The Secret Garden
Ratings477
Average rating4
I read this book as a child and re-reading it sparked a lot of nostalgic joy.
It's a lovely little story with a profound sense of found family.
The book is very much a product of it's time and requires some critical reading but I still enjoyed it greatly.
listened to this audiobook while being told to k*ll myself on twitter because I said I hated Julian blackthorn.. not the greatest combo. I no longer have a twitter
A fantastic little book, the kind that makes you feel glad to read literature. It's a tale of change, of healing, of growing and finding happiness in the most simple way. In our modern world of depression and anxiety, classics like this will never lose their importance.
Really enjoyed reading this with my 5 year old, outside of learning after we finished that he thought there was a literal dead body in the secret garden.
Outside of that, this book promotes really good conversation about positivity, avoiding snap judgements, nature, kindness. We had some great chats about it and likely will continue to do so. Definitely was interesting having to...clear up a cholera corpse in the magical secret garden, but here we are.
The Secret Garden is a book I read often as a little girl. It seemed to me that I was in this garden, together with the main character. Now as an adult, I see how perfect this book is. Just open it to disappear into the world of dreams
I read this as part of a challenge as I had never read it before. I think if I was younger reading the characters accents would have annoyed me so I'm glad I waited to read it. I enjoyed it but wish Colin and his dad had more time together before the book finished.
The perfect Springtime book, with lovely prose that truly encapsulates the feeling of seeing a garden burst out of the seemingly dead earth.
This wonderfully lovely book falls alongside other children's classics like “Anne of Green Gables” and “Chronicles of Narnia”. The magic in it is on the “Anne” scale, not so much the “Narnia” scale, but all three give me a similar warm, nostalgic feeling.
Loved the progression of the characters and the way the author understood the mindset and perspective of children in such a situation. Truly worthy of being called a classic!
A book about a girl from India who gets sent away to her uncle's mysterious, big house with many gardens.
Lovely language, descriptions bring out the warmth and lonely feelings. There's a lot of mystery and curiosity. All the kids in the book are lovely and good role models, their character development is good. It is easy to read and some characters speak with Yorkshire dialect in small parts, very cool to see.
There are some good points made, but they could have been made without a god or spirituality. The race of characters was mentioned at points and it wasn't handled well.
This book was kind of cute. A feel-good children's book with some issues. It's very British and presents India as the cause of Mary's sickness, not even mentioning how they colonised India, the way they talk about the natives there as well.. It bothered me a lot. But the story overall was very magical and optimistic and the characters were very cute.
I could appreciate it more this time around as my reading wasn't as plot-focused as it had been the first time around. I liked how the narrative commentary sort of builds an empathetic side of the reader. I LOVED the descriptions of the wonderful nature as it evoked my inner child, relishing the feelings of secrecy, friendship, adventure, childish wonder, and much more.
If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would!
This story is magical and beautiful and funny and made me cry and I love it!
I shall re-read it every spring !
What a wonderful book of loving life! Of how having material things may not lead to your happiness. Learning to enjoy nature!
Loved this one. Recommended to me and I was very delicate at first with it, it had a lot of colonialism and racism, if you can get through that it's a beautiful book, and spoke to my own struggles with giving in and feeling sad and all that. A classic.
Having not read this book since I was a child, I was surprised at how little of the details I remembered. I remember a little girl going to live at a big forbidding mansion and her sickly cousin who find an unkempt garden and bring it back to life. What I didn't remember was the overt racism, the classism of the young boy and the sheer neglect of the master of the house to the children because he was grieving.
As an adult, I am pretty salty about a lot of this book and I can see why not many people might have their children read this now.
There is some evolution of the surly and sickly children as they spend time in nature and the healing power of activity and hope but so much of Colin's illness could have been avoided if he had been loved. If this were a modern story, the father would be hauled. up on child neglect and abuse charges, and both children would be spending a goodly amount of time in therapy. Sheesh.
I had planned to re-read A Little Princess next but I'm afraid my childhood memory of that book will also be destroyed.
I read this aloud at the three-year-old Mermaid Warrior request, her Christmas present last year, and read with everyone listening. Afterward we had to start reading the real book and went in about four chapters. I can see where things were eliminated from the story but I think they did pretty well overall about making it appropriate for the preschool sector. I love this illustrator and will look for more Little Golden Books with her color added.
I love how anti-India this book is.
I... really liked this more the first time I read it. I can't place it - it's a great book. But it's not excellent like it once was.
I've wanted to read this book for years and kept putting it off. I wish I hadn't waited so long because it's such a lovely story. Outdated in places, certainly, but it shares an overall message about the nurture of nature.
Mary Lennox is sent to live with a distant uncle after the death of her parents. Having grown up unloved and spoiled, Mary has a sour disposition and temperamental nature. Her uncle Archibald is a widower who spends most of his time away from his locked-up estate. Mary is more confused by the locked doors than the idea of being essentially left to herself.
Her contrary manner begins to mellow the longer she's in the house. She comes to know the help who show her for the first time what it feels like to be cared for by someone. Soon, she finds herself among friends who have also felt outcast and unwanted through their circumstances. They come together in the secret garden to bring life into the place that has been shut up for a decade.
I always assumed this story was akin to Anne of Green Gables. Though there are some similarities, the narration is far different. I was most impressed by Colin's storyline. I'm always fascinated by the psychology of characters, but to read such a complex example of mental health having the ability to deteriorate the body felt before its time was fascinating.
Listening to this book on audio while walking enhanced my reading experience. The imagery of nature felt even more vivid while out in it. I wish I hadn't waited so long to experience this story! I'm looking forward to watching the film now.
Having found myself with nothing at hand to read to the kids some weeks ago, the missus suggested this one which she had available on her tablet. It's an old story, 100 years old actually, and I'd never read it so I plunged in. The story is a bit dry and a little dreary but the kids were into it. On the plus side, it got more interesting as it progressed and the kids enjoyed the characters of Mary, Martha, Dickon, and Colin. The story brought forth a number of questions and discussions with the kids. That was fun. But as I got near the end, I was eager to just finish it. The kids gave it good marks. I found the business with Dickon's facility with animals to be fanciful to say the least. Our next book will be a more modern tale.