** spoiler alert ** I reread this book for a book club and it was such a wonderful trip down memory lane. I don't think I've read it since I was a child, but I could never forget the story. I love that Burnett told the story in such a matter-of-fact way. I found it interesting that she didn't seem to take a stance on how the children acted. When she described Mary's thoughts and actions (especially at the beginning), she simply stated that Mary behaved so because she hadn't been taught to behave otherwise. Getting a fuller description at the beginning of just how neglected Mary was by her parents cemented my sympathy for her and I liked her despite her imperious and selfish ways. She quickly learned how to be a better person under the care of Martha and Dickon, though. It was slightly harder for me to like Colin, though he was nearly as neglected as Mary had been. I couldn't abide him acting like a Rajah. As soon as Mary was shown some care and affection she ceased to treat other people as inferiors and even exalted Dickon. Colin, on the other hand, ordered Dickon around like the hired help, when Dickon was going out of his way to help Colin in every way possible. (Of course, I'm a little sensitive about Dickon because he's my favorite character.) The only thing I don't like about the book is that I felt it ended rather abruptly. Of course, I often have this problem when I really like a book; I don't want it to end. I want to know how the children grew up and what they did.