I like the fact that Mary is spunky, even though she has been neglected all her life. I love watching her "come to life" just by interacting with people who are down to earth (in Dicken's case, literally). Mary's interaction with nature transforms her - and she is able to transform the lives of Colin and his father. There is an element of magic in the book which makes it a bit fanciful, but in a nice way. ( )

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1354473...

I had never read this children's classic (nor have I read Burnett's other well-known works, Little Lord Fauntleroy and A Little Princess), but like a lot of people who watched mid-70s kids shows on the BBC I have tremendously fond memories of the 1975 TV version, in which Mr Craven was played by John Woodnutt, aka the Draconian emperor / Broton the Zygon leader, and the three main child characters were played by actors who have since disappeared (though one of them is active in local drama in New Mexico).

I do remember starting to read it as a child, and being deterred by the grim first couple of chapters, where Mary's parents die and she is sent to her uncle's isolated Yorkshire home where she is insufferably unpleasant. I wish I had kept going. It is a lovely story of psychological and physical healing through close encounters with the regenerative forces of the natural world and also, y'know, just being nice to people.

The wind must have been worse than I realised today, because I found I had something in my eye a couple of times as I read the last chapters. Perhaps the plotline of a disabled child whose condition markedly improves resonates more with me these days than it would have thirty-four years ago. ( )

This is a wonderful book about Mary's growth. At the beginning of the story she was a much spoiled child and selfish. However after she moved to England, she changed into a very kind girl thanks to the fresh air, grass filled with flowers and a secret gerden.
I was moved to read this book because she was actually very pure and changed dramatically. I like this story the best of all English books that I have read before. ( )

This is a truly beautiful story of the unlocking after ten years of not only the Secret Garden, but also the inhabitants of Misslethwaite, the home to which the garden belongs. Little Mary arrives at the manor after the death of her parents. She is spoiled and selfish and has no sense of empathy or wonder. Slowly the spirit of the moor bring her back to herself and she helps to bring out the souls of all around her. This book is a wonderful reflection on friendship, wonder, hope, forgiveness, and for me most of all, the power of nature. ( )

Reading Chasing Redbird reminded me of how much I loved The Secret Garden when I was young. What a rich, sweet story about the power of love, nature, and positive thinking. Two bratty, spoiled children heal each other and learn to be decent human beings through the magic they find in their secret garden. A nice way to end the weekend... ( )

A wonderful book of philosophy for young people. Three youngsters have discovered an amazing truth by "scientific" experiment. A truth hard to believe, because it is always the same story: At first people refuse to believe, then they begin to hope it can be done, finally it is done. In the end, everybody wonders why it was not done before. Thoughts are as powerful as electrical batteries - "as good for one as sunlight is, or 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." So, you must either accept positive thinking or let negative thoughts pull you down. There is no alternative, go for the better one.
Heinz-Gerd Küster ( )

"The Secret Garden" is about a girl named Mary. Everyone says she's a selfish little pig and was tyrannical. She had a thin little body and thin little face,and a sour expression. She was spoiled and she would always get sick. She had a big secret and that was that she couldn't cry, she didn't know how to. Her dad was always very busy and her mom was always going to parties. She didn't want to have a baby, she regreted having Mary. Then her parents died in an earthquake. One day they sent her to Misselthwaite Manor School. There was many secrets in that school that Mary didnt know, but that she will soon discover. After spending months in there she discovers a door that leads to a secret garden and then remembers that she had found a key and goes get it. The key fit and she started changing the garden without knowing that she was changing too. But there was another secret besides the secret garden. One day she heard screaming. She went to check when there was no one in there. She see's a kid lieng in bed and close to him a wheele chair. She askes him his name and he sais "Colin." After knowing him well she discovers that he's her cousin. They get along and one day Mary's uncle comes back for Collin, but also takes Mary.

After mistress Mary is sent to live with her uncle after her mother dies she begins to get lonely in the old mansion. One day she discovers a garden and decides to make it beautiful again. Along the way, she manages to cure her sickly cousin Colin, who is every bit as imperious as she. These two are sullen children but Mary gives Collin courage. They are closed up in a gloomy old manor on the Yorkshire moors of England, until a locked-up garden captures their imaginations. The children also befriend the garnder boy. Throughout the book it is Mary's desire to get her uncle to love again and show affection towards his son. As new life sprouts from the earth, Mary and Colin's sour natures begin to sweeten. This book will change anybody who is afraid to love. ( )

This book is good for someone who likes joy and happy endings. The author does an awesome job describing the characters. You would like this boook if you love spring and growing things. ( )

Children's classic literature

Good book, I can see why it's a children's classic. Reading that dialect was kind of irritating but maybe I'm becoming ethnocentric in my age.

I like this book because it's very easy read for me

Although it's been many years since I had read this book, I still found it as poignant, funny and moving as I did when I was a child. I enjoyed the interactions between the tin mouse and his son in their quest to find a home and a family. ( )

This is a truly beautiful story about the power of change. A little girl's parents die and she is sent to live with her uncle in England, setting in motion a chain of events that will ultimately change the lives of many people. ( )

Charming, memorable, "She was standing inside the secret garden. It was the sweetest, most mysterious-looking place anyone could imagine...and she felt she had found a world all her own."

I liked this story. I don’t think I got through it as a child. The writing is in a very innocent style and old century. It is a quiet trip into another world exactly like the garden it describes. ( )

I have loved this book since I was a girl. Mary Lennox is a spoiled, ornery and self-righteous young girl who is sent to live with her uncle after her parents die. As she is living at her uncle's, she discovers herself. Her personality softens as she learns to love and appreciate the world around her. She discovers her cousin and the two of them become dear friends. Through Mary's love, encouragement and friendship, Colin discovers more about himself than he ever imagined.

Without doubt one of my favourite children's books ( )

most of my books tie in with movies and i always end up preferring the books ( )

This is such a wonderful book for children. It explores topics such as gardening, weather, cultural differences, healthy living and the magic with in each of us. As an adult I listened to this story with an opened mind and tried to remember the wonder a book like this can hold for a child. Burnett does a magical job of describing the gardens and the loveliness of the seasons. Another wonderful part of the writing of this book was the suspense she was able to cast when sense became tense. This was a joy to read and I will be reading in time and time again. ( )

This is one of my all time favorite books. After reading it I always go on a green-thumb kick. ( )

This is a wonderful story of imagination and a child's ability to adapt and learn to love. The book is such a good representation of the a lonely child who is able to overcome a terrible childhood and make friends with two young boys and a few others. She is able to live a real life rather than remaining miserable. She also is able to save another boy Colin from the depths of a lonely existance as well. There are so many important relationships within this book that many children would enjoy reading this. ( )

I am pretty sure I've got to nearly 40 years' old and have never read this book. I loved it though. It was well written, a wonderful story and it was very uplifting.

It was fairly predictable but a lovely book. ( )

Once you find the Magic - the Magic called Life - anything is possible.

Young Mary started her life unwanted and neglected. When her parents died, she scarcely mourned their passing; she felt nothing for them. She is sent to live with an uncle she never knew and it seems she never will - at first.

Left to her own devices in her uncle's house, she soon learns about the gardens and one in particular, one that is locked and the key buried, so no one can enter because of a horrible event that happened there. It makes Mary more determined to find the secret garden - and as if by magic, she does.

She also finds, hidden away in the house, a cousin, who is supposed to be ill and dying. He throws tantrums and makes himself sicker just to get what he wants. Mary wants none of that and defies him and in that defiance, she shows him the Magic.

He joins her in the life of the garden and grows strong along with Mary and the garden itself.

The Magic even touches his father - so long in mourning because of the event that made the garden be locked in the first place.

The Magic of Life wins again! ( )

This was actually the first time I have ever read The Secret Garden; it is one of those books that I somehow missed as a child, despite loving A Little Princess. I am glad that I read it, as it is a well-known piece of children's literature, but I just was not that impressed.

Mary Lennox is a disagreeable orphan who comes to live at her uncle's manor, Misselthwaite. Born in India, Mary is accustomed to having servants so everything for her - she does not even know how to put on her own clothes. Misselthwaite is a strange place to live. Many of the rooms are locked up, and Mary hears an unexplainable crying sound at night. Most mysteriously, perhaps, is the rumours of a secret garden, one that was Mary's aunt's favourite. When Mary's aunt, Mrs. Craven, died, Mr. Craven locked up the garden and buried the key. No one has been in the garden since, and Mary is determined to find it.

Mary is an annoying character, and I really did not sympathize with her at all. Yes, she was neglected my her parents, but even once she began to change, I still found her insufferable. Colin is another horrible child, and the awe with which Mary views him drove me crazy. The only redeemable characters were Dickon, his mother, and his sister Martha - I would have much rather read a book about their family. As well, I thought that the ending, with its focus on Mr. Craven, was out of place. We had only seen Mary's uncle one other time in the book, and all of a sudden the reader is thrown into his story, as though the children are no longer important.

All-in-all, I really did not like The Secret Garden, although I can understand why children would. However, I believe that truly great children's literature appeals to all ages, not just children. For me at least, this is not true of The Secret Garden. ( )