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hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
a story of a family healing from past events - set in the colonial period, partly in India and the rest in Yorkshire, England - the main characters have tragic beginnings - also a story of children growing up
personally would have liked it better as a child as it is the target demographic
personally would have liked it better as a child as it is the target demographic
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Death of parent, Colonisation
adventurous
funny
hopeful
relaxing
medium-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
This was a lovely book. The author describes the secret garden in great detail. Th characters also become more likeable as the story progressed. The size of the writing in this book is quite hard to read and I struggled with some of the Yorkshire accent in this but otherwise it was a lovely book. I really liked the characters by the end, even Mary who is a self centred girl in the opening.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Body shaming, Death, Drug use, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Toxic friendship
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Racial slurs, Death of parent
Moderate: Death, Racism
Minor: Child death, Fatphobia, Colonisation
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
medium-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Death, Racial slurs, Death of parent
Minor: Bullying, Child abuse
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death, Death of parent
Minor: Racism, Slavery
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Secret Garden is a joyful and passionate tale of childhood reliance, relationships, and healing. I felt consistently through the book as if Burnett related to the children he wrote about and due to this, he manages to carry an air of mystery and childish glee throughout the story without making the characters feel particularly 'young'. Their intelligence and personalities felt authentic.
The ending was surprisingly abrupt which I found disappointing in comparison with the vast descriptiveness and detailed telling of the rest of the book, but there was something rather playful about it, which made it feel like a purposeful choice.
There are moments of racism in the writing - mostly concentrated at the beginning of the book - which take you jarringly out of the story. I found the casual presence of such passages uncomfortable to read and acutely poignant against the setting of a warm children's story.
The ending was surprisingly abrupt which I found disappointing in comparison with the vast descriptiveness and detailed telling of the rest of the book, but there was something rather playful about it, which made it feel like a purposeful choice.
There are moments of racism in the writing - mostly concentrated at the beginning of the book - which take you jarringly out of the story. I found the casual presence of such passages uncomfortable to read and acutely poignant against the setting of a warm children's story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Death, Grief
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-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
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Medical content, Death of parent
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It's a classic for a reason! This book was an utter delight to read. I felt that the author got the level of tension just right - you never thought the protagonist might fail but the tension arose from the progression of her character and the way that others changed around her. It was hopeful and a joy to the end, although the events of the first few chapters before Mary comes to the manor in England are quite full on - this is a kid who has experienced some serious trauma! You also get the impression that she's younger than she is and it isn't until maybe two thirds of the way through the book that you discover she's ten. I'm so glad to have read this book and the 2011 edition I read is a truly beautiful paperback from the 'Penguin Threads' series, featuring exquisite textured cover artwork by Jillian Tamaki.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Grief
Minor: Animal death, Chronic illness, Misogyny, Toxic relationship
This book was first published in 1911 during the time of the British occupation of India. As such, the book talks about India as being exotic and Mary begins her life with Indian servants who she speaks quite rudely to and of. While the author doesn't outright challenge these social norms she does seem to be sympathetic and attempts to humanise the Indian servants in her own way rather than treating them as other, like Mary does. She is also critical of classism as it existed at the time and speaks very positively about the serving class in England, also gently rebuking the poor manners and lack of common sense of the rich.