‘The Secret Garden’ by Francis Hodgson Burnett was always one of my favourite books as a child. Therefore recently in a sudden burst of nostalgia I decided to read it again. Yes it was originally written eons ago (1909 to be precise), but you really should not let this put you off. This story has all the elements of an excellent read – love, friendship, death, mystery and humour… who could ask for more!
The story is about a selfish, ’sour-faced’ ten-year-old child called Mary Lenox who lives in India with her wealthy parents. That is until one day a sudden deadly cholera outbreak completely changes her life. The outbreak leaves Mary an orphan and finds her being quickly packed off to England to live with an Uncle she has never heard of, let alone met.
When she arrives in Yorkshire she finds out that her new home - Misselthwaite Manor is full of mysteries. The Manor is shroud in tragedy. Mary discovers her Uncles beautiful young wife died ten years ago when she fell from the branch of a tree in a walled garden. Since then the garden has been shut and the key hidden by her Uncle who now travels far and wide to escape his grief and the memories of his tragic loss.
As soon as she discovers this wilful Mary desperately wants to get into ‘the secret garden’, but she cannot find the door or the key. Will she ever find out how to get in? And what will happen when she does?
Mary also can’t understand where the strange crying is coming from in the middle of the night, that echoes around the old mansion. Or why when she asks the servants lie and deny they heard anything. Will Mary ever discover the mysteries of Misselthwaite Manor?
I am afraid that if want to find out the answers to these questions you will have to read the book. Perhaps the reason I love this story so much is because it is a subtle blend of mystery, self discovery and friendship. The moral being that we can all change and become a better person with a little help from our friends.
Review By Miss Belcher
