jacksons_books_and_music 's review for:

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

5.0

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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

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Lots of problematic content, considering it was published 1910-11. Its messages of hope, care,  love, and emotional healing are all beautiful, though. If you haven’t read it, or it’s been a while since you have, I definitely recommend reading it! I read it many years ago and there was a lot I had forgotten about. I love just how active Martha and Dicken’s mother is in the story, for instance. If you’re giving it to a child to read, I recommend reading it along with them and being prepared for discussing racism, colonialism, corporal punishment, domestic abuse, and things like that.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Grief, Death of parent

Moderate: Bullying, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Classism

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail