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A review by lawbooks600
The Secret Garden: (penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) by Frances Hodgson Burnett
relaxing
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? It's complicated
4.0
Trigger warnings: Deaths of characters in the past, racism, racist slurs
Score: Seven points out of ten.
I wanted to read this book for a while, and not long after, I got my hands on this story from one of the two libraries I go to. Again, I didn't know what I would get as I went in, except that the book is a classic. The beginning is not the best, but the rest of the novel is outstanding due to its age; the library I got this from might remove this book. It starts with the main character, Mary Lennox, or Mary for short, and at the beginning of the book, Mary moves to an entirely different house and country; some people say that Mary has behavioural issues, which I could see within the first few chapters. That only improved from there. Mary gets herself used to this new house, Misselthwaite Manor, and I saw her meeting new characters, being unique and having distinct voices. Only a few pages in, Mary meets this other critical character, bedridden Colin, and agitated that he might have a hunchback and die. Also, I noticed that, in India, Mary is used to people doing jobs for her, but now, in England, she must do everything herself. One aspect that makes this book stand out is its character development, which affects Colin and Mary, and that's not an aspect I see in many books. I'm glad I got that when I read this story. But wait! I haven't discussed the most significant section of the book, which is when Mary discovers a garden that the house owner has locked off for ten years after someone died there and when Mary opened it, it was all dead. But somehow, toward the end, the garden, let's say, restored itself, then Colin realised there is no hunchback to worry about then it cuts to the house owner now living in a different location. That ends the book.
Score: Seven points out of ten.
I wanted to read this book for a while, and not long after, I got my hands on this story from one of the two libraries I go to. Again, I didn't know what I would get as I went in, except that the book is a classic. The beginning is not the best, but the rest of the novel is outstanding due to its age; the library I got this from might remove this book. It starts with the main character, Mary Lennox, or Mary for short, and at the beginning of the book, Mary moves to an entirely different house and country; some people say that Mary has behavioural issues, which I could see within the first few chapters. That only improved from there. Mary gets herself used to this new house, Misselthwaite Manor, and I saw her meeting new characters, being unique and having distinct voices. Only a few pages in, Mary meets this other critical character, bedridden Colin, and agitated that he might have a hunchback and die. Also, I noticed that, in India, Mary is used to people doing jobs for her, but now, in England, she must do everything herself. One aspect that makes this book stand out is its character development, which affects Colin and Mary, and that's not an aspect I see in many books. I'm glad I got that when I read this story. But wait! I haven't discussed the most significant section of the book, which is when Mary discovers a garden that the house owner has locked off for ten years after someone died there and when Mary opened it, it was all dead. But somehow, toward the end, the garden, let's say, restored itself, then Colin realised there is no hunchback to worry about then it cuts to the house owner now living in a different location. That ends the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Minor: Death of parent