Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Den hemliga trädgården by Frances Hodgson Burnett

28 reviews

bringmybooks's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

If I've said it once, I've said it a million times (&if I've never said it before, I'll say it now): listening to audiobooks of classic children's literature is SUCH a good way to revisit these stories as adults!

✨ 𝗕𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚 ✨ B̷O̷R̷R̷O̷W̷ B̷Y̷P̷A̷S̷S̷

[First things first - this book was written in 1910 and there are some parts of it that really did not age well (specifically around the language used to describe both India and Indian people). It's not throughout the entire book, more so in the beginning as Mary Lennox is learning not to parrot insensitive & incorrect information that she's been told, but it's still not great.]

I know that I have read The Secret Garden as a kid, but I also know that it's been at least 25 years since then and it was WILD how much I had forgotten about so much of this book. I think the 90s adaptation did a really good job keeping the spirit of the story and characters (other than Ms. Medlock, who is way more severe in the adaptation). There was a lot more character arc and growth in the book, and more exploration of other characters aside from Mary & Colin, which I really appreciated.

This was one of the last Audible credits I used before switching to libro.fm, and the narrator [Carrie Hope Fletcher] did an AMAZING job with the story! I can't speak to any other audio narrators, but if you use Audible this was well worth the credit 🥰 Overall this was one I was glad I got a chance to go back and revisit!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment

jespinosam's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Grief, and Abandonment

orchidlilly's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Moderate: Confinement, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Minor: Colonisation

sasquatch_3's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Moderate: Racism

yrlaevelyn's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, and Colonisation

Moderate: Body shaming, Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Medical content, and Abandonment

Minor: Animal death, Body shaming, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Slavery, Medical content, Grief, and Death of parent

soph22's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Grief, and Death of parent

dark_marble_eyes's review against another edition

challenging hopeful reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This has been on my to-read list for ages, as I loved the 1993 movie as a child. The magic of a child exploring and discovering new things was certainly there, but I knocked it down a bit because it didn't quite grab me as I hoped it would. I was prepared for the ableism, as I knew it was a key point in the story, but it's still a negative. It also lost points with me because the racism in it tarnished the entire story. The characters' ignorant comments, while certainly "of their time," made them significantly less lovable, even at the end.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Racism, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal death

bookish_bry's review against another edition

hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This was a very enjoyable read and came at a point in my life where I needed it. In particular, the message of getting up and doing things to make you feel better instead of languishing in your own self-pity came at a good time for me.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Chronic illness, Racism, and Grief

Minor: Child abuse and Death of parent

There is a good amount of casual racism against people from India. This lessons later in the book when the main character is out of India, but it is uncomfortable when it's there.

yggie's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Such a wholesome, lovely book. Great cast, great development. This book is one of the few I can reread every few years and it will always make me feel better.

That said, it's very much a product of its time, and the casual racism at the beginning is definitely not ok.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Death of parent, and Colonisation

Minor: Ableism, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Grief, and Classism

harkalintu's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Ableism and Grief