Sunday 19 February 2012

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (reread)


There's nothing quite like settling down with one of your favourite books, is there?  The Secret Garden has been a favourite of mine since childhood and I've lost count of the number of times I have read it.  It's the story of Mary Lennox, a spolit and sullen ten year old girl who lives in India until her parents die of cholera.  Sent to England to live in a large, neglected house under the care of her grieving uncle, Mary learns to look after herself for the first time and discovers a beautiful secret garden that is key to her development.

I just love this book, and I think the reason I love it so much is Mary herself.  She is introduced to us on page two as "as tyrannical and selfish a little pig as ever lived."  To say Mary is spoiled is an understatement; she can't even dress herself as she is so used to servants tending to her.  She doesn't hesitate to slap her servants round the face when they displease her.  She is stubborn, selfish, sullen, headstrong, outspoken and downright rude.  And I like that, I like that Burnett has created a character who isn't perfect and yet somehow still makes you root for her and cheer her on when she starts to change.  Mary is refreshingly flawed, a product of her upbringing. 

And I think one of the other reasons I liked this book so much as a child was the same as the reason I liked Roald Dahl; Burnett doesn't talk down to or patronise her readers.  From a modern perspective, Mary is neglected both by her parents and her uncle.  There's some passages that deal quite frankly with grief and the prospect of dying young (Mary's cousin, Colin, another delightfully spoiled character).  And Burnett offers no easy solution to any of the problems of the novel and we see that only time and small changes really change or heal any of the characters.

"Thoughts - mere thoughts - are as powerful as electric batteries - as good for one as sunlight is, as bad for one as poison.  To let a sad thought or a bad one get into your mind is as dangerous as letting a scarlet fever germ get into your body.  If you let it stay there after it has got in you may never get over it as long as you live." p321

Rereading The Secret Garden as an adult, I couldn't help but analyse the story a lot more and identify the key themes; the idealisation of the working poor, theories on how to bring up children, attitudes towards other races, the sneering at the medical profession, a bit of anti-intelligence, the role of servants.  One thing that bothered me this read was how much Martha and her family are held up as a shining light of happiness.  Mrs Sowerby has twelve children living in a three bedroom cottage and there's not enough food for everyone, but yet the whole family (especially Martha and Dickon) are constantly shown as happy and carefree.  I know money doesn't buy happiness, but Burnett seems to gloss over the hardships of being poor at that time in order to prevent some kind of rural idyll.

But even as I was anaylsing the book and it's messages, I was kicking myself for doing it, as I never did this as a child - I just got lost in the story.  What is it about being adults that makes us lose the ability to do this?  Anyway, The Secret Garden is a magical story that I would recommend to everyone, even if you haven't read it as a child.  At it's core, it's about simple pleasures and finding happiness.

Source: Personal copy
First Published: 1911
Score: 5 out of 5

32 comments:

  1. I love this book too. I read it as a child and I've read it a couple of times to my son. I completely agree with you about the Sowerbys - their lives would've been much harder than portrayed by Burnett.
    Joanne

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    1. It's such a lovely book, isn't it? I'm glad your son has enjoyed it too :)

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  2. This is one of my favorite childhood books, too. I do need to reread it. ALso, thanks for your mention about the Penguin Threads editions. I picked up a couple for me and for gifts.

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    1. Sometimes childhood books lose a bit in the rereading, but this one was just as good as an adult. Which Penguin Threads did you buy? I have the Emma one sitting on my shelf, tempting me even though it's only been a year or so since I read Emma...

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  3. I wish I'd read this as a kid. I have a feeling i would have appreciated it a lot more. I only read it for the first time about two years ago, and I was too old to see it with those magical childlike eyes. :)

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    1. Yes, I think it is better first read as a child, much more magical. Did you read The Little Princess?

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  4. My daughter loved this one, which we read together when she was young. I think she liked it for the same reasons you do now -- the realistic aspect to Mary and what her life was like. My daughter much preferred that kind of story over the sort of rose-colored glasses books, like the Little House books.

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    1. I first read this with my Mum and remember how much we both liked it, I'm glad you and your daughter got to experience that too. I think children see right through rose-coloured glasses books, they may be young but they know life isn't perfect.

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  5. This was one of my favourites as a child too. I really need to read it again as an adult to see if I still enjoy it as much as I used to. Hopefully it won't have lost its magic for me!

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    1. There was a bit of magic lost (nothing is like being a child again) but still plenty left. Hope you enjoy the reread...

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  6. I've actually never read this book. I just went and got it for free on my Kindle so I can fix that! Thanks!

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    1. Hope you enjoy it Annette, I'd be interested to know what you think of it.

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  7. This is one of those books I wish I had read as a child as I think I would have loved it as you did. I saw the movie a few years ago but I don't think the magic is ever the same, really.

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    1. I do agree, there is a bit less magic as an adult and I think it could be seen as over-sentimental through adult eyes. It's still a charming story though...

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  8. I'm guilty... I've never read the book, but I have seen the film many times. I'm so behind!

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    1. I love the film, it's actually very close to the spirit of the book. So you aren't that far behind :)

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  9. I really liked this book as a kid. It was not one of my favorites though. I preferred Heidi, Little Women, Anne of Avonlea etc. I think it was because there was all this description of like, flowers. That had me bored, I guess. lol

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    1. I loved Little Women and the Heidi series too, but unfortunately never read Heidi. I should try it! And I enjoy the flower parts and even had my own little garden to plant seeds in growing up.

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  10. This was one of my childhood favorites, along with A Little Princess. I read them often and got caught up in the magic. They seemed, at the time, like some of the very few "real" books I knew of. I've been wanting to read one of them to my girls (7 & 11 years) but can't decide which one to try first. I guess I'm a little afraid they won't love them like I did!

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    1. Your girls are the perfect ages for these books! I like A Little Princess more than The Secret Garden, I like all the stuff in that one about using your imagination to make hardships more bearable. I'm sure your girls would love either book :)

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  11. I read this with my daughter several years ago. I hadn't read it as a child, so it was my first time through. It was wonderful to experience it through her eyes as I was reading it, because she appreciated it in a different way. It is a magical book.

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    1. I'm glad your daughter enjoyed it so much because it's a wonderful book. Did you read A Little Princess too? That one is even better.

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  12. This is an author i have not yet read but now have her firmly on my tbr list. I will probably start with one of her short stories

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    1. I've not read any of the short stories Mel, although I can recommend both this and A Little Princess.

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  13. What a lovely review. It is such a wonderful experience to reread something you read as a child and discover new things about it, maybe even things you love more. Horrified to confess I never read this one, though as a child I had a copy of Little Lord Fauntleroy I used to read and reread.

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    1. Yes, I never noticed the messages about the poor or the 'correct' way to bring up children before, I was just so engrossed in the story as a child. I have a confession too: I've never read Little Lord Fauntleroy. I should fix that!

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  14. I loved this as a child too. There are many books that I would to reread one day. Although I'm not sure whether I'd feel the same about them now.

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    1. Whilst I didn't feel the same about the book (it wasn't as magical), I still very much enjoyed it. You should try rereading...

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  15. As a non English-native-speaker, I've only began to read English children's classics very recently. Of the ones I've read, some were disappointing (Alice in Wonderland, Narnia), but other were as delightful as I had imagine them (Wind in the Willows, Railway Children). The Secret Garden was one of the best. It also helped that it has such a wonderful movie adaptation - the one with Maggie Smith, have you seen it?

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  16. One of my absolutely favorite books! I grew up in the woods, where my sister and I would play outside all summer creating imaginary worlds. I feel like this book is a reflection of that created universe that children can have.

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  17. The Secret Garden is one of my favorite novels! There's something so special about the rejuvinating power of gardens (and the magic of friendship)- they can cure even the bitterest children...

    Lovely blog! I'm subscribing

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  18. I just read this for the first time last week -- and I only read it for story. I was enthralled. I especially love Dickon. :D

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