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essieruth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Chronic illness, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Colonisation
Moderate: Ableism, Mental illness, and Medical trauma
Minor: Medical content
hedyharper's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Colonisation, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
clarney12's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Chronic illness, Mental illness, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Racism, Slavery, and Terminal illness
akane_readsyt's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
tragedies's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“And the secret garden bloomed and bloomed and every morning revealed new miracles.”
The Secret Garden is a heartwarming story of two lonely, neglected children as they revive a dying garden and find their lives blooming along with it. I’ve never read this book as a child, but I imagine it is completely different from experiencing it now as a twenty-something college student. While it is a charming adventure full of whimsy and wonder, it is also an intricate study on grief, loneliness, and depression. Burnett explores these themes through the eyes of children who, albeit jaded by their experiences of the world, still viewed it with the innocence and naivety of youth. It felt much like a Studio Ghibli film, showing the world both as it is and as it should be.
“Do you want to live?” inquired Mary.
“No,” he answered, in a cross, tired fashion. “But I don't want to die.”
When I picked this book up, I was looking forward to a delightful cottagecore escape. Burnett delivered that with her lush, vibrant writing, but she also gave so much more. This book was a warm hug, embracing pieces of my inner child that I never knew ached. I’ve never been to a secret garden, much less to a place like North York Moors, but however unfamiliar these places were to me, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this book — wherever it took me — felt like coming home.
“But, strange as it seemed to him, there were minutes — sometimes half-hours — when, without his knowing why, the black burden seemed to lift itself again and he knew he was a living man and not a dead one. Slowly—slowly—for no reason that he knew of—he was “coming alive” with the garden.”
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Ableism, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent
olivemason's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Chronic illness, Mental illness, and Death of parent
a_bloom's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I adore the characters and the magic they bring to the story. I adore the descriptions of nature and growing friendship. I adore the hope in the impossible and the magical. I adore a feel good story in the midst of everyday tragedy. No wonder I would read this year after year growing up... It was beautiful and gave me hope. Very few books actually make me emotional to the point of crying, but if I'd taken the time to read it straight in one sitting I probably would have.
If you don't know if you'd like classics or think they're too hard or boring then I BEG YOU TO READ THE SECRET GARDEN. Because at first it is a cruel indifference that quickly turns to kindness. God I love this book and hope that everyone gets the chance to read it. Devour it. And let it sit within your soul as you grow.
Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Grief, Medical trauma, Abandonment, and Colonisation
Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
orchidlilly's review against another edition
- 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
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
yrlaevelyn's review against another edition
- 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
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
luananki's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, and Racism
Moderate: Mental illness, Racial slurs, and Death of parent
Minor: Child death