The Secret Garden Complete Text

By Frances Hodgson Burnett and Tasha Tudor

This complete edition of the classic text is an essential coming-of-age story for all readers, young or old, child or adult.

When orphaned Mary Lennox comes to live at her uncle's great house on the Yorkshire Moors, she finds it full of secrets. The mansion has nearly one hundred rooms, and her uncle keeps himself locked up. And at night, she hears the sound of crying down one of the long corridors.

The gardens surrounding the large property are Mary's only escape. Then, Mary discovers a secret garden, surrounded by walls and locked with a missing key. One day, with the help of two unexpected companions, she discovers a way in. Is everything in the garden dead, or can Mary bring it back to life?

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Jun 8, 2010
• ISBN: 9780062023438

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 Complete Text

[heatherlinc · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Having just re-read "Black Beauty" and being disappointed, i was nervous about revisiting this book but, thankfully, my fears were unfounded. "The Secret Garden" was as delightful as the first time I read it many, many years ago.

[indygo88 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Secret Garden tells the story of Mary, a young girl of privilege growing up in India who, after her parents' death of cholera, is swept away to live in her estranged uncle's Yorkshire manor house in England. Spoiled and disagreeable, with no history of any true friendships, she must adapt to a new environment and learn to entertain herself.I'm one of probably a very few who have not previously read or seen the movie adaptation of The Secret Garden. I've had a copy of the book on my shelf for quite a while, but it wasn't until just recently that I decided to delve into an audio copy available on Hoopla, which I devoured pretty quickly while doing various work & household activities. This book is definitely a product of its era (published in 1911), but that's part of its charm. The most enjoyable aspect for me was reading about the true pleasure of the discovery of a garden and the effects that discovery can have on a child's imagination and outlook on life. Sometimes it's the simple things which can bring us such pleasure, and it's nice to be able to look at that through a child's eye.

[cheryl_in_cc_nv · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This read was, of course, a re-read. I wore out the copy I had as a child, with its lovely illustrations by Tasha Tudor. What's interesting is what a different, but still marvelous, experience it is, reading it again almost 4 decades later. I didn't remember the beginning bit taking place in India. I could've sworn Mary visited, and brought gifts to, Martha's family's cottage. I didn't remember the ending being so abrupt.

Oddly enough, my 'favorite' bit was learning about how to tell if trees and vines are 'wick' or dead. And that part was just as I remembered it.

I read it now with a bit of an eye towards issues. For example, there are some racist comments - but they're made in innocent ignorance and/or by people who are not nice. Another example is that great store is set by beauty, esp. Mary's initial lack of it - but it is made plain that beauty is a sign of physical and 'spiritual' health. The third example of an issue is spiritual health and Christianity - and I love Susan's speech near the end in which she refers to the Joy-Maker" who is known by many names the world over.

This edition does have a scholarly introduction. I have not read it nor do I plan to."

[bun65 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I felt a little bit difficult for me.But I was able to enjoy this book.The noble figure of Mary was struck me.The scene was also very impressed to see the garden in their eyes colin.Unfortunately I can not express well, I think this book has very warm atmosphere.

[olivia33_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Over all I think "The Secret Garden" is a great book! Although it was a little long. It's a great book if you like: gardening, friendship and interesting twists to the story. I would recommend this book!

[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.

[andyle130 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I liked the way Mary changed her additude, on the first time she was mean and crooked all the time but her parents died on a disease in her house so she had to move to an place in Europ in a moor.She found a garden that has been lock up by the house owner because his wife died by falling down a tree. She made friend and grow flowers and made the garden beautiful

[rmagahiz · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I come to this book uninfluenced by film adaptations of the story, so my comments here apply only to the actual novel.

Basically a middle-grades book espousing the idea of positive thinking to cure one's ailments. It was a five star book up till the halfway mark and the carefully constructed character of Mary was unceremoniously pushed to the side by the Cravens, and if this were a book for adults I would be pretty harsh about marking it down. Yet, I feel that somewhat different standards ought to be applied to it given its era. That's why it also gets a pass when it comes to the English class system, colonialism, and a mysterious Gothic mansion that ends up being no kind of mystery at all.

As for the plot, I never did quite figure out whether the mother really died in childbirth, as the boy seemed to believe, or whether the accident with a rose tree was actually the case. And the slight hint of intrigue on the part of Dr. Craven's scheme to inherit the mansion was never really paid off.

I listened to the Librivox audiobook version, which had its special charm. This listener's delight in hearing the Yorkshire dialect started to wear thin around the time the story lost its way, but the readers put on a pretty good show nonetheless.

[piyushc_34 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The story of the turnaround of a girl from a most irritating child to one who leads to the turnaround of another kid like her, the instrumental part being played by a Dickon, one of those boys no one can dislike, be it humans, animals, birds or even plants! The secret garden ofcourse provides for as the ideal venue for all these adventures of the three kids.

[kate_schulte078 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book would be good for talking about the late 1800s early 1900s time period. I think students would like this book because of how the main character finds ways in entertain herself.

[rainbowdarling · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Secret Garden is a classic book which every now and then I still pick up to read, just because it is a sweet story with morals that aren't terribly overbearing. It is one that I have and will continue to pass along to others.

[aliceap-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I finally read The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I want to start with the film review for this one because it's truly in my top 5 favorite films of all time. The movie came out in 1993 and is the reason why I have wanted to ramble across the Yorkshire moors (which I finally did this summer!). The script includes lines which are directly lifted from the novel and is almost entirely faithful to the storyline. It is absolutely fantastic and I highly recommend it. Now for the book! It features a little girl named Mary Lennox who is orphaned and sent to live with an uncle who she has never met named Archibald Craven. Mary's childhood up until this point has been rather lonesome, grim, and without affection. As a result, she is a morose and not at all agreeable child. The house is large, foreboding, and empty apart from the servants as Mr. Craven frequently travels. They're situated out on the Yorkshire moors which to the little girl appears barren and desolate. At first, you think that Mary's life has not improved one iota...and then she starts exploring the gardens. She learns that there is a garden that is hidden and which no one has been inside for 10 years since Mrs. Craven died. Through seemingly magical circumstances, she locates the key and finds her way inside only to discover that the garden is not entirely dead. She enlists the help of a boy that lives on the moors named Dickon who tames animals and over time helps to tame her as well. They decide they are going to bring the garden back to life. This isn't the only mystery of the novel either...and I'm not going to tell you anymore because you need to read it and then watch the film. GO, GO, GO!

[elizabethhart_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Secret Garden is a book I have enjoyed again and again since childhood because of its themes and exciting plot. The story follows a young girl, Mary Lennox, and her journey from India after the death of her parents to her Uncle Archibald Craven’s estate in Yorkshire. Mary is an unhappy and unwell girl who finds solstice in search of a “secret garden” that once belonged to her uncle’s wife, Mistress Craven. She befriends the servants, gardeners and Dickon who assist her in nurturing the garden that has gone untouched but once a year since Mistress Craven’s passing. Mary also becomes interested in Master Craven’s son, Colin, whose cries she hears one night and is forbidden to seek out their source by the head servant, Mrs. Medlock. Mary finds the boy anyway and quickly realizes that his sadness stems from the belief that he will become a hunchback like his father and he will die young. Mary brings him to the garden with Dickon where Colin stands on his own for the first time. The author leads the reader to believe that the secret garden is responsible for Colin’s miraculous recovery, as well as Mary’s revival from her parents’ death. Themes include “mind over matter” and health having a direct relationship with outlook, as well as the importance of faith and human relationships.

[mountie9_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Mini Book Review: I was disappointed when I first started the book as I heard so many fabulous things about this classic. I almost gave up after about 30 pages as it was hard to read about a child who was just utterly unlikeable (and yes I can see how she bacame that way) But than something happened about 45 pages in I started falling in love with her and wanted to know more. Such a charming, beautiful story and I now know why so many people list this as one of their favorite stories. Since I have to get 3 reviews done by New Years Eve (Tomorrow) this is going to be a quickie review. Fabulous character development and wonderful use of setting. You felt like you knew these characters and let me tell you the whole time I was reading, I also imagined that I was on the moors with the children. As a child this would be a truly marvelous read. As an adult my only negative comments would be that some might stop reading because at the beginning Mary is so unlikeable. Also the ending is a tad saccharine and predictable - but I really didn't mind that as I am a big softie. To put it simply it is a lovely sweet innocent tale of the importance of play, good fresh air and the power of imagination.4.5 Dewey'sI purchased this at the Indigo at the Eaton Centre for my BBC 100 Top Books Challenge (Yeah I totally failed I only finished 2 of the 5 I was going to review - but hey I moved across the country and became at stay at home mom)

[the_hibernator · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

10-year-old Mary was being raised as an emotionally neglected, but very spoiled, brat in colonial India when she is suddenly orphaned by a cholera epidemic. She is sent to the house of a rich uncle in England, where she is ignored. Despite these tragic events, Mary somehow manages to make friends, and discover the magic of nature, for the first time in her life. This was an adorable book, though greatly contrasted from [A Little Princess], in which the main character was sweet and lovable all the way through. I hadn’t thought I’d seen the movie when I read this book, but clearly I have since I knew the story too well. I will have to re-watch the movie now.

[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.

[poetreegirl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Two very spoiled and ill-mannered children are brought out of isolation by the healing power of a garden. A timeless and well told tale.

[kayla3marie · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I read this for a groupread, and many in my group agreed that this book should really only be read by 3rd-4th graders, who would really love this book. Reading it as adults, the book just seems slow and predictable. It picks up about halfway through when Mary meets Colin-I really began to enjoy the book then-but I can never call this a favorite. I wish I had read it as a child so it could have held more meaning for me.

[gma2lana · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book at the beginning, the talk about magic was a little repetitive to me at times. I would recommend this book however as a good read.

[theboylatham_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Four out of ten. eBook.

Mistress Mary is quite contrary until she helps her garden grow. Along the way, she manages to cure her sickly cousin Colin, who is every bit as imperious as she. These two are sullen little peas in a pod, closed up in a gloomy old manor on the Yorkshire moors of England, until a locked-up garden captures their imaginations and puts the blush of a wild rose in their cheeks.

[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.

[kaulsu · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was the first chapter book I ever read. Perhaps everyone remembers their first "real" book, I don't know, but it seems interesting to me that I remember this one. Smerguls reviewed this book and totally panned it. I find that interesting, too. But when reading children's literature, one needs to put themselves in the mind of a child!This book prepared me (which is no doubt why I remembered it) for my own mother's death. It also planted philosophical thoughts into my head."One of the new things people began to find out in the last century was that thoughts--just mere thought--are as powerful as electric batteries--as good for one as sunlight is, or as bad for one as poison. To let a sad thought or a bad one get into our mind is as dangerous as letting a scarlet fever germ get into your body. If you let it stay there after it has got in you may never get over it as long as you live" (pg 436 out of 485).Positive psychology!At any rate, it is a book I read to my son, and would read to my grandchildren were I to have any!

[tullius22 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I almost didn't write a review of this, but then I figured.... eh, just because I'm not sure I'll take the trick, doesn't mean I can't put my card on the table. Anyway, my brother was in a stage piece of this, (as Mr. Craven) when I was in middle school, I think, {not quite ten years ago, come to think of it-- back when I was a gosling!}, and so I watched every performance they gave-- three, I think-- and I obsessed over the soundtrack for awhile.... I found it all to be wonderfully depressing, which was a sort of grey blessing, since I was absolutely depressed myself at the time.... Anyway, I know that that sort of reflection might be seen as a bit amateurish or something, but theatre can be illuminating.... I saw a stage piece of a Sherlock Holmes a few weeks ago, which helped me realize how much I detest that stupid....Anyway. It can be a bit more grey than green.... And there's an obvious thrust at 'magic', I guess, but it just manages to shy away from total cynicism and doesn't quite.... sometimes it just doesn't.... sometimes you just can't quite feel the magic in the cards, you know.... sometimes children have flowers in their cups, and other times.... they're just a bunch of little.... Six and one, you know.... It might seem a little odd to compare this to 'Pride & Prejudice', (and I care not to know precisely what some of the 1911 crowd thought of dearest Jane), but that is easily explained-- I obsess about P&P, and compare all manner of phenomenon to it. And.... the thing is.... 'tisn't as good, is it.... I mean, I read that once Jane joked that she ought to have written a chapter about Napoleon, you see what I mean, some things are just better avoided.... And while it's certainly easy enough to see the sort of.... craven, application of the ethic of avoidance-- lock up the garden! Never go back in!-- still.... still.... I mean, this book itself isn't quite needing of avoidance, it's like *that*.... but almost, almost, at times..... I mean, to be rather cruel about it-- Kitty and Lydia die in a flood, Mary hates everyone, and Lizzie goes off and jumps in the mud with the goats and kids from the.... from the lanes, almost! I mean, I hate to be brusque about it-- since it's almost become my cardinal sin!-- but you can do that with anything, I mean, with girls.... I mean, I've sorta come to think that there are only five girls in the world, although unfortunately there are just too many times when it's like, Where's Jane? What did you *do* with her? (I mean, and.... I *hesitate* to call Mrs. Bennet a 'girl'; she's the Queen of Spades!) So, there's that. I mean, you can see, obviously, how it's not quite as bad, well, not nearly as bad, as it obviously could have been, so there's that.... I mean, thank merciful Juno that there are no bloody suffragette riots, and no Irish thugs {and my family comes from, Suffolk, by and by, just like all of the Keatings} to crack Sybil's head against the pavement-- that, I suppose, would be one of the cardinal benefits of living in what might be loosely denominated as 'the middle of nowhere', a sort of English Appalachia, where people still (1911) are to be heard uttering variations of "thou", such as "tha'" and so on-- but I mean.... "You come along back to your own nursery or I'll box your ears." I mean, I haven't read all of the novels, but I'd imitate my Irish ancestors and 'bet the dole', so to speak, that *nothing* like that, ever, ever, *ever*.... I mean, I don't think you could get Lady Austen to put a sentence like that in print, if you offered to pay her all the muslin in India.... Not if offered to celebrate *her* birthday, the way that we celebrate that of *Dickens*.... and I suppose, that that's why we *don't*. "I am just a poor boy and my story's seldom told." Shut, up! Wow, I really wasn't going to do that. You follow it though, don't you?.... Do you knit, no, Do you sew, no, Do you read, Yes, why..... "Vanity and pride are different things...." You know, *sometimes*, they are pretty much the same.... I mean, I honestly didn't want to snap my fingers like this.... It's feelings about magic aren't as obnoxiously and nauseatingly and stupidly insincere as something like C.S. Lewis ("Mere Christianity"-- yes, *mere*, christianity, indeed!), or Lewis Carroll ("Euclid and his Modern Rivals"-- damn Anglophones! *Teach them in Greek!*) might write.... or something that *Wickham* might say.... And, yes, I do hiss, I hiss at the very name, at very *shadow* of that name.... I am a little mean sometimes, though.... the girl is the one who stands out, hahaha..... Although not here.... I mean, at least it's England, not Narnia.... or Kandahar.... .... Just because you dine at Pemberley, doesn't mean that you're stupid.... Just because you're not in one of those real Clint Eastwood movies, you know, looking the gritty truth of the world in eye, just like.... (Look the cold truth in the eye! Stare into the abyss!) I mean, like, it's not that hard to figure out what the orphans of the British Army are like, is it? It's not as though you've got to read "The River War", do you.... *or even this book*! I mean, if Mr. Bennet, *acting as though he wouldn't* go call on Bingely is bad, very bad, even, then how bad is it, if he *never* does, because.... he's not, *anywhere*? Very Bad Indeed, I should say.... Say, what would happen, were I to drink from that poisoned well? ~Well, that would be, Very Bad Indeed. ~Ah. I see. What more? What more is there? I mean, I do hope that my manner hasn't gone ill with anyone, and I am sure that just because I have alot to say-- more than I really meant to-- doesn't mean that I've balanced every word just so, the way that I might like.... But, anyway, it could surely have been worse-- and that is something, that is surely something....Although Mary could have played cribbage with Martha, and I'm sure they both could have gotten something out of that.... not that I dislike Martha, not at all.(It's just that she's not a girl; she's a servant. Did you ever read "And Then There Were None"? Another one of these lovely post-Victorian pieces-- see, I told you it could be *worse*! Anyway, "the women" always meant the two women, not the two women and the servant's wife.... Such bitter business, though-- better not to think on it....) Anyway. It need not really be marked for avoidance, though it does have a little grey in it. There's just better and worse, that's all. (8/10)

[lukerik-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a fantastic novel! The reason they don’t do children’s books like this anymore is because it’s frankly too good for kids. Cleverer than the average adults’ book.The picture drawn of Mary is superb. There’s a bit in chapter 3 where she says to Martha “...blacks! They are not people – they’re servants who must salaam to you”. In other words, Mary is so twisted that she can no longer even recognise other members of her own species. There’s also the image of her putting flowers into sterile sand. A wonderful metaphor for herself. Originally a beautiful thing, plucked, and set rootless in conditions that will only wither her. This of course ties in to the motif (is that the word? Are children’s books allowed to have motifs?) of the garden later in the novel.I’ve been reading a bit about Burnett herself and apparently she was a theosophist. Now I don’t want to get into my opinion on her spiritualist beliefs, but at the risk of you thinking me a complete lune, I have to say that I don’t believe in germ theory. Consider this: for hundreds of centuries religious people have been saying that illness is caused by evil spirits. “You can’t see them, but don’t worry, we have special eyes and we know how to combat them.” Then along come scientists, saying that illness is caused by germs. “You can see them, but don’t worry, we have special eyes and we know how to combat them.”So I have a certain sympathy for her beliefs. Anyway, as the novel progresses and Burnett’s confidence grows this affirmative thought theme grows in strength. If you know her beliefs then you can see them being held by the characters themselves. Mrs Medlock and the Doctor are obviously believers as one of their conversations makes clear.Burnett never rams it down your throat though. It’s Magic!

[katiekrug · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I never read The Secret Garden as a child, though I do remember seeing two different film versions of it. I'm not sure if I would have liked this as a kid - I want to say no because even then I was too cynical to put up with this kind of treacly crap, but I did love Little Women and Anne of Green Gables and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn so who knows. But wow, at the tender age of 37, this one doesn't do much for me. It's kind of charming in the beginning but then gets very preachy. I had been enjoying Mary's development from a bratty sour puss into an energetic little girl but then the book becomes all about Colin who is really annoying. There is a bunch of weird, quasi-Christian Science stuff going on, and I can't understand why the awesome Sowerby family would be at all interested in these obnoxious rich people. And I can't understand why I thought this was going to get three stars from me. Definitely more like two. And the ending was weird. So. Very. Abrupt.

[hopeevey · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love this book! I think the author would have had a slightly stronger message if she hadn't gone into exposition on the power of focusing on the positive; the narrative carried that message very strongly all by itself. I cried at the end. I will be re-reading this one; it's like therapy in book form.

[ali1stegs · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My love of the Gothic genre started here, in sixth grade when I found this book in the school library. It made me love books.I still remember that wistful feeling after I'd read the last page and closed the book...

[sealford_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Simply looking at the cover of this book instantly transports me back to my childhood, a time in which I was so carefree and imagined myself in the book, tending to a garden full of secrets. Even as a small child, I related so much to this book and as an adult, it still holds a special place in my heart. Although I enjoy the movie as well, the book is simply wonderful.

[msbridgetreads · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is another classic I wanted to read because I liked the movie. And another one I put into my Classic TBR pile.

Although I didn't enjoy it as much as the other classics I've read, it was still a cute little story. And I loved seeing her grow into a sweet, respectful little lady from that not so nice child she was all because she had something and someone to look forward to each and everyday.

This story can be a lesson to many that if you give your children something to look forward to everyday that they enjoy doing, how will their behavior change for the better? If the children are in a more positive environment and have people around them that love them..How much better will their lives be? The change may take time but its possible for it to happen...That's what I get out of it anyway..

And even though the adults didn't really want much to do with her or the other children in the beginning, she eventually got their views to change about her and the little boy she became friends with..

I love the messaged more than anything in this story...That's part of the reason it didn't get less than a 3..And plus, how could I give a classic less than a 3?!?! :-)

[briannad84 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Another of my favorite books and movies! I think I enjoy this one better than A Little Princess. Brings back alot of great memories for me!