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priscilla's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Classism
questingnotcoasting's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Racism, Death of parent, Racial slurs, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Classism and Ableism
rworrall78's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I did love the descriptions of nature and the scenes were all set brilliantly. I found Colin and, to a lesser extent Mary, tiresome and Colin's story became very repetitive and drawn out. I would have loved more about Dickon and Mrs Sowerby but they were thinly drawn. There was also unquestioned colonialism and racism particularly at the start which was horrible.
I think perhaps Colin's grandiosity was meant to be written for laughs but it didn't work for me.
Moderate: Colonisation, Racism, and Classism
b_lownds127's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Classism, Colonisation, Death of parent, and Racism
strawbibble's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Moderate: Confinement, Medical content, Racial slurs, Racism, Abandonment, Ableism, Child abuse, Body shaming, Classism, Colonisation, and Medical trauma
yggie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
That said, it's very much a product of its time, and the casual racism at the beginning is definitely not ok.
Graphic: Death of parent, Racism, and Colonisation
Minor: Alcoholism, Classism, Racial slurs, Ableism, Domestic abuse, and Grief
inkdrinkers's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The Secret Garden is mildly better than A Little Princess, but I still had such a hard time getting through the writing and the plot. I did enjoy Mary, but the fact she was almost fully abandoned as the main character made me so mad. Martha was abandoned as well. The characters had no consistency in their appearances in the story and it just seemed like halfway through the story changed focus.
The end chapter made me irrationally angry as well. The last page didn't feel satisfying at all, it just felt like the story suddenly ended with no wrap up to anything else.
Overall I didn't like this. It took me an entire month to read and now I think I have a chip on my shoulder. Maybe the movie is better.
One star for the appearance of a baby fox and one star for a pony named Jump.
Graphic: Death of parent, Medical content, and Child abuse
Moderate: Classism, Racism, and Racial slurs
Child abuse is fairly consistent throughout. There's also a startling passage where a character states that a woman caused herself to be beaten by her husband because she said the wrong thing to him. Racism and classicism abound.metta's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
1.75
Moderate: Ableism
Minor: Racism and Classism