Book Review: The Secret Garden

I read the book The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Mary is a rich, bossy, English child who lives with her parents in India. Without any warning a plague sweeps through India, killing both of Mary's parents. Numb to the world Mary is sent to live with her uncle Archibald Craven in his mansion Misselthwaite Manor. During the day, she spends her time exploring the surrounding gardens, one day she happens upon an old key while digging. She finds the garden that the key opens and finds an old, but lovely garden. One night she hears terrible howls echoing down the hallway by her bedroom. When she finds the source of the noise it turns out to be the secret son of Archibald Craven, and being locked up for years in a room has caused him to lose his ability to walk. Every day Mary and Colin take trips out to the garden to water the plants and revive them. Soon Colin is able to walk and they are ready to show Mr. Craven that they found his deceased wife's garden and revived it. By doing this they brought life back to the gardens, the house, Colin, Mary, and Archibald Craven.

While reading this book I saw one shining theme. That theme is revival. The revival happens in not only the characters but in the memory of a loved one. The characters also revive the plants in Mrs. Craven's garden. They revive the happiness of the mansion and they also revive a father and son relationship that was denied before.

I saw so many developments throughout the whole book in each of the characters. At first Mary is a snotty rich girl who demands everything she wants and if she doesn't get it she throws a tantrum. "Everyone said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen. It was true, too" At the end of the book she loves and is loved by others. Colin starts out as weak, sickly boy who doesn't get to move very much and has no confidence.  At the end of the story he is running through the gardens enjoying himself as a normal boy should. Towards the end he asks a neighbor of his, "Are you surprised I am so well?" the character replied by saying, "Aye, that I am!" Mr. Craven is a totally different story altogether. At first he is a lonely man who denies having a son and misses his wife so much. He was hurt so badly when she died that he cut her favorite things out of his life, the gardens. At the end he loves his son and celebrates his wife's life, and her gardens.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good classic. Anyone who likes a happy ending will definitely like this book. This book is somewhat realistic, but the characters are not real, I recommend this book to anyone who likes to get to know the characters in depth. Anyone who likes happy surprises and twists in the plot will also like this book.

I first heard The Secret Garden when I was ten on one of my family's across the country road trips. I loved it from the beginning. That summer I bought my very own copy of the book in one of the towns we stopped in. I read the book that winter and three times since. I really enjoy seeing the transformation in the main character, Mary. I guess I have always been one that sees the good in all people and that really made this book just that more special.

I got my picture from: http://thesecretdmsfilesoffairdaymorrow.blogspot.com/2012/06/what-is-secret-behind-vines.html