The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (4/5)

In The Secret Garden, which takes place around 1900, the main character, Mary, is a stubborn and spoiled child with neglectful parents. When both of her parents pass away during an outbreak of cholera, she goes to England to live with Archibald Craven, her uncle. She finds out that Archibald Craven is a hunchback and that his wife died years ago in an accident in a garden, so he locked up the garden and hid the key. As time goes on, Mary starts to become less grouchy and befriends several people, including her maid Martha, Martha’s little brother Dickon, the gardener, and a robin, which leads her to the key’s hiding place. After unlocking the door to the secret garden, Mary and Dickon restore the garden and plant many flowers. Mary soon discovers Archibald’s son, her cousin Colin, who is a boy her age and unable to walk, is also living in the house. He is as spoiled, moody, and ill-tempered as Mary was when she first arrived. Although he never leaves the confines of his bedroom, after hearing stories of the secret garden, Colin decides to go outside to see the garden. Mary and Dickon befriend him and help him to try walking. Meanwhile, Archibald, who is away, has an uplifted mood and goes home after receiving a letter from Martha’s mom and Dickon encouraging him to return. He is shocked to discover the garden restored and his son able to run. At the end of the book, Colin and Archibald walk back to the house together.

I thought the book was really fun to read and I liked the characters. The characters all had their own flaws but were likable. The setting and imagery were detailed and memorable, such as the Heather Moors and Misselthwaite Manor.

To conclude, The Secret Garden is a great book. The theme of companionship and nature bringing people together and healing them is developed with Mary’s progression from spoiled and irritable to kind and easygoing, along with Colin’s development as he learns to believe in himself and have hope for his future with the help of Mary and Dickon, brought together by the secret garden.