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swinckler's review against another edition
inspiring
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, and Death of parent
Child neglecttragedies's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- 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.”
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Ableism, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent
a_bloom's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- 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
This is a reread from my Childhood and it made me realize why I loved this book so much. While the beginning has some questionable language about class and race (as to be expected of an older book) it's message is beautiful. Reading at different ages and phases in life reveals extra messages and the beautiful complexity of these characters stuck in a partially unknown time of our modern day... Yet the events and lessons and feelings and conversations doesn't feel that outdated besides the language shift.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
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