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A review by indiekay
Into the Bright Open: A Secret Garden Remix by Cherie Dimaline
3.0
I think the fact that I haven't read the original Secret Garden book is probably a detriment to this book - I can't tell which parts of this I found boring or long-winded because it was homage to the original book, or because that was the writer's decision. I found the first 40% of this book pretty boring - Mary only finds the secret garden, and the love interest is only introduced, 40% into the book. And the garden wasn't actually a big part of the plot at all.
I also think Mary being 15 just does not work. The other books in this remix series (the Great Gatsby one, and the Jekyll and Hyde one) I've complained should have been about people in their early 20s instead of late teens, but this book I have the opposite problem with. Mary should have been 10-12 years old. Her character reads like a younger character, and I kept having to remind myself she was 15.
That all said, I did like the audiobook narrator, and the Canadian setting - I don't think I've ever read a queer historical story set in Canada. I also liked Flora a lot, she was probably my favourite character and the highlight of the book.
I also think Mary being 15 just does not work. The other books in this remix series (the Great Gatsby one, and the Jekyll and Hyde one) I've complained should have been about people in their early 20s instead of late teens, but this book I have the opposite problem with. Mary should have been 10-12 years old. Her character reads like a younger character, and I kept having to remind myself she was 15.
That all said, I did like the audiobook narrator, and the Canadian setting - I don't think I've ever read a queer historical story set in Canada. I also liked Flora a lot, she was probably my favourite character and the highlight of the book.