A review by nanc_282
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

adventurous hopeful inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I revisited this story because I wanted a quick read and I remembered how it drew inspiration from the Bronte novels. However, I’d forgotten it’s affirmation about the powers of nature and the healing in mind and body spending time outdoors can bring. Though it is a children’s story, it is a complex and engaging narrative about parents abdicating responsibility and children finding healing in nature and in each other. It’s like a reverse version of the garden of Eden, though without a serpent. It reflects some of the attitudes of it’s time towards race, colonialism, and physical abilities.
There is a bittersweet element at the end when Colin says he will live forever but as a reader you know the First World War is only a few years away.
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