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adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I fell in love with this story
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Racism, Death of parent, Colonisation
Moderate: Grief
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
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
The Secret Garden definitely has some flaws (mostly ignorant racism against India and children in lonely, dark situations at the beginning), but its position as a landmark work about healing and positive psychology is still richly deserved because there are still so few books out there like it. It's unique in its celebration of nature, rural Yorkshire culture and the importance of childhood physical and mental wellbeing. Its messages of joyful living are possibly even more relevant in today's world then they were a century ago, and have the magic of being able to touch the souls of both adults and children. It is a story about the journey to being happy - and that is so valuable and underrated.
But seriously, I do wish there was less racism so that everyone in the world would be able to enjoy it properly 🌏🫶
But seriously, I do wish there was less racism so that everyone in the world would be able to enjoy it properly 🌏🫶
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Grief, Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Death of parent, Abandonment, Colonisation, Classism
Minor: Animal death
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Mary Lennox is a disagreeable child who has grown up privileged as the daughter of white British parents in the 1900s in British-occupied India. She is a hater down to her core, but when she moves out to Yorkshire to live with her Uncle (Sir Craven), she begins to change.
She does not discriminate and hates everyone equally, but she definitely harbors some racism towards people of color, particularly Indian people, given her outburst of rage when Martha says when she heard about Mary coming all the way from India, she thought Mary would be "one of the blacks", indicating her (and the people of that time as well) ignorance over the difference between South Asians and Africans. Mary gets mad and feels the urge to slap Martha for ever thinking that she could be Indian, thinking that the native people of India are "not even human", so how dare Martha ever compare her to those! This is definitely rooted in the racism that she has seen from her parents and the other adults who have taken Indian people as slaves. However, she gladly talks about the stereotypical "Wonders of India" such as the kid Raja, the elephants, and the snake charmers and boasts about seeing those things first hand.
The improvement of her mood, appetite and personality brought about by the moor and the people living in there brings her to help her cousin, Colin in improving as well, and it doesn't take long before her, Colin, Dickon, and Ben are all working to make the Secret Garden beautiful again. As the garden wakes, both Colin and his father, Archibald Craven are also "waking" in a way, letting go of their grief from the loss of Mrs. Craven and deciding to move forward.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Terminal illness
Minor: Death, Death of parent, Pandemic/Epidemic
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
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
Finally read this piece of classic fiction and had a wonderful time with it. It began surprisingly tragic, opening in British India during a cholera outbreak, but even before the outbreak is mentioned it is made clear how alone our main character, Mary, felt in the world. She thought not much would change when she arrived at Misselthwaite Manor and was quickly ushered to a large empty room and told not to bother the owner, her uncle, who she was told would take care of her. Little did she know, this place was filled to the brim with secrets, and upon finding the key to them, she would be set on taking them for herself. The self discovery and the change that occurs to the characters over the course of this book were fascinating and inspiring to read about, and the descriptions of the gardens and the changes the world around them went through were just beautiful and a pleasure to turn into the little movie in my head.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Confinement, Grief, Classism
Minor: Animal death, Racism, Colonisation
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really loved this. I thought I read it as a kid, but I didn’t remember any of it so it felt brand new. The atmosphere was gorgeous and so immersive - I could see the moor, feel the rain, smell the garden. I loved how the garden slowly coming back to life mirrored Mary and Colin growing and being nurtured for the first time. There’s a big focus on positive thinking, and while I don’t believe that alone can fix everything (especially as someone with chronic health issues), I do think mindset shapes how we meet life’s challenges—and that really matters.
It made me feel weirdly nostalgic for a time I’ve never lived in—when kids just had nature, imagination, and each other. It left me wondering what the world would be like if that was still possible.
Some parts haven’t aged well—especially the racism and all the weird, constant commentary about the kids being “ugly”—but the heart of the story still shines. And now I’m seriously craving fresh bread and jam 🍞✨️
It made me feel weirdly nostalgic for a time I’ve never lived in—when kids just had nature, imagination, and each other. It left me wondering what the world would be like if that was still possible.
Some parts haven’t aged well—especially the racism and all the weird, constant commentary about the kids being “ugly”—but the heart of the story still shines. And now I’m seriously craving fresh bread and jam 🍞✨️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Racism, Colonisation
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Death of parent
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A beautiful inspiring little audio book. The perfect Spring pock you up story, loved it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Death of parent
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Just a good book and a fun read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Death, Death of parent
Minor: Racism
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Death, Mental illness, Racism, Terminal illness, Classism
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Het is een mooi, hoopvol boek. Eén boek dat laat zien dat verandering mogelijk is en dat het niet altijd in de grote dingen hoeft te zitten. Zolang je er zelf in geloofd en jezelf blijft aanmoedigen kom je een heel eind.
Dit zie je vooral in de veranderingen die Mary en Colin mee maken door het verhaal heen.
Ik ben begonnen in de Engelse versie en uiteindelijk geëindigd in de Nederlandse, zodat ik het boek op tijd uit zou hebben. Wat ik in de Engelse versie geweldig vind is het Yorkshire accent dat voorbij komt. Als het kan lezen terwijl je dat accent ook hoort voegt dat echt iets toe aan je leesplezier. De Nederlandse versie daarentegen had deze mooie platen erin staan, waarbij ik ook niet kon ophouden ernaar te kijken.
Dit zie je vooral in de veranderingen die Mary en Colin mee maken door het verhaal heen.
Ik ben begonnen in de Engelse versie en uiteindelijk geëindigd in de Nederlandse, zodat ik het boek op tijd uit zou hebben. Wat ik in de Engelse versie geweldig vind is het Yorkshire accent dat voorbij komt. Als het kan lezen terwijl je dat accent ook hoort voegt dat echt iets toe aan je leesplezier. De Nederlandse versie daarentegen had deze mooie platen erin staan, waarbij ik ook niet kon ophouden ernaar te kijken.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Slavery, Terminal illness, Grief
Moderate: Death, Violence, Death of parent, Pandemic/Epidemic