2020-01-16

Frances Hodgson Burnett : The secret garden - book review

The Secret Garden (1909) is one of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s most popular novels. The book tells the story of Mary Lennox, a spoiled, contrary, solitary child raised in India but sent to live in her uncle’s manor in Yorkshire after her parents' death. She is left to herself by her uncle, Mr. Craven, who travels often to escape the memory of his deceased wife. The only person who has time for Mary is her chambermaid, Martha. It is Martha who tells Mary about Mrs. Craven's walled garden, which has been closed and locked since her death. Mary becomes intrigued by the prospect of the forgotten garden, and her quest to find out the garden's secrets leads her to discover other secrets hidden in the manor. These discoveries combined with the unlikely friendships she makes along the way help Mary come out of her shell and find new fascination with the world around her.


One more book I remember reading many, many years ago (and watching the movie) and I retained a fond memory of it. And it is still, charming and lovely - the equivalent of a contemporary feel good book !
What attracts me most, nowadays, about this book is that the children are not nice children at the beginning (the adult's fault, mainly, they are too spoiled and left on their own). And of course, I love animals and gardens and the whole story has some sort of magic flavour to it. 
It's also full of humour, grumpy gardeners, wonderful mothers of 12 children, squirrels, birds and more. A treat.

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