The Secret Garden

Written by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Narrated by Connie Agnew

When orphaned Mary Lennox arrives at Misselthwaite Manor, her uncle’s estate, everybody said she was the most disagreeable looking child ever seen. Depressed and withdrawn, Mary stumbles upon an arched doorway into an overgrown garden. She later discovers her pampered invalid cousin, tucked away in a dark room. Soon a charming journey into the magical secret garden begins…

• Language: English
• Publisher: Naxos Audiobooks
• Release date: Jul 1, 2001
• ISBN: 9789629543846

Frances Hodgson Burnett

Francis Hodgson Burnett (1849-1924) was a novelist and playwright born in England but raised in the United States. As a child, she was an avid reader who also wrote her own stories. What was initially a hobby would soon become a legitimate and respected career. As a late-teen, she published her first story in Godey's Lady's Book and was a regular contributor to several periodicals. She began producing novels starting with That Lass o’ Lowrie’s followed by Haworth’s and Louisiana. Yet, she was best known for her children’s books including Little Lord Fauntleroy and The Secret Garden.

Reviews for The Secret Garden

[marie2830-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A very sweet, and well written book. A perfect read for February/March/April, and fits the transition from winter to summer. I just disliked Colin so much, that it weighed down my opinion of the book. In the middle of the book you find colin and, after that the focus on Mary disappears almost completely. I was very displeased with that, because she was in sort the main character. That said it is a book that makes you very happy, and makes you think about being outside more.

[snozzberry_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this as a child and loved it. It's a classic.

[cassielanzas_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Mary is an unloved, spoiled, ugly child who is left behind during a cholera epidemic in India. Her parents are dead and she is sent to live with an uncle in England. At first, she hates it there. She slowly begins to spend more time outside, regaining mental and physical strength. Mary learns of a secret garden belonging to her late aunt that is locked. She finds a key and begins to tend to the garden. She hears a child crying in the manor and is surprised to learn that it is her cousin, who is locked away due to a problem with his spine. She takes him to the garden with her and he slowly regains his strength. Her uncle comes home from a business trip to find his crippled son walking.I choose this book because many women important to me claim that it was their favorite book in childhood. The story of Mary and Collin growing strong while tending the garden is an inspiring tribute to the strength of living things.I think this book would be best used in a literature circle paired with other classics. Some children may be drawn to a story about roses and girls, but it might be hard sell to some boys.

[imperfectcj · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Holy schmoley! I forgot how wonderful this book is!

My kindergarten teacher gave me a hardcover version when my family moved away, and while I remember reading it, I also remember having a really tough time with the dialect and the Indian words and phrases. And, of course, the significance of Mary being born in India of British parents didn't hit me at all at age seven. Mostly I just remembered that Mary was a brat.

Then when my husband, daughter, and I moved away from California again, my friend gave my daughter this illustrated edition. My daughter (now seven herself) read it aloud with her dad before bedtime, and they both loved it so much, I picked up the audiobook (read by Finola Hughes) so we could all enjoy it on long car rides.

The book is delightful by itself, but hearing Finola Hughes' "broad Yorkshire" really helps our Yankee brains to understand the dialect. Inga Moore's illustrations in this edition are beautiful and heighten the whimsy in the story.

I had forgotten how wonderful this book is. I appreciate the subtlety and innocence of the discussion of "Magic." I especially loved the portion of a chapter written from the robin's point of view. It was a little jarring at first because it was so different from the rest of the book, but once I got my bearings, it really added an interesting dimension. I didn't like so much the chapter written from Mr Craven's point of view. It was less colorful and more difficult to follow than the others, although I understand its importance in illustrating how he made such an abrupt transformation from how he seemed at the beginning of the book. Burnett's treatment of culture is respectful and focuses on the universal elements that connect us all, regardless of our heritage. She treats nature almost like another culture, suggesting that an understanding of nature goes hand-in-hand with understanding other people.

As I finished one of the later chapters, I found myself impelled to go out to my own garden and weed. I even braved the creepy spider webs and cleaned out the shed. Alas, the book's effect so far has not been enough to get my kids to go outside and work in the garden with me, but I still have hope. I also hope that, if I do manage to get them outside most of the day, they might be less picky about the "victuals" I set in front of them.

[salsabrarian · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Narrated by Finola Hughes. Hughes' pleasant voice was easy on the ears and atmospheric of the story with her British and Yorkshire accents for the various characters. She reads descriptive narrative in a confiding manner, as if being gently gossipy. A gentle listening experience but the outdated attitudes about "blacks and respectable white people" come off as terribly jarring today.

[thereadingmermaid · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very very close to the movie version that I fell in love with as a child. For a classic it is very easy to read and easy to follow. The story is full of magic and a child's wonder. Very entertaining and captivating. Highly recommend.

[Stacey G · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loooooooooooooooved it! very heart warming and magical. I recommend it.

[angelag86 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of my favorite childhood books, about a young girl named Mary who is sent to live with her recluse Uncle in England after her parents die in India. She befriends her spoiled cousin and a local common boy, and together they discover an abandoned garden.

[qofd · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Had this read to me when I was 8 or 9 by my teacher. She was English so was able to get all the accents right in the story and bought it alive. Bought my own copy as an adult and read it again and it was still as good as I remembered. A classic

[t1bclasslibrary · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was identifying with this book while I read it, because I was feeling rather contrary myself, and it fit my mood and made me consider things from different perspectives. It was a good read, and one I'd recommend mostly because it's a good concept, but not one I especially got into. It was nice to watch the main characters, well, blossom, to use an apt metaphore, but I didn't identify with them a whole lot. I guess the concept of having a secret garden is cool, but it just wasn't what I would have done (well, I would have found my way in the garden, but I'd have done a lot more with the house, and I would have played in the garden rather than weeded). Anyway, good enough story, just not my thing.

[pam harrell · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The music was very distracting!!!! The story and reader were very good.

[dbsovereign · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As a young man, many times I felt very much alone, and Burnett's garden came to symbolize a way out of my isolation. In my own life reading became the garden that allowed me to escape and recreate myself - so for me this book resonates on many levels.

[sinead foley · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Frances is a very good author if you asked me

[sueincyprus · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Spoilt Mary arrives at Misselthwaite Manor and is befriended by the cheerful maid Martha, but otherwise almost ignored. The book is about her growing health, both physically and emotionally, about another sick child, and about a garden. I ilke the way that the main characters of this book are not very nice people at all, yet I can still empathise and care about them. Some snobbery of course, as was inevitable at the time, but enjoyable for all ages. Suitable for around age 8 or older.

[ca8bookwyrm · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I'd probably give this a 3.5 star rating if that was an option. I enjoyed the book. I did. But it didn't really resonate with me the way it might have had I read it when I was younger.

[ku.-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read this book when I was like what.... 4th grade? I enjoyed it even though I really don't read classics.

[larisaananda · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This charming children?s classic, written by Frances Hodgson Burnett, is worth reading as an adult, even if you read it first as a child. The story vividly and accurately portrays the emotional journey that many third-culture-kids experience, as they confront the reverse-culture-shock of repatriation.Mary Lennox is a nine-year-old, British military brat, born and raised in British Colonial India. The story begins in the midst of a cholera epidemic, which kills both of her parents. When a pair of British officers discover Mary all alone in her parents? empty bungalow, she is quickly sent ?home? to England, to live with an uncle she has never met. Although the ?spoilt and sour? demeanor Mary exhibits at the start of the book is certainly in part the result of attachment issues caused by neglectful parents, it is also very clear that many of the things that trouble her about her new home are simply the result of culture shock. And, as is typical for TCKs ?returning home? to their passport countries, her ignorance of local customs is perceived as willful insolence, and any mention she makes of ?how things were done? in India, is perceived as boastful arrogance.It is only when she begins applying her TCK skills of ?foreign? language acquisition (learning to speak the Yorkshire dialect spoken by the local people), studying the details of her new environment (learning to understand an appreciate the strange natural beauty and wildlife of the moor), and working on collaborative projects with local residents (reviving a neglected, secret garden), that she overcomes her grief, and begins to thrive in her passport culture.And the secret to her success? The ?magic? of choosing to change her attitude toward the foreign land she now calls home.

[angiesangels · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved the movie every time I saw it and the book only added to that love of The Secret Garden! I always wondered how the book was written and how it may differ from the movie versions. I was not at all disappointed. The book only added to the magic of the story for me. The characters grew even more in my mind and came to be even better than the ones I saw and that were developed in the movies. The description that was used in this book was absolutely amazing and the language only complimented the whole story. I found myself picturing parts of the movies too while reading, which only enhanced my enjoyment of this classic tale and book. Mary was always a great character in my eyes and changes so much in this book. She starts as such a snobby, spoiled child, but turns into a wonderful girl who cares a lot about those around her and the Secret Garden. I love watching her grow up too, from a girl who did nothing on her own or for herself, to a girl who likes to do things on her own and for herself. Dickon was my next favorite character, I always kind of saw him as a boy version of me as a kid. All the animal friends and all the outdoor activity no matter what the weather, just to be in nature and one with it. Colin was a character that took me time to like, but really he was the way he was because of how he was brought up. This has always been a favorite tale of mine and still is. What a great book to read and enjoy as I, like Mary, wait for Spring to come! Such a great classic meant for all ages to enjoy! A must read for generations to come.5/5 Stars!!

[mthelibrarian_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was in the mood for children's classic / fairy-tale story and this gorgeous edition of "The Secret Garden" fit the bill. I may have read it in childhood but am not sure.

[callirhoe · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was one of my very favorite books when I was a child, and I still reread it and love it today. There's enough magic and wonder in the garden to satisfy the most finicky of young readers, and enough love and lessons learned to recommend it to the adult reader as well. This is a beautiful book that has stood the test of time.

[bettesbooks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved this as a child and reading it as an adult was a treat. A must read.

[shanaqui_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved this, when I was little. I read it over and over and over and over again, until my copy is basically held together by brown tape. The development of the two spoilt characters always charmed me -- although I think it was the idea of a secret garden in the first place that I really loved.

[schusreadingstars · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A fun interactive book For middle schoolars I am a fast reader so some people might think this a long book.

[stewi_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lädt zum Mitfiebern und träumen ein.

[tess_schoolmarm · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Why did I wait so long to read this classic? The plot of this book centers around Mary Lennox, who came to England to live with a brooding uncle who she has never met as her parents both died of Cholera. She was a most disagreeable child. While there, she discovers her most disagreeable cousin who has been told he is an invalid from birth. She also meets Dicken, a Yorkshire lad who introduces the moor to Mary and her cousin. Just delightful!

[armyangel1986 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of my favorite childhood books, about a young girl named Mary who is sent to live with her recluse Uncle in England after her parents die in India. She befriends her spoiled cousin and a local common boy, and together they discover an abandoned garden.

[sarahehwilson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A classic story of transformation, for two flawed children, and finally for a grieving adult, set against a delicious backdrop of the moors. Deservedly famous!

[ctpress_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

“Where you tend a rose my lad, a thistle cannot grow.”An enchanting novel for children and adults alike. Recently orphaned girl Mary come from India to live with her uncle at Misselthwaite Manor - the uncle ignores her begin a long travel abroad - she’s left to herself at the big house close the Yorkshire moor. But when Mary discovers nature at the windy moor, a secret garden, her sick and secluded cousin Colin and the yorkshire boy Dickon a wonderful transformation sets in. Sour Mistress Mary, Quite Contrary - as they call her - begin to appreciate life again.Friendship, fresh air and flora is all it takes. And a little magic. “Sometimes since I've been in the garden I've looked up through the trees at the sky and I have had a strange feeling of being happy as if something was pushing and drawing in my chest and making me breathe fast. Magic is always pushing and drawing and making things out of nothing. Everything is made out of magic, leaves and trees, flowers and birds, badgers and foxes and squirrels and people. So it must be all around us. In this garden - in all the places.”

[tess_w · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Why did I wait so long to read this classic? The plot of this book centers around Mary Lennox, who came to England to live with a brooding uncle who she has never met as her parents both died of Cholera. She was a most disagreeable child. While there, she discovers her most disagreeable cousin who has been told he is an invalid from birth. She also meets Dicken, a Yorkshire lad who introduces the moor to Mary and her cousin. Just delightful!

[picklejuzz_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I've always loved The Secret Garden. First read it when I was 7 and don't mind re-reading it over and over again.Its about an orphaned 10year old girl who was shipped back to England after her parents death in India. Her guardian in England is her uncle who is very rich. She later discover that she have an estranged cousin, her uncle's son who she grew fond to. The both of them would hang out every day together with another character, a boy who helps them with the secret garden.Overall, this book tells about a sad little girl who found happiness in a locked secret garden.