Hodgson Burnett, Frances - The secret garden

This book was written in 1911 by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

Mary Lennox and Her Childhood

Mary Lennox was a very thin and sad child of 10 years old. She didn’t have friends and She was often ill. She didn’t see hardly ever her parents because her father was busy with his job and her mother loved parties and wasn't interested in Mary. A day, her parents and servants died for a terrible disease. In India there were no-one to look after Mary, so She was sent to England to live with her uncle, Mr. Craven, who lived in a big house in Yorkshire. At the arrive in London, there was Mrs Medlock, her uncle’s housekeeper. She said to Mary that Mr. Craven didn't want to see no-one and that when He got married with the sister of Mary’s mother, He was very happy, but when She died, He became even stranger. Mr. Craven did always travel. The next day, a young housemaid entered in Mary’s room to light the fire. Her name was Marta and She was the new Mary’s servant. Marta said to Mary that She had a brother, Dickon, twelve years old that spent all day in the gardens around the house.

Mary went in the garden for a walk and She found some plant that jutted out of a wall. A robin led Mary to the door of the garden but the door was locked. When She returned at home, She asked to Marta where was the key of the garden. Marta told Mary that after the death of Mrs. Craven, his uncle had done to close the garden and He had buried the key in another garden.

The Meeting with Colin

At night, when all the people in the house were sleeping, Mary heard the cry of a child. She got up to see who was crying. She entered the room where the cry came. There was a thin and pale boy. His name was Colin, He was Mr. Craven’s son, Mary’s cousin. Colin say to Mary that He had been all his life in bed, and He had the hump and problems in the legs and He had never left home. The next day, Mary found the key of the secret garden and immediately went inside. In the garden there were nothing, only some plants. She took a bit of land and some seeds and started to take care of the garden. Then She knew Dickon and She said him which She had found the keys of the garden. A day, Mary spoke to Colin about the secret garden and He ordered his servants to let him go.

So, Mary and Dickon put Colin in a wheelchair and They brought him there. Colin decided to go back there every day.

The Return of Mr. Craven

Mr. Craven, during a night in his travel in Italy, did a dream. He dreamed his wife’s garden. Immediately He returned in Yorkshire and went in the garden where were the two boys and Mary. Colin, never seen his father. Colin suddenly rose up from the wheelchair and began to walk towards Mr. Craven. From that day the garden was always open and Mr. Craven came back happy as It was before the death of his wife.

Personal Opinion on the Book

I think that this story is really beautiful. I’ve seen the movie of the 'Secret Garden' many times. Is there any difference between the film and the book. In my opinion, the film is better than the book, perhaps because I've seen it before reading the book.
Frances Hodgson Burnett was born in 1849 in Manchester. When She was sixteen years old, She and her family moved to Knoxville, in the USA. She wrote a lot of very popular books for children. In 1886 She wrote “Little Lord Fauntleroy”, that was her most famous novel. In 1911 She wrote “The Secret Garden” that was filmed twice, in 1949 and in 1993. She died in 1924.