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Tom's Midnight Garden

Philippa Pearce,

Susan Einzig (Illustrations)

Start date: January 1, 2019

Finish date: January 31, 2019

Discussion: Children's Classics Buddy Reads

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Nov 04, 2022 Manybooks rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fairy-tales-fantasy, childrens-literature, time-travel-time-slip, book-reviews, friendship, growing-up

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Well simply, but utterly textually delightfully, Philippa Pearce's 1958 Carnegie Medal winning Tom’s Midnight Garden features a lonely and frustrated boy (the Tom of the book title) who periodically goes back in time. And whilst in the past, Tom meets and also befriends a young girl (Hatty) and participates in her life as she grows up. But since in Tom's Midnight Garden Philippa Pearce has time in the past moving considerably more quickly than it does in the present, Hatty is of course maturing Well simply, but utterly textually delightfully, Philippa Pearce's 1958 Carnegie Medal winning Tom’s Midnight Garden features a lonely and frustrated boy (the Tom of the book title) who periodically goes back in time. And whilst in the past, Tom meets and also befriends a young girl (Hatty) and participates in her life as she grows up. But since in Tom's Midnight Garden Philippa Pearce has time in the past moving considerably more quickly than it does in the present, Hatty is of course maturing much faster than Tom (who actually does not age at all in fact) and basically right before his eyes so to speak, and with Hatty as she moves way past Tom age wise at the end of Tom's Midnight Garden developing typical teenaged interests, including being courted by Barty, whom Hatty ends up marrying, but that this also causes the garden to fade and to finally cease to exist for Tom (kind of sad to a point perhaps, except that the elderly landlady Mrs. Bartholomew of the present is in fact the Hatty of the past and when she recognises Tom and he recognises her, they not only have a joyful and loving reunion, but Tom's Midnight Garden ends with both Tom and also his brother being invited by Hatty Bartholomew to visit again).

And just to point out that Tom's Midnight Garden starts out prosaically enough with Philippa Pearce having her main protagonist Tom being sent away from home to live with his aunt and uncle in a large and lonely, rather dismal Victorian house that has been converted into apartments (into flats) because his brother Peter has developed the measles and Tom must be isolated from him. Not being allowed outside of his aunt and uncle's flat just in case Tom might actually be contagious himself, he misses Peter and feels lonely and utterly miserable, that is, Tom feels lonely and miserable until he slips back in time and meets both Hatty and the magic Midnight Garden of the past (and which Tom visits on a regular basis, with both the garden and his friendship with Hatty making life interesting and more tolerable). A lovely and magical time-slip novel that I have absolutely adored reading is Tom's Midnight Garden (and one that I totally regret not having encountered as a young reader, for at the age when I was the intended audience, I would have simply accepted Philippa Pearce's text, her story as magical but also perhaps as potentially true, but that of course as an older adult reader I am considerably more jaded and am even with my utter textual enjoyment and delight asking myself all these internal and philosophical questions regarding the passage of time, ghosts, and that slipping back into time is of course and sadly impossible and just wish-fulfilment). ...more

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Jul 27, 2021 Katherine Sas rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fairy-tale, fantasy

A lovely, poignant little book that serves as a not-so-missing link between Peter Pan and Steven Moffat's Doctor Who. ...more

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Aug 08, 2017 Tim rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, booksellers-choice, water100c, 501-must-read-books, 501-childrens

Wow! Wow! I can honestly say I am totally blown away. This is one of the best books ever written. My heart is pounding and I am short of breath. When I finished i just sat in silence for ages quite stunned. THe story will live with me for a long time, always a good sign.

I was given this book by a distant relative who i think was getting rid of it. It was just sat on my shelf doing nothing. A short book I could squeeze in between reading two 'proper' books. So glad I did

Please please read this. T ...more

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Apr 27, 2018 Audrey rated it really liked it

I really enjoyed this book a lot. The description of the garden was so beautiful and it made me feel like if I was there myself I would want to live in that garden forever. Tom Long is a likable character. I seldom hear of boys who like garden so much so it's quite sweet that he has so much love for it. The little twist at the end was so good and I almost shed a tear at the end. I'm so glad I gave this book a chance and I will most definitely revisit this book again in the future. ...more

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Dec 31, 2011 Jenny rated it really liked it

I think I remember reading this book when I was young. I like the idea that time travel is enough; an enchanting story does not require magical creatures or magicians. I also love the ending when Hatty and Tom find each other all over again.

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Dec 29, 2024 Douglas Beagley rated it it was amazing

It's a nostalgia-based narrative, which has its limits, I know. But this book surpassed my expectations. It is not quaint or small. There's some deep cleverness here. ...more

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