Hi there everyone!
The weekend is here and I have to work, but I had a lovely lazy and full of reading day off yesterday, so I will not complain!
Today as my first Saturday Pages review I have The Midnight Garden's Classic YA & MG challenge book for March! As per usual (except for last month) it was a book I had not read before and as per usual, I thoroughly loved and enjoyed it! As usual I will be taking part in their discussion post and writing my usual looong babbling novel of a comment, and I have my own review up here!
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Another gem of a book discovered via the #tmgreadalong. I really am extremely happy that I decided to join the ladies at The Midnight Garden in their classic middle grade & young adult challenge last year, and I do plan to continue to be part of as it as long as they have it!
I was intrigued by the beginning and despite our lil Mary being quite contrary I felt immensely bad for her. She was ignored and spoiled and unloved and she didn't even know what she was missing, which is the worst part of the whole thing.
Then she is taken to England and gets stuck in another grand house where she might not lack anything except love again, but thankfully for her she doesn't have the same kind of servants attending her, but a young pure Yorkshire girl that takes no nonsense from her. I simply loved the change in Mary as she was first a lil forced and then allowed to play on her own and explore and be a child outside!
And I absolutely loved her determination to find the Secret Garden and to make sure it was kept alive! I adored how she was so different with Dickon and Martha and how she loved everything about them and their family and how she stopped thinking herself as above them and never acted like she would have before. She might have been acting out of selfish reasons, but she was kinder that you could have expected her to be!
I was quite surprised when we got introduced to Colin, the small Rajah, and the biggest tyrant you could imagine. I could barely conjure any sorry feelings for him at first, and I was beyond happy when in one of his "fits" Mary came to him and confronted him with her own "spoiled girl" manners! Who would have thought that Mary could be such a great influence, along with Dickon, the red breasted robin, Dickon's menagerie and loads of fresh air!
I just loved how important family was in this book, and how it showed the influence of good examples and encouragement can be. It's also quite a tongue in cheek dig at the way children in afluent families were raised, primed & pampered but without real affection, and it's a wonder how those kids grew to be even half functioning adults!
And I love how doing something with your hands, making things grow and watching and interacting with others that are different from you can be both eye opening and sobering. It's not like planting a flower or two and interacting with someone with a different upbringing will solved every problem for spoiled kids... but it will make them confront themselves with different realities and with some luck make them think about what they have and what other's have and not.
I adored the descriptions of the moor, the gardens, the secret garden and all the food that they were getting! It made long for some warm oatmeal and buns and scones and tea time... *sigh*. It was a wonderfully visual book! I could clearly picture myself in every room and every part of the gardens, and even at the cottage in the moor!
If I had to pick a favourite character it would be Susan Sowerby, even if we don't get to have her in the flesh in the pages till the last part of the book, she's very much present at every turn of the page, with her advice, her observations and her considerable common sense wisdom! She is the archetype of a mother figure and I loved when we finally got her to interact directly with Mary and Colin!
A wonderful book that made me long to visit the moor, skip around the secret garden, have some buns and scones with my tea and made me long for the Magic. Well deserved 4.5 stars!
View all my reviews
The weekend is here and I have to work, but I had a lovely lazy and full of reading day off yesterday, so I will not complain!
Today as my first Saturday Pages review I have The Midnight Garden's Classic YA & MG challenge book for March! As per usual (except for last month) it was a book I had not read before and as per usual, I thoroughly loved and enjoyed it! As usual I will be taking part in their discussion post and writing my usual looong babbling novel of a comment, and I have my own review up here!
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson BurnettMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Another gem of a book discovered via the #tmgreadalong. I really am extremely happy that I decided to join the ladies at The Midnight Garden in their classic middle grade & young adult challenge last year, and I do plan to continue to be part of as it as long as they have it!
I was intrigued by the beginning and despite our lil Mary being quite contrary I felt immensely bad for her. She was ignored and spoiled and unloved and she didn't even know what she was missing, which is the worst part of the whole thing.
Then she is taken to England and gets stuck in another grand house where she might not lack anything except love again, but thankfully for her she doesn't have the same kind of servants attending her, but a young pure Yorkshire girl that takes no nonsense from her. I simply loved the change in Mary as she was first a lil forced and then allowed to play on her own and explore and be a child outside!
And I absolutely loved her determination to find the Secret Garden and to make sure it was kept alive! I adored how she was so different with Dickon and Martha and how she loved everything about them and their family and how she stopped thinking herself as above them and never acted like she would have before. She might have been acting out of selfish reasons, but she was kinder that you could have expected her to be!
I was quite surprised when we got introduced to Colin, the small Rajah, and the biggest tyrant you could imagine. I could barely conjure any sorry feelings for him at first, and I was beyond happy when in one of his "fits" Mary came to him and confronted him with her own "spoiled girl" manners! Who would have thought that Mary could be such a great influence, along with Dickon, the red breasted robin, Dickon's menagerie and loads of fresh air!
I just loved how important family was in this book, and how it showed the influence of good examples and encouragement can be. It's also quite a tongue in cheek dig at the way children in afluent families were raised, primed & pampered but without real affection, and it's a wonder how those kids grew to be even half functioning adults!
And I love how doing something with your hands, making things grow and watching and interacting with others that are different from you can be both eye opening and sobering. It's not like planting a flower or two and interacting with someone with a different upbringing will solved every problem for spoiled kids... but it will make them confront themselves with different realities and with some luck make them think about what they have and what other's have and not.
I adored the descriptions of the moor, the gardens, the secret garden and all the food that they were getting! It made long for some warm oatmeal and buns and scones and tea time... *sigh*. It was a wonderfully visual book! I could clearly picture myself in every room and every part of the gardens, and even at the cottage in the moor!
If I had to pick a favourite character it would be Susan Sowerby, even if we don't get to have her in the flesh in the pages till the last part of the book, she's very much present at every turn of the page, with her advice, her observations and her considerable common sense wisdom! She is the archetype of a mother figure and I loved when we finally got her to interact directly with Mary and Colin!
A wonderful book that made me long to visit the moor, skip around the secret garden, have some buns and scones with my tea and made me long for the Magic. Well deserved 4.5 stars!
View all my reviews
I think I read this one, waaaay back when... I can barely remember, but I feel like I did. I'm glad you liked it! I kind of want to read more classics, but maybe when I have more time :D
ReplyDeleteFantastic review, Pili!
Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!
Thank you Alyssa! I'm glad I joined this challenge and the book club because it's a way to compromise to read certain books each month that I might not read otherwise!
DeleteYou get to read so many awesome books with the girls at The Midnight Garden. <3 I'm thinking about joining up sometime soon, hih, as I also think the books sounds so awesome :D This one looks so pretty. I'm so happy that you loved it a lot Pili. <3 Thank you so much for sharing your awesome thoughts about it :D It seems wonderful.
ReplyDeleteYes, yes we do! I do hope you will join us sometime sweetie!
DeleteThis was an utterly adorable book!
Awww im so glad you go to re-read this one!! This was my first book obsession. I borrowed it from the library so many time that my mother finally got me a copy. i don't know why but i was so drawn to the heart these characters felt. Maybe since I was younger and none of my friends seemed to understand it but these in the book did. It was still such a beautiful story i will cherise it always! im going to pop over to the discussion to peek in on everyone comments. Love those girls over there and you of course!!
ReplyDelete<3 Britt
I can understand why you'd obsessed about this book!! It's such a wonderful story!
DeleteLove you too roomie!! <3
What an awesome book this book sounds like. From your review alone, I could just immerse myself in the story of these kids... seriously, I need to join Wendy's read along myself because you guys keep on reading such amazing books.
ReplyDeleteFaye at The Social Potato
Oh yes, Faye! I do hope you'll join the readalong, we read such lovely classics!! =D
DeleteThis was my first time reading The Secret Garden as well, Mary quite contrary. So easy to feel sympathy for her, yet so happy that she finally found people who cared about what happened to her. I wanted to skip and frolic in the garden too, just to see the roses bloom. Lovely book and review.
ReplyDeleteAgreed! I wanted to spend time in the garden so much too! Thank you Brenda!
DeleteI think this is a book I need to reread! I read it as a child and I remember falling head over heels in love with it and the idea of everything to do about it. But now I don't remember it too well, which is a shame :/ I hope I get the chance to do this, because it sounds like I would still love it even at this age.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, Olivia! You need to read this one again! It's a lovely lovely book!
Delete