Did I just cry through the entire (admittedly short) last chapter of a children's book? Seriously????

OK, let's get the preliminaries out of the way first. This is very much a period piece - and, for better or worse, and I can't imagine my (now grown) kids having got through this ... or, for that matter, sitting through the first few chapters of the book, even if someone was reading it to them. For kids who grew up with (or, even more so, traveled with) video games (and video game consoles) and DVD players (or VCR's) and, yes, the Internet, well, ... it's a bridge too far. And, sure, my kids are (and were) very much urban/suburbanites ... so the fascination and satisfaction with (or interest in) a garden ... just doesn't resonate .... But, ultimately, that's just the (by today's standards, painfully slow) opening gambit.

Also, this is no Time Traveler's Wife, (a personal favorite), even though that was the book that kept popping into my mind as I read this. Obviously, it's a children's book; as noted above, it's (extremely) dated; I must admit, I didn't love the prose - by modern standards, it's heavy and stilted and ... not just British, but formal/stuffy to the point of distraction....

But ... but ... but ... if you can get through the first third (which, I admit, was more plodding and off-putting than I expected), it slowly starts to grow on you. ... And it's worth it, because ... it's a slender volume (again, it was written for kids), so as you get towards the final portions, the mosaic starts to assemble, and the heart of the piece begins to expose itself. ... And the end, well, ... as predictable as it is (OK, OK, it was written for kids, not adult sleuths raised on a broad range and healthy diet of whodunits) ... is ... sublime? precious? touching? appropriate? ... ultimately, very nicely done.

In any event, this was a book I'd been hearing about ... forever.... Many authors refer back to it (for a host of reasons) ... and many describe it as a formative work (although, frankly, others suggest the hype - even at the time - was overrated), so I finally got my hands on a copy. I have a hard time grasping how it became so popular in the 1950's and 1960's, but kid's books (and literature) were different. (It is what it is.) ... Nor do I have any recollection of my parents reading it to me ... or reading it myself.... Nor have I seen any of the three (3 ?!?!?) BBC adaptations, the movie, or the stage performance. But here's my point: this clearly resonated with an entire generation of Brits (and plenty of others as well) .... regardless of how it stood the test of time....

Random observation: It's kind of funny reading this in 2019, when (sadly, inexplicably, maddeningly) a significant segment of our society seems willing to tolerate (if not facilitate) the return of measles to the public consciousness. I'm guessing that - until the news stories of the recent outbreaks - my kids had never given a moment's thought to measles, didn't know anyone (other than their parents, of course) who had contracted measles, or could envision the concept of family separation or isolation due to measles quarantine. But who knows? Maybe (and I fervently hope this is not the case), the next generation will be more familiar, sympathetic, and empathetic to kids with measles as the disease again gains traction and returns to the mainstream. Alas.

A wonderful, charming book that, like the garden in the title, may hold just as much for the reader older in years as for the young.

I liked it. But.

What I liked: I found the writing style to be sweetly smooth and the story fairly engaging from the start. The author's descriptions of things were very beautiful, and she often had lovely word choices. I liked how mysteriously enchanting the grandfather clock was with it's strike of a thirteenth hour. And the garden that Tom finds. And Abel and James.

And then I felt like it kind of fell flat. The expectations I felt the book gave me weren't met; and I found that disappointing because I was really into the book and wondering where it was going. And that's the thing. It didn't exactly go anywhere. Personally, I felt it was anti-climatic and I truly wished that Pearce would have left the explanation of going back in time to only the clock ... and not mixing in dreams with it. And I never ended up caring for Tom or seeing a better version of him come through in the end, which I was so hoping for. He just staid the same and I was hoping for growth.

Would I recommend this: sure. But I'd tell anyone interested that it's more of a meandering book and not one where you love the characters. Not that they're terrible. They're just ... fine.

Cleanliness: the main character isn't exactly a stellar example. He is often selfish, mopey, inwardly somewhat disrespectful to authority, sneaky. A girl lies about who she is, saying she's a princess and that her parents are a King and Queen (she does this to cope with the loss of her parents and the unloving treatment of an uncaring relative). Mentions ghosts, demons and magic as an explanation for the mysterious garden but it's actually some type of time travel.

Ages: 8 - 14

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This is the only time travel book I will ever give a fuck about

There was a discussion in one of the online book groups about this book. I loved it as a youngster and had a hankering to read it again, so here I am.

Десятилетний Том приезжает в гости к тётушке и открывает возможность оказываться ночью в странном саду, в будто бы другое время. Там он становится призраком и заводит дружбу с девочкой своего возраста (потому что её братья его не могут видеть). На выходе получается практически классическая попаданческая книга, только для среднего школьного возраста, и написана она за полвека до того, как попаданчество вообще появилось.

Авторша, кстати, очень плавно подводит ко всем паранормальным событиям (я бы сказал, что полночный сад — спойлер, но он вынесен даже в название). Ну и примерно с самого начала ясно, к чему всё идёт, но, как водится, суть в самом путешествии, а не финале. Зато в финале очень ловко, практически рационально объясняется, как именно Том попадал в сад.

Книга обласкана наградами, но, мне кажется, к нашему времени уже почти забыта, и хотя она нам с Л. в целом скорее понравилась, в то же время если её пропустить вы ничего особо не потеряете. Сравнивать её с "Алисой", "Питером Пэном" и даже "Винни Пухом" невозможно. Перевод тоже не ахти, изобилует повторами и кальками.

no i am so sad that this lovely book finished

Such an adorable book! Another children’s book, I wish I would have read when I was a child. I’d compare this to ‘The Secret Garden’ and Julie Edwards novel, ‘Mandy’. I think I would have loved to discover a secret garden as a child. I can just imagine where it would take my imagination. I also loved the idea of the time travel, and figuring out the mystery of the clock and why Tom was able to go back in time to Hatty and the garden. The ending of the book was quite a satisfying one as well. Definitely think this could be a magical book for all ages.

Book 3/4 for the #stayhomereadingrush finished

English manor homes seem to inspire a certain kind of time travel story. They are usually dream like and include a friendship across the ages. The only caveat, the protagonist from the present is usually unable to alter past events. Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce fits perfectly in this category and it's one of my favorite examples.

Tom Long, the present day (that being probably the 1950s) protagonist is sent away to his aunt and uncle's flat while his brother recovers at home from the measles. The flat, of course, was once a manor house and has sometime in the last fifty years been dived up into apartments. The only clue to the house's history is an old grandfather clock that keeps perfect time but chimes at random.

The clock is also the key for Tom to travel back in time to the Victorian era where he meets a girl about his age named Hatty (Harriet) Melbourne. As the summer progresses, Hatty grows up. Tom's goal during his short stay with his aunt and uncle is to learn the secret of the clock and to find out what happened to his friend Hatty.

Tom's Midnight Garden is a short but extremely satisfying novel. It is tightly plotted and populated with interesting and believable characters. When the book ended I was both happy to have enjoyed the book and sad to say goodbye to Tom and Hatty. Of course, I was partial to Hatty, having a Harriet of my own. But even without that personal connection, I would have loved the novel.

If you like this sort of time travel story, you might also enjoy:

* A Traveller in Time by Alison Uttley
* The House on the Strand Daphne du Maurier
* Requiem for the Author of Frankenstein Molly Dwyer (review coming November 26th)

There's a reason why this book is a classic.

I haven't read this book since being at primary school in the nineteen-eighties, and even then, the book was read to me.

I'm now thirty-six, and I've enjoyed reading it as much as I did hearing it. The best children's books are the ones that you still want to read as an adult.

This is a beautiful story, one that is wonderful to escape into.

Highly recommended.


--Tristan Sherwin, author of *Love: Expressed*

So beautiful, especially the last half!
If you used to spend your childhood playing outdoors, or if you're into gardens, or if you simply love a sweet story with a touch of fantasy, you should seriously consider reading this book.
I think it's even better to read this as an adult, because you will get all the finer nuances and details that a child might not realise.