Chain Reading

This is definitely a children's classic. There always was, and there always will be, spoiled bratty children that need to get over themselves and learn that what you put out there is what will come back to you. In fact, I've come across a great many ADULTS in my various customer service jobs that need to learn this very lesson.

Read it and you'll wonder why you're wasting time inside on the internet, when there is a beautiful lovely day outside. The world is full of fabulous experiences, stop reading about them... get out there and DO them!

The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett, is a children's book set on the moors of Yorkshire, England. It is the story of a heartbroken man, his invalid son, a moody distempered girl from India who comes to live with them, and a Yorkshire boy known as an animal charmer. And then there is, of course, the garden.

The book describes how the garden brings about healing to the people who need it most. It is full of lovely descriptions, and parts of it are truly heart-warming. It's beautiful to read of the transformation of the formerly disagreeable main characters.

But I do have some qualms about the book. Why? I'm a Christian, and I didn't like the Magic in the book. It seemed that the book was full of New Age philosophy (the Magic is what healed Colin, it's in everything and all of us, etc.), and that just did not sit well with me. I got the impression the author was almost promoting Magic as a god, and it was in everything (pantheism).

The part with the doxology was very disturbing. It felt like blasphemy to me. Magic is NOT another word for God being praised in the Doxology. They are NOT the same thing. God is a personal being; the Magic spoken of in the book is an impersonal force that makes the world grow. Another New Age idea.

But that isn't to say I didn't enjoy reading the book. I loved reading about Mary (the Indian girl) and Colin's (the invalid) transformation, and Mr. Craven at the end was touching as well. I just wish the reason behind all of this was different. I think it was a sweet, well-written book, but I don't think I can whole-heartedly recommend it. If someone who is firmly grounded in the truth and God's Word wishes to, that would be fine. But this could be very harmful for impressionable minds (since this is technically a children's book) to read of these things that are definitely not true and against God's Word.

I read this because one of my 101/1001 challenges is to re-read 10 of my favourite books from my childhood. This one would have to be very near the top of that list.

Mary Lenox, a sour and spoiled young girl, is sent to live at her uncle's house on the Yorkshire moors following the death of her parents in India. While there, she meets and befriends Dickon, a boy who spends most of his time outdoors, talking to animals, taking care of birds, etc. Mary learns how to enjoy the outdoors, and grows interested in gardening. She and Dickon find an overgrown 'secret' garden which belonged to Mary's uncle's late wife. Meanwhile, they meet Colin, Mary's invalid cousin. The three children set about bringing the neglected garden back to life and, along the way, Mary and Colin blossom. It's all quite sappy, all about growth, love, rebirth, etc., but it never fails to make me smile. And it did make me remember how I felt the very first time I read it, which was a wonderful thing.