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The Secret Garden

Frances Hodgson Burnett

Start date: February 1, 2021

Finish date: February 28, 2021

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Discussion leader: Hana

Why we're reading this: Revisit the Shelves February 2021

New School Classic Group Read, October 2014
[close] Revisit the Shelves February 2021

New School Classic Group Read, October 2014

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What Members Thought

Dec 04, 2007 Heather L rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019, young-adult

As wonderful as I remembered it!

2 likes · Like · see review

May 01, 2007 Haze rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audiobook, haze-s-1000-list, 2024-books-read, 52bookclub-2024-challenge

This was never one of my favorite childhood books. I read it as a child, I liked it, but I never loved it or thought about it much. I didn’t dislike it, to be clear, it just wasn’t on my favorites list. I decided to reread it recently because it was convenient and it fit a reading prompt I needed to finish, and I am so glad I did! I found that I love this book a lot more now as an adult than as a child.

There were many things about the book I didn’t understand as a child. Mary being neglected and ...more

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Jan 28, 2008 Ketutar Jensen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Fourth time reading... and the last.

"The morning that Dickon went behind a big rosebush and brought forth two tin pails and revealed that one was full of rich new milk with cream on the top of it, and that the other held cottage-made currant buns folded in a clean blue and white napkin, buns so carefully tucked in that they were still hot, there was a riot of surprised joyfulness. What a wonderful thing for Mrs. Sowerby to think of! What a kind, clever woman she must be! How good the buns were! Fourth time reading... and the last.

"The morning that Dickon went behind a big rosebush and brought forth two tin pails and revealed that one was full of rich new milk with cream on the top of it, and that the other held cottage-made currant buns folded in a clean blue and white napkin, buns so carefully tucked in that they were still hot, there was a riot of surprised joyfulness. What a wonderful thing for Mrs. Sowerby to think of! What a kind, clever woman she must be! How good the buns were! And what delicious fresh milk!

“Magic is in her just as it is in Dickon,” said Colin. “It makes her think of ways to do things—nice things. She is a Magic person. Tell her we are grateful, Dickon—extremely grateful.”

And then forgetting his grandeur he fell to and stuffed himself with buns and drank milk out of the pail in copious draughts in the manner of any hungry little boy who had been taking unusual exercise and breathing in moorland air and whose breakfast was more than two hours behind him.

This was the beginning of many agreeable incidents of the same kind. They actually awoke to the fact that as Mrs. Sowerby had fourteen people to provide food for she might not have enough to satisfy two extra appetites every day. So they asked her to let them send some of their shillings to buy things.

Dickon made the stimulating discovery that in the wood in the park outside the garden where Mary had first found him piping to the wild creatures there was a deep little hollow where you could build a sort of tiny oven with stones and roast potatoes and eggs in it. Roasted eggs were a previously unknown luxury and very hot potatoes with salt and fresh butter in them were fit for a woodland king—besides being deliciously satisfying. You could buy both potatoes and eggs and eat as many as you liked without feeling as if you were taking food out of the mouths of fourteen people."

Though... they were, kind of. And refusing the food in the Manor... yeah. Little brats. Now, you could think they were just 10, but still. I just can't deal with this.

Third time reading...

It is wonderful how differently one reads stories different times...
I am still fascinated by the 100 rooms, and Mary's relationship with the garden and the robin.
I had forgotten the "magic" part. The Secret :-D
I had also forgotten what an ass Colin was. "This is MY garden". Not "our". Not "Mary's". And just expecting everyone to support him in all his endeavors and ideas.
I had forgotten how witchy Mrs. Sowerby was.
And Dickon... he looked probably more like Sean Astin than all those handsome guys imagined by fan artists who ship Mary and Dickon (I do, too, BTW) :-D Nothing wrong with Sean Astin, just not your typical hot guy.
(About Mary+Dickon... the book was published 1910, so one might assume they were about 10 at that time, so they would be 20 at 20s, and then, maybe, be able to actually have a romantic relationship. But, but, no-one knows.) ...more

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Apr 10, 2009 Melissa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: childrens-lit, fiction, favorites, gardens

I listened to this book on tape over and over again when I was in 3rd or 4th grade. I still have passages of this book memorized. I'm sentimentally attached, so it will probably always be a favorite book. ...more

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