The Secret Garden
by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Rating: 2/5 stars
In The Secret Garden, Mary Lennox moves to England after the death of her parents to live in a lavish mansion belonging to her uncle. She discovers a secret garden that had belonged to her uncle's late wife but was abandoned after her death. Mary makes it her mission to find a way to get into the garden and bring it back to life. The garden, in return, teaches Mary many life lessons and inspires her to pass her wisdom onto her cousin, Colin.
I'm not sure that I liked the book, but I don't think I particularly disliked it either. After going back and forth, I finally ended up giving it 2 stars but I'm still not sure. I think I would've given a higher rating to an abridged version. I found myself forcing myself to continue reading, which is never a good sign. For a good portion of the book, I used the Librivox audiobook which I think helped some, especially with being able to hear the Yorkshire accent. I honestly don't think I would've gotten through the book without it. If you really want to tackle this book, for whatever reason, I suggest using it. The first 1/2 of the book dragged on and on so much that I was kind of bored by the time I got to the 2nd half where the book is (in my opinion) actually likable.
The secret garden is charming. And so are the characters. Dickon and his mother were my favorite. But something about the book just doesn't do it for me. Not enough happens for this book to be 300 pages and it gets rather repetitive. However, I can definitely see how this book would appeal to children. The garden is presented as a forbidden but wondrous land with almost magical powers. I can see where children would love that aspect of the book and the fact that it was written from the perspective of a child. I know I read it in about 3rd grade but I don't remember whether I liked it then or not. Perhaps it just doesn't have the same appeal for older readers.
It certainly does have some life lessons in it that might be particularly useful for younger readers. However, we could all learn a thing or two, even if it's just a reminder. I think the whole point of the book is summed up in the first paragraph of chapter 27.
I really didn't like this book as much as I wanted or expected to and ended up being rather disappointed.
