The Secret Garden

by: Frances Hodgson Burnett
The plot centers round Mary Lennox, a young English girl who returns to England from India, having suffered the immense trauma by losing both her parents in a cholera epidemic. However, her memories of her parents are not pleasant, as they were a selfish, neglectful and pleasure-seeking couple. Mary is given to the care of her uncle Archibald Craven, whom she has never met. She travels to his home, Misselthwaite Manor located in the gloomy Yorkshire, a vast change from the sunny and warm climate she was used to. When she arrives, she is a rude, stubborn and given to stormy temper tantrums. However, her nature undergoes a gradual transformation when she learns of the tragedies that have befallen her strict and disciplinarian uncle whom she earlier feared and despised. Once when he's away from home, Mary discovers a charming walled garden which is always kept locked. The mystery deepens when she hears sounds of sobbing from somewhere within her uncle's vast mansion. The kindly servants ignore her queries or pretend they haven't heard, spiking Mary's curiosity. {taken from Goodreads}
This book was actually weirdly hard for me to separate from the movie, which I loved. Only a few pieces of it were made in my imagination, versus the picture I was given from the movie. Either way, though, I still really enjoyed this. I love secret hidden places and despite my grim reaper level black thumb, I also love the idea of elaborate gardens. So this appeals to me on more than one level, and really lets my creativity and imagination... pardon the pun... bloom. I also love seeing the relationship blossom between the kids and how they help each other be better versions of themselves despite their crappy upbringings. This will always be such a great childhood story and I will definitely be reading it (or recommending it) to the kids when they are old enough (aka when they have the attention span for) chapter books. The mood of this book just captures the magic of childhood so well for me. Mauybe because I spent hours playing in the "forest" (the small woods) behind our house growing up, climbing this big ol' tree I considered *my* tree and even once seeing a deer walk right underneath me while I was lounging up there. It just has that vibe about it. 

Also, despite 100%writing down quotes I loved from this book, I can't find them anywhere. I remember a single one, so that's all I'll get to put on here. Let's just blame pregnancy brain, shall we? Yes.

When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle, everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen. {first line}
"There is magic in everything."

• Colin • {last word}