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A review by nbwessler
Into the Bright Open: A Secret Garden Remix by Cherie Dimaline
3.0
This was a disappointment. As a lifelong lover of the Secret Garden, I really wanted to love this book. I mean, finally a Secret Garden adaption that gives us the (romantic plot line spoilers) But I just couldn't get into it. The characters just aren't the characters aside from the barest trappings of their situations, which ultimately throws off their entire arcs. The Colin character could never be described as sour or behaving like a princess, and Mary, while sad and lonely, is never all that bratty or miserable and only a tad sullen. (We're told she yells but never see it.) This robs them of any true growth. The Secret Garden was a story about neglect, and while most adaptions have chosen to focus on the characters' grief instead, this one fails to really delve into either. Honestly, the bits of the plot that are pulled from the original feel tacked on rather than organically transplanted.
Into the Bright Open fares between when taken as its own story. It's alright then. And while I could do without the inclusion of the wicked stepmother (Is she meant to be Medlock??), the sweet friendships, grin-inducing romances, and beauty of the setting are all enjoyable. I think plenty of younger teens and anyone who has liked the other remixes will happily enjoy this one as well. I will be adding it to my library's collection. Really a 2.5, but I rounded up.
Spoiler
Mary/Dickon romance every kid who imprinted on the swing scene in the '90s has been waiting for. (Seriously, why have adapters been so averse to this???)Into the Bright Open fares between when taken as its own story. It's alright then. And while I could do without the inclusion of the wicked stepmother (Is she meant to be Medlock??), the sweet friendships, grin-inducing romances, and beauty of the setting are all enjoyable. I think plenty of younger teens and anyone who has liked the other remixes will happily enjoy this one as well. I will be adding it to my library's collection. Really a 2.5, but I rounded up.