Secrets never stay secret (The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett)

Member Name: blackviolets

Product:	The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
Date:	09/07/09 (29 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: great book and characters.

Disadvantages: n/a

The Secret Garden was a book I received as part of a birthday present on my 9th birthday. Even after all these years it is still one of my favourites. True my copy is now battered and worn down but I wouldn't swap it for the world. It's one where you could read it as many times as you like but never tire of it.

Frances Hodgson Burnett, born in Manchester, was a play write as well as an author. Her most well known written work is The Secret Garden but she also had mild success with A Little Princess, and Little Lord Fauntleroy.

The main storyline to this book is pretty simple and easy to follow. A garden, shut away for 10 years, comes back to it's original beauty thanks to a curious little girl. Learning through snippets of conversation Mary hunts down the door after finding the key and with the help of a local boy dig, prune and plant flowers whilst keeping it all for themselves. Not wanting people to discover their secret for fear that it would be locked away again.

Mary Lennox, a spoilt and obnoxious orphan from India is taken to live with her Uncle Mr Craven in an old and lonely house in Yorkshire. Misselthwaite Manor. She was so used to being tended to by her servants she knows nothing of dressing herself, playing or even the use of common courtousy.

Ordering people out does not make you sympathise with her at all. Over the course of her stay at Misselthwaite, in a short amount of months, you see her personality change from that of a showy brat to one which is generally interested in other people. That doesn't mean she's completely rid of her temper though.

Colin Craven is her cousin who she discovers after his continual wailing day and night. He too is spoilt but Mary Lennox is not the sort to pity those who believe themselves to be dying.

Dickon Sowerby is brother of Martha, the house maid, a sweet hearted boy he knows how to charm animals with his gentle ways and always can be found with a collection of creatures around him. It is more down to him and Martha's continual chatter of her family which bring Mary into a more likeable character.

You can sympathise a lot with Mr Craven, after the death of his wife he cannot abide to look at his son for fear of getting too close when he belives he will die, being such a weak and skinny boy. His eyes are too alike to his wife, the only similarity between the two, reminding him of his wife. Only daring to see him when his son is asleep.

Overall I really enjoy reading this book. Even now I can still have a look at it and not want to put it down until I've finished. Being set in the moors of Yorkshire you can just imagine how dark and gloomy it would look during the winter months. Before coming back to life during the spring. Based probably sometime in the 1800 maybe that it why it appeals to me so much.

Rather than reading about technology and the mentioning of modern gadgets clearly are not the be and end all in books. Yes it is just about a garden but that doesn't get rid of any of the magic involved. Not involving any sinister storylines you could be fooled into thinking it was a bit boring but that is not the case at all.

It was just nice to read something which isn't based on violence which is something you shouldn't read in a childrens' book anyway. Although there is only one main story there are lots of sub plots going through. The way the childrens personality changes. The growing interest in the outdoors and generally the idea of socialising and not looking down your nose at people.

My copy would of cost £2.99 but you can get it in most books shops. On Amazon you can get it for £1.99.

You never know it may even inspire you to do a bit of gardening yourself. I've been growing my apple tree for 13 years now, true it probably won't even produce any fruit but it really was from reading The Secret Garden that made me want to plant it.

Summary: .