A fascinating look at Frances Hodgson Burnett and her journey to write and publish The Secret Garden. Even though I loved The Secret Garden and A Little Princess when I was young, I knew nothing about the woman behind these classic children’s books. Although The Secret Garden wasn’t her first book, it was deeply connection to her own losses and experiences:

“Burnett loved the combination of the gothic and the natural worlds, and the ability of children to understand and appreciate them in everyday life. In this new story, she was able, whether she recognized it or not, to recover from her two enormous losses. Unlike her son Lionel, Colin Craven is restored to health at the end of the novel. And unlike Maytham Hall, the gardens at Misselthwaite Manor continually bloomed.”

This makes me want to reread The Secret Garden. It’s been a while, and what better time to do it than for the book’s 100th anniversary?

(H/T The Paris Review)(image: Wikipedia)