker for dark atmosphere, overly passionate tempers, and a manor on the moors (my enduring love of Wuthering Heights is a testament to this). The Secret Garden was worth the re-read not only for these elements, but also because it offers intensely touching moments and life lessons for any reader of any age.

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

Edit: Other striking similarities to Wuthering Heights include: an orphan from a far-away land, a girl's attention divided between two boys, talk of people being 'lost on the moors' and a 'wutherin'' wind, the theme of parental affection, the use of regional dialect, and a female servant who serves as a bridge between two residences on the moors.

The Secret Garden is a "lovely" story in every sense of the word. Primarily, it's about three kids: Mistress Mary, Dickon, and Master Colin--and how just thinking a little differently can change a person completely.

There's a lot of subtle things Frances Hodgson Burnett does right: The way she relates the Garden to Colin's mother and how that affects his relationship with his father--and how all of these things have made him a horribly spoiled brat. That thinking a little differently, and getting some fresh air, and fixing up a Secret Garden can simultaneously fix up his life and his relationship with his father.

Even though it packs a nice punch and does a lot of little things right, the story overall is a tough read. And it goes beyond just being dated and having awkwardly constructed sentences. It's more than the dialogue and the Yorkshire accent most of the characters speak with that makes what they're trying to say almost impossible to decipher for a modern English speaker.

The pacing is awful. There really isn't any conflict. So it's REALLY hard to get into. And that's sad, because it really is a lovely tale.

I didn’t know what to expect from this, and don’t normally read “children’s literature” but read this for a challenge.

I’m so glad to have come across it, this book was wonderful. It was touching, funny, happy... I also loved the garden- especially now, as we’re heading into a deep freeze here, it was lovely all the talk of spring and leaves growing and buds popping open.

I’ll gladly put this on the will reread anytime shelf.

I wish I could give this 1,000 stars.

The racism/Orientalism definitely didn't age well but I love the 1993 movie.

MISTRESS MARY, QUITE CONTRARY. HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW? WITH SILVER BELLS AND COCKLESHELLS. AND MARIGOLDS ALL IN A ROW."

This delightful children's classic, first published in 1911, pulled me right in with the cholera outbreak and continued with a bit of mystery, lots of magic and some pretty important learning experiences for both children and adults alike.

Not surprising this wonderful work is on the "100 Books Everyone Should Read At Least Once" list. Enchanting super-fast read with a beauty of a cover. Loved it!