A review by caribbeangirlreading
The Secret Garden: (penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) by Frances Hodgson Burnett

emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • 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

2.5

Ten year-old Mary Lennox is born in India to British parents who are more interested in their social life and military career than they are in parenting.  The only adult who spends any time with her is her Ayah, whom Mary abuses verbally, with absolutely no repercussions.  One day, a cholera epidemic sweeps through the household, killing her Ayah and both her parents.  Whatever staff survives, runs away and abandons Mary to her own fate.  She is discovered by local (British, of course) officials who find her hungry, scavenging for food, and confused as to why she cannot find any servants around to take care of her.  She is shipped off to England, to be cared for by an uncle she has never met. 
 
GOOD – At its core, The Secret Garden is a story about the healing power of nature.  I really connected with every part of the book that took place outdoors.  This was where the novel really shined.  I loved to read how Mary and Colin healed and grew emotionally while tending to the garden, and how the garden flourished under their care.  The more they cared for something other than themselves, the more they grew emotionally.  The secret garden has a lot of hidden meanings to the adult reader but to a child, it’s a magical place where they can play freely, away from the prying (and judgmental) eyes of the adults.  
 
BAD – emotional neglect, racism, classism, racism 
 
The whole “Mary is an unlikeable child” theme really bothered me.  Here is a child who has had zero affection from any adult in her life.  Not even her nanny liked her.  At every turn in the story, the adults never fail to remind Mary that she is a burden.  Not once did the author place any blame or responsibility on the adults who neglected her emotionally.  Instead, the author reminds the reader, constantly, that Mary was an awful child.  I can see that the author is most probably trying to write a cautionary tale for children but I can’t help but wonder what is the real lesson that a child reader would internalize after reading this book.  To me, as an adult reader, when the author fails to say “Mary’s parents and all the rest of the adults treat her poorly” it leaves the child to fill in the blanks about who is really to blame for Mary being so contrary, like it’s both her fault and her responsibility to fix it.  This made for a great character growth arch, but as a parent, it rubbed me the wrong way. 
 
When it comes to the depictions of race, the book shows its age.  There was so much casual racism in the descriptions of life in India and many negative comparisons to the “healthy” lifestyle in Yorkshire.  In the beginning of the story, Mary Lennox treats the servant staff in India and Yorkshire like dirt and not one adult stands up to her.  Her racism goes unchecked.  In addition, throughout the book, several characters make a point of stating that the local Yorkshire residents, especially those who work as servants in the Manor, are “less than.” 
 
UGLY – Archibald Craven, Mary’s uncle, is so overcome by grief when his wife dies giving birth to their son that he basically ignores him (and his wife’s garden) for the next 10 years.  Heck, like Mr. Rochester of Jane Eyre fame, Craven hides his son away in the attic.  Immediately after Mary arrival at the Manor, Craven takes off to another country and leaves the staff to deal with the problem/children.  Meanwhile, while his father is away, Colin, after being bed-ridden for the entirety of his 10 years of life, is miraculously healed, with the assistance of some fresh air, exercise, and a new attitude.  Craven eventually returns to the Manor, where he finds that his son (and the garden) has been restored to health. 
 
After being the protagonist of our entire story, Mary basically gets forgotten and the book ends in a teary father/son reunion.  Basically, Mary, a 10 YEAR OLD CHILD, put in the hard emotional work, Craven, an adult male, reaps the benefits, and Mary *still* does not have a loving adult in her life.  I was pissed. 
 
MISC – After I finished reading this book I decided to do a little research of my own regarding TSG and its author, Frances Hodgson Burnett.  I found out that, contrary to popular belief, The Secret Garden was not originally written as a children’s book, nor was it a well-received book.  The story was published in 1911, broken up as a series of short stories, in a magazine marketed to adults.  It was later published as a novel and did not sell well.  In fact, when Burnett died, it wasn’t even mentioned in her obituary as an important work.  It wasn’t until several decades later that the book became popular.  All it needed was a little hype and marketing from “children’s literature scholars,” whatever that means.  Once the “experts” decided it was an important work, teachers and children’s librarians jumped on the bandwagon.  And that is how TSG became a “classic.”  Even more importantly, I also found out that FHB was a Christian Scientist, a faith that espouses, among other things, the power of positive thinking to heal the mind and the body.  Hence, the disabled child who is miraculously cured and just needed some fresh air, exercise, and an attitude adjustment.  In conclusion, The Secret Garden is a religious tract that has been marketed for decades as a children’s classic.
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