It’s the beginning of the 20th century. Ten-year-old Mary arrives in Britain from India and finds herself on the estate of her old uncle, who has nothing to do with the girl. After the death of his wife, the uncle is not interested in anything at all, he has withdrawn into himself and is not going to return. However, this does not matter: the girl also does not care about her uncle, as well as about the rest of the world, because she grew up as an unloved child, hardly saw her parents, was raised by servants, for whom it was easier to indulge her in everything and not argue. Naturally, Mary is not the most pleasant young person - selfish, indifferent, capricious, lazy. And in addition, she is also unsympathetic, stunted and weak. Do you think such “cute” characters are enough for one work? No. There is another inhabitant in the house - the boy Colin, who has been told since childhood that he has poor health and any contact with the outside world is harmful to him - well, “I’m lying sick, feeling sorry for myself."That's it with the nasty characters - the rest, on the contrary, are good and cheerful. These are the servants and villagers, and they will pull the gentlemen out of their chronic blues.
Mary comes to life first. The maid gives her a very simple thing - a jump rope, but thanks to her, the girl spends more time in the fresh air, gets stronger, tans, works up an appetite and slowly becomes prettier. One day, while walking, the girl comes across an overgrown gate that leads to a neglected garden. It was my uncle's wife's favorite garden, but after a bereavement, the owner ordered it to be locked up and all memories of it blotted out. And the girl became interested. With the help of new friends, she turns the wild territory into a charming corner. By caring for plants, observing nature, working together with good people, Mary, and after her Colin, themselves are filled with life and happiness.
I retold almost the entire story, but that’s okay, there’s still no suspense in it. The main thing here is not what happens, but how. How the garden blossoms, how the children change, how love and light descend on the small world of the estate (and at the same time on the reader’s heart). A very warm, green, soulful book, these English gardens are truly a miracle!
"The Secret Garden" by Francis Burnett for children 8-12 years old who love quiet storytelling and numerous descriptions
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