Abigail Anne Lannigan's father believed that all girl children were good for
was housework and being wives and mothers. Her mother insisted she could be
anything she wanted to be, but she died when Abigail was 11. When she
turned 16, her father found a suitable husband for her from a neighboring farm.
But Abigail had other ideas; she ran away to Richmond where she first published
in 1910, this is the story of Mary Lennox, who lived in India until her parents
died when she was 10. In India, she was raised by servants, who did not much
like her, and she was allowed to do whatever she pleased whenever she pleased.
Her parents ignored her, and she was sickly and petulant. After the death of
her parents, she was sent to live with her uncle, back in England. He sees that
she has everything she needs, but he too ignores her.However, she finds the servants in England are quite different than those in India, and are not afraid to stand up to her and her petulant demands. She eventually becomes fond of her housemaid Martha, who tells her tales about Misselthwaite Manor, where she now lives, and about Martha's family, especially her brother Dickon. Mary hears that there was once a garden, which her husband's wife designed for her own pleasure. When his wife dies, the door to the garden is locked, and the key buried so that no one can ever enter again.
Mary starts spending time out in the gardens, and searching for the secret garden. She becomes healthier and less petulant. She finds the key and the secret garden, and asks Dickon to help her rebuild it. He agrees. Then one night she discovers that there is a cousin in the house also; one who refuses to let anyone see him, and who is more petulant even than Mary. He throws tantrums when he doesn't get his own way. To soothe him, Mary tells him about the garden. She and Dickon bring Colin (for that is his name) in on the secret, and the three of them spend their days working in the garden. Mary and Colin heal over that summer, surprising Colin's father when he returns.
308 pages
copyright 1910
