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The Secret Garden. Cranford edition
Hardcover
Published January 1, 2022
8 people are currently reading
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About the author
Frances Hodgson Burnett
1,623 books5,065 followersFrances Eliza Hodgson Burnett was a British-American novelist and playwright. She is best known for the three children's novels Little Lord Fauntleroy (1886), A Little Princess (1905), and The Secret Garden (1911).
Frances Eliza Hodgson was born in Cheetham, Manchester, England. After her father died in 1853, when Frances was 4 years old, the family fell on straitened circumstances and in 1865 emigrated to the United States, settling in New Market, Tennessee. Frances began her writing career there at age 19 to help earn money for the family, publishing stories in magazines. In 1870, her mother died. In Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1873 she married Swan M. Burnett, who became a medical doctor. Their first son Lionel was born a year later. The Burnetts lived for two years in Paris, where their second son Vivian was born, before returning to the United States to live in Washington, D.C. Burnett then began to write novels, the first of which (That Lass o' Lowrie's), was published to good reviews. Little Lord Fauntleroy was published in 1886 and made her a popular writer of children's fiction, although her romantic adult novels written in the 1890s were also popular. She wrote and helped to produce stage versions of Little Lord Fauntleroy and A Little Princess.
Beginning in the 1880s, Burnett began to travel to England frequently and in the 1890s bought a home there, where she wrote The Secret Garden. Her elder son, Lionel, died of tuberculosis in 1890, which caused a relapse of the depression she had struggled with for much of her life. She divorced Swan Burnett in 1898, married Stephen Townesend in 1900, and divorced him in 1902. A few years later she settled in Nassau County, New York, where she died in 1924 and is buried in Roslyn Cemetery.
In 1936, a memorial sculpture by Bessie Potter Vonnoh was erected in her honor in Central Park's Conservatory Garden. The statue depicts her two famous Secret Garden characters, Mary and Dickon.
Frances Eliza Hodgson was born in Cheetham, Manchester, England. After her father died in 1853, when Frances was 4 years old, the family fell on straitened circumstances and in 1865 emigrated to the United States, settling in New Market, Tennessee. Frances began her writing career there at age 19 to help earn money for the family, publishing stories in magazines. In 1870, her mother died. In Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1873 she married Swan M. Burnett, who became a medical doctor. Their first son Lionel was born a year later. The Burnetts lived for two years in Paris, where their second son Vivian was born, before returning to the United States to live in Washington, D.C. Burnett then began to write novels, the first of which (That Lass o' Lowrie's), was published to good reviews. Little Lord Fauntleroy was published in 1886 and made her a popular writer of children's fiction, although her romantic adult novels written in the 1890s were also popular. She wrote and helped to produce stage versions of Little Lord Fauntleroy and A Little Princess.
Beginning in the 1880s, Burnett began to travel to England frequently and in the 1890s bought a home there, where she wrote The Secret Garden. Her elder son, Lionel, died of tuberculosis in 1890, which caused a relapse of the depression she had struggled with for much of her life. She divorced Swan Burnett in 1898, married Stephen Townesend in 1900, and divorced him in 1902. A few years later she settled in Nassau County, New York, where she died in 1924 and is buried in Roslyn Cemetery.
In 1936, a memorial sculpture by Bessie Potter Vonnoh was erected in her honor in Central Park's Conservatory Garden. The statue depicts her two famous Secret Garden characters, Mary and Dickon.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 9, 2026
The Secret Garden is one of my favorite movies from many years ago. I had it on video and I watched it many times over and over, but I had never read the book.
I found myself comparing this story in writing to the video that I had watch so frequently looking for similarities and differences.
I was very surprised how much of this story in print was like the video. I found myself actually hearing the voices of the actors from the video as I was reading the story.
The only problem that I had while reading the printed version of them story was attempting to understand the very strong Yorkshire way of speaking. I found that it slowed me down tremendously because I was trying to figure out what these partial words were and trying to fit them in to the context so that I could understand what they were saying.
It wasn’t because of the author that I was not understanding it. It was the language that I wasn’t understanding. I did have a little bit of frustration at one point in the very beginning, but I put the book down and walked away from it for a day before I came back to it. As I went through the rest of the book from that point, I actually found myself being able to skim over the parts that I could not understand, but then started understanding what each of the characters were saying. At one point the author did include in the writing the explanation of Yorkshire and that it is a very difficult language to understand when one is first hearing it for the first time.
I like the way she explained each of the characters and built on each of the personalities and the part that they played within the story.
I think that if the author had a special section at the back of the book with a description or explanation for each of the words of phrases that each character was saying when they were speaking in Yorkshire, it would have made it easier to understand. Any question that the reader would have on what was being said in a couple of those sections could have made it easier for the reader to move through the story with more ease and less frustration.
I found myself comparing this story in writing to the video that I had watch so frequently looking for similarities and differences.
I was very surprised how much of this story in print was like the video. I found myself actually hearing the voices of the actors from the video as I was reading the story.
The only problem that I had while reading the printed version of them story was attempting to understand the very strong Yorkshire way of speaking. I found that it slowed me down tremendously because I was trying to figure out what these partial words were and trying to fit them in to the context so that I could understand what they were saying.
It wasn’t because of the author that I was not understanding it. It was the language that I wasn’t understanding. I did have a little bit of frustration at one point in the very beginning, but I put the book down and walked away from it for a day before I came back to it. As I went through the rest of the book from that point, I actually found myself being able to skim over the parts that I could not understand, but then started understanding what each of the characters were saying. At one point the author did include in the writing the explanation of Yorkshire and that it is a very difficult language to understand when one is first hearing it for the first time.
I like the way she explained each of the characters and built on each of the personalities and the part that they played within the story.
I think that if the author had a special section at the back of the book with a description or explanation for each of the words of phrases that each character was saying when they were speaking in Yorkshire, it would have made it easier to understand. Any question that the reader would have on what was being said in a couple of those sections could have made it easier for the reader to move through the story with more ease and less frustration.
January 19, 2026
A purely beautiful book
April 28, 2026
So good!! So magical and wholesome. The character development is amazing. I love the underlying messages as well., This book is a great reminder that it’s important who you surround yourself with and you can make an impact and rub off on others. It shows how changing your Mindset can really impact you and those around you. This book also shows how time in nature is so good for kids. And it also shows how what you speak over kids impacts them and matters and can impact them positively or negatively. The hints at depression in the book with the little boy and the uncle really got me. And the uncles avoidance of the garden and his grief really hit my heart and I’m so glad he entered the garden and can heal and that healing and joy has come to the family.
December 23, 2025
Loved tackling another classic. The secret garden was definitely an easier read than little women. Loving the challenge of reading these beautiful classics and they look lush on my bookshelf too!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews