It feels unfair for me to rip into this book because it's so beloved by so many people. But I hated it.

The Secret Garden is mildly better than A Little Princess, but I still had such a hard time getting through the writing and the plot. I did enjoy Mary, but the fact she was almost fully abandoned as the main character made me so mad. Martha was abandoned as well. The characters had no consistency in their appearances in the story and it just seemed like halfway through the story changed focus.

The end chapter made me irrationally angry as well. The last page didn't feel satisfying at all, it just felt like the story suddenly ended with no wrap up to anything else.

Overall I didn't like this. It took me an entire month to read and now I think I have a chip on my shoulder. Maybe the movie is better.

One star for the appearance of a baby fox and one star for a pony named Jump.

It was so hard to get through this book. If I didn’t have the audiobook, I don’t think I would have. It’s slow and dry as really all classics are but also these characters are racist as heck! Holy moly! 

I did enjoy that these kids came together as a found family and became well adjusted because they were spoiled brats in the beginning. 

The only nice and likeable character in this book is Dickon. 

This was a lovely book. The author describes the secret garden in great detail. Th characters also become more likeable as the story progressed. The size of the writing in this book is quite hard to read and I struggled with some of the Yorkshire accent in this but otherwise it was a lovely book. I really liked the characters by the end, even Mary who is a self centred girl in the opening. 

I love getting to read the classics I missed as a kid. I certainly appreciate them now on a different level than I might have as a child! The Secret Garden was so sweet and heartwarming. It felt very soothing to listen to, and Carrie Hope Fletcher did a fantastic job with all the Yorkshire accents. I’d argue that healing is the main focus of this novel:  recovering from past trauma, growing out of bad habits, and physical improvement too. Watching these characters heal especially through the wonder of nature was so sweet. There’s also a great focus on the power of words and thoughts, and how purposeful positive thinking can have a truly magical affect. I found a delightful illustrated edition with a map of the garden and the grounds of Misselthwaite Manor, and I can’t wait to gift it to a young cousin this Christmas!