Reviews with content warning for Ableism - The Secret Garden

I REALLY loved the beginning of this book. I loved how flawed the main character was and her arc throughout the book.

The ending was extremely disappointing, though. I didn't like the discussions about disability and illness. The conclusion of the story gave the impression that disabled people could only be loved or tolerated if they are rid of their disability.

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nanc_282's review

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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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snsdpop's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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tea_at_mole_end's review against another edition

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lighthearted reflective slow-paced

2.75

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viccro's review against another edition

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4.0

I want to give it full points, but there's so much racism

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delaylag's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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questingnotcoasting's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I found across this audiobook on Borrowbox and saw it was narrated by Indira Varma. I'd just finished Lords And Ladies which is also read by her and I thought she was so good I decided to listen to this as well. Her accents here were also brilliant and really brought the characters to life. I definitely read this book as a child but my memories of the story might have come mostly from the film because I didn't remember a lot of the details in this. It's still a nice story but it's very much of its time and it was impossible to ignore the way it handles class, disability and race, which did take away some of the charm.

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mathildem's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

3.75 ⭐️ - I liked it

Or so I think, at least. I'm a bit up in the air about it, because for the most part I really like the story, the gorgeous writing and the slight magical realism; but at the same time there are (outdated) things throughout the story that really drove me crazy and made me not love the book.

Such as the conversations around race and ugliness, and also as a chronically ill person the way the ending suggested that all illnesses kind of stem from the psyche didn't sit right with me. If at least that point didn't feel so much as general advice to the reader/listener, but more as something that spoke to Colin it would feel better. Because it is good advice to not scare yourself sick, but at least I felt it insinuated more people could get healthy if they wanted too, which isn't always true and can put a lot of blame on the victim.

All in all, I kind of wished throughout the entire book that was reading a reworked version of it, made to fit today's conversations better. I wished it didn't have the obvious racism and ableist beauty standards (read disfigured by Amanda Leduc if you're not sure what I'm aiming at). wished I had the same gorgeous storytelling, the same plot of the children finding each other and themselves, and the escapism without the infuriating small details that always brought me out of the story.

Carrie Hope Fletcher did a fantastic narration job.

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