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adventurous
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Racial slurs, Racism
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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: Ableism, Chronic illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Grief, Death of parent
adventurous
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Medical content, Gaslighting
challenging
hopeful
reflective
slow-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
This has been on my to-read list for ages, as I loved the 1993 movie as a child. The magic of a child exploring and discovering new things was certainly there, but I knocked it down a bit because it didn't quite grab me as I hoped it would. I was prepared for the ableism, as I knew it was a key point in the story, but it's still a negative. It also lost points with me because the racism in it tarnished the entire story. The characters' ignorant comments, while certainly "of their time," made them significantly less lovable, even at the end.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Racism, Grief, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
slow-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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Racial slurs, Racism, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abandonment, Colonisation, Classism
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
Such a lovely, hopeful, and happy book that was such a heartwarming experience in ways that are hard to describe. I had never read this book as a child and apparently there are movie adaptations too I’ve never heard about. Nevertheless the magical realism with the mystery and secrecy were really compelling combined with the vivid description of the nature. What kind of stood out from the beautifullness of the book was its age. Many instances of describing India were uncomfortable or upright terrible, which is not a surprise for a book written in England in the 1910s. Also, the book’s main character, Mary, fades into the background near the end of the book where the book starts to focus on Colin and his relationship with his self-image and his father, which is disappointing, especially since is such a strong character.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Racism, Colonisation
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma
Moderate: Racism, Death of parent
Minor: Death
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Chronic illness, Racism
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Racial slurs, Racism
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
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:
Complicated
I didn't quite finish this book bc I kept falling asleep every time I picked it up so I just skimmed to the end after chapter 22 bc Mary virtually disappeared and FHB seemed as done writing this story as I was reading it. But I'll count it as read bc I read near 80%. Anyways the first four chapters are jarringly racist and the story throughout has that racist undertone of how Mary became a civilized person once she went out to the fresh, white air moor bc India is hot and terrible and weird. Honestly this book is past its expiration date. FHB's writing is easy and sticks with you though but if you have to read a FHB book, read A Little Princess it's still got its problematic stuff (I suppose bc I read it years ago and don't remember much) but it's not as jarringly racist as this one. And Sara Crewe stomps on Mary.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia