Her only company are her maid Martha, the crusty old gardener Ben Weatherstaff, and a little robin redbreast who flies around the garden, though soon she gets to know Martha’s brother Dickon, and discovers another young inhabitant of the Manor who’s mere existence has been kept a secret from her.

She is sent to England after the death of her parents and has to adapt to living in the lonely Misselthwaite Manor in the middle of the Yorkshire Moors. She has never been loved by her parents but she has been spoiled by the servants and so is a cross, rude, demanding little girl. Mary Lennox is a ten year old girl living in India when her parents die suddenly of cholera. In case you aren’t familiar with the story of The Secret Garden, here is a summary. I suppose that’s more testament to the faithfulness of the film adaptation than the writing, but never mind. And yet, having seen the film – the 1993 one with Dame Maggie Smith as Mrs Medlock – I felt like I was reading an old favourite. I had never read The Secret Garden until a few weeks ago when I listened to an audiobook version.

So why am I still going ahead with a review? Not because I’m desperate to find something to write about – though that’s a good a reason as any – rather because I just loved it so much. You’ve probably read The Secret Garden, and if not, you’ve at least seen one of the films and are aware of the plot. This time, though, I fear I may be teaching your grandmother to suck eggs. Usually my If you like Blyton posts are on modern-ish authors you might not have heard of, mixed with a few older things that again, you may not have read.

The secret garden novel