 "A Strong Story, But a Lame Ending" | 2009-03-07 |
| - Reviewed By User: A19K083SQGVO22 |
This book is one I've returned to annually since I was ten years old. It's almost embarrassing to admit, because everyone knows The Secret Garden is a "girl's book" -- the book's locked, walled garden and girl's coming-of-age are so good as Freudian symbols they're impossible to ignore. The book's even marketed as a "girl's book," always with a pretty pastel cover illustration of a pretty girl in a pretty dress in a pretty flower garden. But the book features many more male characters than female ones. Reading this as a boy, I looked to the different masculine archetypes presented by Hodgson Burnett as models. Although Mary dominates the beginning of the book, it was Dickon with whom I identified.
To my young-adult mind, Dickon was the same boy as Almanzo Wilder in Farmer Boy or Twain's Huckleberry Finn -- tough but not mean, sensitive but not weak, his moral authority derived directly from his relationship with the natural world. There are two adult men in the book -- Craven, who derives his power from violence and Ben Weatherstaff, who derives his power from gentleness. One man locks the garden in grief, the other climbs over the wall to tend the garden's roses for the same reason.
Reading this as an adult, the book's conclusion seems rushed and cliche -- especially in light of the strong beginning. What starts off as fairly dark, complex, and nuanced ends as moralistic bedtime story.
Until the last quarter of the narrative, about the time when Weatherstaff finds out the children have been letting themselves into the garden, the children have been like real children -- neither totally good nor totally bad, but wholly innocent in spite of the illness, abuse, and parental death they've experienced.
But then, Hodgson Burnett inexplicably changes the story's tone. Dickon and Weatherstaff -- who until now have been the earthy souls of the book -- get pushed into the background. Sick, spoiled Colin suddenly is healthy and suave, contrary Mary goes from strong to meek and docile, and cold, miserable Craven steps back into story transformed into Dear Old Dad willing to love his son -- at least now that his son's not a crippled hunchback after all.
Happy ending and fade out.
One is left with the impression that Dickon now is somewhere on the moor dumbly digging for peat and potatoes like a good peasant, Mary's been shipped off to finishing school now that she's pretty enough to land a husband, and Colin installed as the rightful Lord of the Manor.
We can only hope the garden was left to The National Trust |
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 "Enchanting" | 2008-12-06 |
| - Reviewed By abbiyr2 |
This book is enchanting. My daughter and I were in Awe as we read it. There is one particular part whent he children sing the doxology. The build up to this point made quite an impression on both of us. It is beautiful.
Read it and weep (tears of joy)! |
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 "Interesting, but not thrilling(3.5 stars)" | 2008-10-08 |
| - Reviewed By User: AOTEOBX9GFZ48 |
The story of a 'frightful little girl', whose point of view changes as she discovers the secrets of her new surroundings.
A well-written story at times, but it definitely had its draggy moments. It seemed to promise more than it delivered(I expected more of a fantasy tale, along the lines of 'The Chronicles of Narnia'.)
The characters were well-developed, though Colin kind of took over what had been 'Mary's story' toward the end.
Perhaps not the best 'classic children's lit' out there, but it shows how life was at the time it was written, and it's best not to give up on it because it's not entirely 'PC'. Judge for yourself. |
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| "Awesome story" | 2008-09-11 |
| - Reviewed By User: AXUF6DDUBZWX2 |
This book is awesome. I loved the story of this two neglected kids that find each other. Both were mighty in their own ways, yet lonely in their soul. That is until she found the secret garden in her cousin's home. In it, it grew more than plants, their lives intwine with that of the flowers and they too bloom at the end. Beautiful story.
Anna del C.
Author of "The Elf and the Princess"
and "Trouble in the Elf City"
The Elf and The Princess: The Silent Warrior Trilogy - Book One (The Silent Warrior Trilogy) |
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| "Favorite children's book" | 2008-05-29 |
| - Reviewed By kerry6294 |
| This was my favorite book as a child. Still love it today. MUCH better than any of the movies made! |
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| "Great read for all ages" | 2008-02-10 |
| - Reviewed By cgs_sys |
If there is a main character for the book it is Misselthwaite Manor. If there is a present theme is that we (metaphorically speaking) can all unlock our secret garden and make it grow and make a world which we can invite others into.
The story examines a series of characters from Mary Lennox, Dicken Sowersby, Martha Sowersby and of course Colin Craven as they find their lives revolving around the gardens and the moores of a place located in Yorkshire England as they find 'the magic' of the place managing to provoke life changing lessons for all of them.
Like her other book 'The Little Princess', the book starts off in India, and like 'Little Princess', Mary suffers the death of her parents and finds herself trapped in England but that is where the novels part ways. Instead we are immersed into a world of robins, flowers, gardens and shimmering fog and springtime activities. Mistress Mary is cast among a world she barely understand but must learn to survive in. She unlocks mysteries, gets new friends and changes the life of another -- Colin forever.
Both my daughter and I enjoyed the novel until the very end where it decays a bit into endless exposition as Colin begins his scientific experiments. The ending itself almost leaves open a sequel as several character issues find themselves a bit hanging in a lurch but the focus is not on any one single character -- mistress Mary pretty much drops out of the novel halfway through it. It is on the world around us and how it can change us if we let it. We all have beautiful secret gardens in all of us if we are willing to find them and share them with others and in the world of today, that's a great message.
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