▶▶▶ Check Out The Secret Garden (HarperClassics) for $5.99

The Secret Garden (HarperClassics) Review

Set in Victorian England a century ago this endearing children's classic remains as refreshing in our modern age as when it was first published--literary dew on the roses. True, it lacks the swashbuckling adventure and terrifying physical dangers which typically appeal to boys, but it does transport readers back into a simper era, when people felt closer to the land and all living things--attributes which we are starting to rediscover.

Orphaned by the death of her socialite parents in India, where she was accustomed to being catered to by her Ayah, Mary Lennox arrives in Yorkshire, England with a chip on her shoulder and an ache in her abandoned heart. Spoiled, selfish, arrogant and disdaining common folk she quickly is ignored by most of the overburdened staff at Craven Hall and left to her own devices to while away empty time. Worst of all, even her taciturn uncle takes no interest in her; in fact he seems to shun his own home. The only servant who is kind and friendly to the sullen arrival is a sweet Yorkshire maid.

Bored yet curious about the strange cries and groans she overhears Mary starts to explore her new surroundings' exterior and interior. Outside, she discovers a secret garden, hidden away and unloved behind ivy-covered walls, with only one entrance door which is mysteriously locked. Inside the manor house she stumbles upon a hidden room in which lies a wretched, bedridden boy--her ten-year-old cousin, Collin--who thinks he is developing a hunch back and will soon die. Spoiled, selfish and denied parental love as well, the boy alternates between moments of pique and a natural, juvenile interest in someone his own age. Despite the clash of wills the rejected children gradually come to understand each other; she
encourages Collin to combat his gloomy prognosis and try to walk. Is there a conspiracy between doctor and housekeeper to prevent the boy from getting well and growing up?

But the Garden Cure is close at hand, for Mary meets Dickon, the country lad who lives nearby--a fellow who has a sunny presence and a way with all living things. Animals trust him; even the wild ones are tamed in his presence. After assuring Mary that the secret garden is still "wick" (alive) they undertake to restore it to life. But why did her uncle lock it up long years ago, abandoning a place so much beauty and healing for the soul? What will lead Mary to rise above her self-centered existence in order to help Collin break his pessimism and her uncle reject his despair? A timeless treasure which reminds us that even seemingly dead gardens can bloom again--even in human hearts.

NB: the excellent PBS version includes surrealistic scenes bordering on Black Magic as in JANE EYRE--making the story darker than the author intended. Still an excellent film.

The Secret Garden (HarperClassics) Overview

When orphaned Mary Lennox, lonely and sad, comes to live at her uncle's great house on the Yorkshire moors, she finds it full of secrets. At night, she hears the sound of crying down one of the long corridors. Outside, she meets Dickon, a magical boy who can charm and talk to animals. Then, one day, with the help of a friendly robin, Mary discovers the most mysterious wonder of all--a secret garden, walled and locked, which has been completely forgotten for years and years. Is everything in the graden dead, or can Mary bring it back to life?

The Secret Garden (HarperClassics) Specifications

Mistress Mary is quite contrary until she helps her garden grow. Along the way, she manages to cure her sickly cousin Colin, who is every bit as imperious as she. These two are sullen little peas in a pod, closed up in a gloomy old manor on the Yorkshire moors of England, until a locked-up garden captures their imaginations and puts the blush of a wild rose in their cheeks; "It was the sweetest, most mysterious-looking place any one could imagine. The high walls which shut it in were covered with the leafless stems of roses which were so thick, that they matted together.... 'No wonder it is still,' Mary whispered. 'I am the first person who has spoken here for ten years.'" As new life sprouts from the earth, Mary and Colin's sour natures begin to sweeten. For anyone who has ever felt afraid to live and love, The Secret Garden's portrayal of reawakening spirits will thrill and rejuvenate. Frances Hodgson Burnett creates characters so strong and distinct, young readers continue to identify with them even 85 years after they were conceived. (Ages 9 to 12)

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

Customer Reviews

If you must get this book, get the one with the Tasha Tudor illustrations - Privacy, Please - Maryland, USA
I tried to attach this review to an edition of this book with Tasha Tudor's illustrations, but unfortunately my review somehow ended up in a group of reviews of the DVD of one of the movie adaptations through some glitch. Therefore, I'm reposting my review here so it will actually attach to the book it is meant for.

First, let me say that I am a huge fan of Tasha Tudor's lovely illustrations for both "The Secret Garden" and "A Little Princess". To me, the Tudor editions are really the classic evocations of these books, and it's even a bit irksome to see editions with other illustrations when there are so many other wonderful stories for those talented folks to work on. Therefore, if you're going to buy an edition of "The Secret Garden," I'd say the Tudor-illustrated edition, preferably in hardback with the lovely dust jacket, is the one to get.

Having said that, I'll admit I have had mixed feelings about this story both as a child and as an adult. In a nutshell, it's the story of a spoiled, ill-mannered little British girl named Mary who is being raised in India in late Victorian times. After her entire family dies in an epidemic, Mary is shipped off to live in a remote castle-mansion in the English countryside, where the climate (cold) and the accents (such as that of the Scottish maid) are foreign to her, and no one pays any attention to her. Exploring on her own, Mary discovers a "secret" walled garden and works to restore it with the help of a gardener and a local country boy named Dickon, who tames animals as well as being a whiz with growing things. Mary also discovers she has an "invalid" cousin, Colin, around her own age, who sequesters himself in his bedroom. Colin and Mary both have disagreeable personalities at the beginning because they've been ignored and neglected by the adults in their lives, but as time goes by and they spend more time outdoors in the garden, playing with animals and the like, they help each other develop into nicer and more physically healthy children.

If this sounds like a very old-fashioned Victorian story, it more or less is. Each time I've tried to read it (several times from about age 12, when a popular movie version was out, up through adulthood) I find the beginning pretty exciting, what with Mary suddenly losing her family and being shipped off to a strange place, but then it bogs down in the middle. The kids never do much except mess around in the countryside and think introspective thoughts; there are no big "adventures" to speak of. Unlike "A Little Princess," you don't have the hero/ heroine vs. evil villains plot aspect; it's basically a book about some children fighting the demons in themselves. The neglectful adults, such as Mary's uncle, are not particularly demonized nor are they abusive; one gets the impression that they just don't quite know how to handle raising the kids, which again is very Victorian given that the raising of children was often handed off to nannies or servants.

I am sure there are children and adults who would just love this book, especially all the descriptions of cute animal tricks and flowers coming to life, as well as the whole "children thoughtfully overcoming the mistakes of adults in their lives" theme, but I am equally sure there are folks who, like me, would prefer a story with a little more going on in it, such as "A Little Princess" (or even something wackier like "Alice in Wonderland"). The idea that kids who are physically or perhaps mentally/spiritually ill to some degree just need to run around in the sunshine and have pleasant manners and it all goes away is also a bit disturbing. Despite the nice illustrations (in the Tudor edition) and the charming animal antics, it's just not my type of book.

Great book for all ages! - Vicky in Omaha - Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.A
Even though this book was supposedly written "for children", I ENJOYED reading it VERY much! I love happy endings, and the book provided that.

Enchanting - S. Thomassie -
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)!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Jul 07, 2010 00:35:06

Children's Books

Tuesday, July 6, 2010