The Secret Garden is a story that's been told many times in many forms.
The original book written by Frances Hodgson Burnett was published in 1909. It's the emotional story of a girl named Mary Lennox, who is orphaned in India when her British parents are killed in a cholera epidemic, and she is returned to a relative's home. Left alone and without any friends, her life seems miserable. Until she discovered a Secret Garden, and a way into that garden, and bringing it to life again becomes her mission, along with her cousin, Colin, who is as sickly as the untended garden. Together with the younger brother of a maid, the three children form a friendship that crosses class lines, and work to restore the garden to the beauty it used to have when it was under the care of Colin's mother, who passed away several years before.
It's a lovely children's story, and one that still resounds today almost 100 years after it was written.
Learn more about the author and her other works...
Frances Hodgson Burnett, (November 24, 1849 - October 29, 1924) was an English?American playwright and author. She is best known for her children's stories, in particular The Secret Garden, A Little Princess, and Little Lord Fauntleroy.
Learn more about the original book
The Secret Garden is a novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, first published in 1909. Its working title was Mistress Mary, in reference to the English nursery rhyme Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary. It is one of Burnett's most popular novels, and is now considered a classic of children's literature.
Get a copy of this classic story from Amazon
The Secret Garden (HarperClassics)
Amazon Price: $6.99 (as of 10/08/2008)
The story of The Secret Garden has been the source materials for other works
Check out these clips to get a feel for the story
Learn more about the musical and the full cast of both productions
The Secret Garden is a musical based on the 1909 novel of the same name by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The musical's book and lyrics are by Marsha Norman, with music by Lucy Simon. It premiered on Broadway at the St. James Theatre on 25 April 1991 and closed on 3 January 1993 after 709 performances.
The musical, set in 1906, tells of a young English girl, Mary, who is forced to move to England from colonial India when her parents die in a cholera outbreak. There she lives with her emotionally stunted Uncle Archibald and her invalid cousin. Discovering a hidden and neglected garden, and bravely overcoming dark forces, she and a young gardener bring it back to life at the same time as she brings new life to her cousin and uncle.
The Secret Garden garnered the 1991 Tony Awards for Best Book of a Musical, Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Daisy Eagan), and Best Scenic Design (Heidi Landesman). The set resembled an enormous Victorian toy theatre with pop-out figures, large paper dolls, and Joseph Cornell-like collage elements.
You can get copies of the movies at Amazon
The Secret Garden
Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 10/08/2008)
The Secret Garden
Amazon Price: (as of 10/08/2008)
The Secret Garden (1975)
Amazon Price: $6.99 (as of 10/08/2008)
A Little Princess / The Secret Garden
Amazon Price: $9.49 (as of 10/08/2008)
Back to the Secret Garden
Amazon Price: $9.99 (as of 10/08/2008)
The soundtrack of the musical should not be missed
The Secret Garden (1991 Original Broadway Cast)
Amazon Price: $10.99 (as of 10/08/2008)
Songs from a Secret Garden
Amazon Price: $13.99 (as of 10/08/2008)
You can find more copies of the various products on eBay
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eccles1
Nice lens nice story Posted May 31, 2008 |
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harishpandey
i read this book two times in a row.... Posted May 08, 2008 |
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EclecticWAHM
The Secret Garden was one of my favorite books growing up and the Broadway musical was just incredible. What a nice lens - thanks! Posted February 11, 2008 |
