Reviews with content warning for Ableism - The Secret Garden

Reviews tagging 'Ableism'

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

136 reviews

mwesthaven's review against another edition

4.25

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 🍞✨️

Content Warnings

flopsiful's review against another edition

3.5

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective slow-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

It is a really beautiful book that displays how important nature connection is to our health. I love an author who can name a specific bird species and just the descriptions of spring were so vivid. It felt even more meaningful given how old the book is (1911?) that the skylarks are still doing their same song and dance and the daffodils and snowdrops are still popping out through the frost. It just gave me so much hope at nature’s resilience and how it continues its routine year on year in the face of adversity. It made me realise I need to find more books where nature is a character.

The main deduction for me is for the phonetically written Yorkshire accents which was oof, hard to read - especially when all the main characters were picking up the accent! It really slowed down my reading comprehension which given that the pace already felt quite slow, made getting through some of it feel like it was an age! Also the racism was oof at the start and is obviously of its time, that was only really present in the first third.

Content Warnings

chattie_the_mad_chatter's review against another edition

3.75

hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective slow-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

Re-reading as an adult the racisim, classisim, ableisim and parental neglect are a big challenge as being in the time it was, they are never addressed.

However I do love the character arcs and personal growth of Mary and Colin as well as the healing bemefits of nature on your wellbeing. So the moments i enjoyed with the garden and cousins relationship i still enjoyed.

Content Warnings

jessiejolly's review against another edition

4.75

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious fast-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: Complicated

This novel is a classic. I could have done without the racism

early on in the book and the ableism throughout, but the book is over 100 years old so I go into books of that age knowing I will encounter those themes.

It’s beautifully written, and I like the aspects of the effect of positive thinking. The audiobook is absolutely beautifully done. The recording is beautiful and the narrator is incredible. 4.75 out of 5.

Content Warnings