Nonfiction

Unearthing The Secret Garden: The Plants and Places That Inspired Frances Hodgson Burnett

Unearthing The Secret Garden: The Plants and Places That Inspired Frances Hodgson Burnett

  • Downloads：4063
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-10-31 05:21:20
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Marta McDowell
  • ISBN：1604699906
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Reviews

Dee ，

Really enjoyed this book。 We even featured it on our Gardenangelists podcast。 McDowell dives into the garden that inspired the book， The Secret Garden， and the life of its author。 She uncovered some of Burnett's work that inspired all of her garden writing。 It's a very special work。 Really enjoyed this book。 We even featured it on our Gardenangelists podcast。 McDowell dives into the garden that inspired the book， The Secret Garden， and the life of its author。 She uncovered some of Burnett's work that inspired all of her garden writing。 It's a very special work。 。。。more

Susan ，

Oh my goodness， what a beautiful book。 The author explores the homes and gardens of Frances Hodgson Burnett， author of The Secret Garden。 She always loved gardens， and as she acquired the wealth to improve them， she did。 This book is lavishly and beautifully illustrated with photographs and drawings。 The text is easy to read， and provides a biographical overview for Burnett。 It also includes excerpts from some of her writings， as well as a catalogue of her favorite plants and flowers。 I cannot r Oh my goodness， what a beautiful book。 The author explores the homes and gardens of Frances Hodgson Burnett， author of The Secret Garden。 She always loved gardens， and as she acquired the wealth to improve them， she did。 This book is lavishly and beautifully illustrated with photographs and drawings。 The text is easy to read， and provides a biographical overview for Burnett。 It also includes excerpts from some of her writings， as well as a catalogue of her favorite plants and flowers。 I cannot recommend this book enough。 It will inspire you to create a haven in your own garden， if you haven't already。 #UnearthingTheSecretGarden #NetGalley 。。。more

Vicki Lane ，

I've long been a fan of Marta MacDowell's elegant and knowledgeable garden-related prose。 For me， as a gardener， a writer， and a reader， my cup overflows when she turns her discerning eye to writers and their gardens。 Beatrix Potter， Emily Dickenson， Laura Ingalls Wilder have all received their due from this fine writer。 But， oh！ when she takes on Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden， it is a match made in gardening heaven。I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in saying that The Secret Garden is I've long been a fan of Marta MacDowell's elegant and knowledgeable garden-related prose。 For me， as a gardener， a writer， and a reader， my cup overflows when she turns her discerning eye to writers and their gardens。 Beatrix Potter， Emily Dickenson， Laura Ingalls Wilder have all received their due from this fine writer。 But， oh！ when she takes on Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden， it is a match made in gardening heaven。I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in saying that The Secret Garden is one of the formative and best beloved books of my childhood。 MacDowell's account of Burnett's life and writing and gardens is a sumptuous feast of delights。 Much like Louisa May Alcott， Burnett turned to writing ‘pot-boilers’ to support herself and her family。 With the publication of Little Lord Fauntleroy， she became a very wealthy woman--and was enabled to support her gardening passion in a manner most of us can only dream of。 Gardeners！ Cartloads of rose bushes！ Delphiniums by the bushel！During the course of her life， Burnett made gardens at three homes--one in England， one on Long Island， and one in Bermuda。 MacDowell details the making of these wonderlands in such vivid description that the photographs and illustrations of which the book is full， are hardly necessary， delightful though they are。And learning about Burnett herself was fascinating。 I've had an almost lifelong acquaintance with Mary Lenox （The Secret Garden） and Sara Crewe （A Little Princess） and I loved seeing how they echoed bits of their creator's life。Highly recommended， especially for gardeners and fans of The Secret Garden。 。。。more

Annarella ，

I always loved the Secret Garden but I didn't know about Frances Burnett's life。This was a fascinating discovery of Burnett's life， gardens and what is behind The Secret Garden。Great illustration， well researched and enthralling。 I travel in time and space and learned something new。Highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine I always loved the Secret Garden but I didn't know about Frances Burnett's life。This was a fascinating discovery of Burnett's life， gardens and what is behind The Secret Garden。Great illustration， well researched and enthralling。 I travel in time and space and learned something new。Highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine 。。。more

Psusan ，

Unearthing The Secret Garden is also subtitled The Plants and Places That Inspired Frances Hodgson Burnett。 Marta McDowell’s book is actually about the second part of the title， the places that Frances Hodgson Burnett lived and the gardens that she loved when she was at those places。 While some of The Secret Garden is incorporated into the book it is mostly about the author of that book。I did not discover The Secret Garden until I was an adult。 It is a story I learned to love especially the posi Unearthing The Secret Garden is also subtitled The Plants and Places That Inspired Frances Hodgson Burnett。 Marta McDowell’s book is actually about the second part of the title， the places that Frances Hodgson Burnett lived and the gardens that she loved when she was at those places。 While some of The Secret Garden is incorporated into the book it is mostly about the author of that book。I did not discover The Secret Garden until I was an adult。 It is a story I learned to love especially the positive changes and growth in the young characters。 However， I never realized how much that Frances Hodgson Burnett's gardens play in her enjoyment of life。 Along with the narrative there are garden photographs that include Frances Hodgson Burnett， more recent drawings， and plant photos。Unearthing The Secret Garden is an interesting easy to read book。 I would recommend this book to anyone who has enjoyed The Secret Garden but also to those who enjoys visiting gardens。 The publisher through Net Galley provided a digital ARC。 I have voluntarily decided to read and review， giving my personal opinions and thoughts。 。。。more

Brenda ，

Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden remains one of my most beloved books of all time， both in childhood and now as an adult。 It contributed to my curiosity and imagination as a child。。。I secretly named sloughs， houses and park walkways pretty names， as she did。 And still do！ Gardening was essential for Hodgson Burnett's mental and physical health and taught her more about nature and life than any education could。 This delightful book describes snippets of her childhood and in greater det Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden remains one of my most beloved books of all time， both in childhood and now as an adult。 It contributed to my curiosity and imagination as a child。。。I secretly named sloughs， houses and park walkways pretty names， as she did。 And still do！ Gardening was essential for Hodgson Burnett's mental and physical health and taught her more about nature and life than any education could。 This delightful book describes snippets of her childhood and in greater detail her gardening/horticulture/writing life。 Her flowery and insightful writing was remarkable a century ago， remains lovely to this day and surely will in the future。 So easy to lose oneself in。Marta McDowell writes about Hodgson-Burnett''s marriages and children， one of whom sadly died as a youth。 Her personal fears， sorrows and joys are described as she moves from home to home and plans her gardens。 Leaving her beloved Maytham must have been utterly crushing。 As a master gardener myself， the glorious descriptions and photographs about America lindens， chestnuts， roses， delphiniums and zinnias fill me with happiness。 Oh， to have gardens as she did！ And the roses。。。I could almost smell them when reading。 McDowell really made Hodgson-Burnett's life come to life in an all-sensory way。 But it's more than that。。。it's the cover， The Secret Garden illustrations， botanical art， dinner guests' sketches and quotes which all come together to create a very aesthetically and emotionally enchanting read。 Not only was she besotted with roses but also cheery robins and garden critters。 The photos of her in her gardens with her fancy hats and dresses definitely tell of a different time， but such a fascinating time！ As if this beauty weren't enough， McDowell also includes short works by Hodgson-Burnett。 I love the stories about her generous rose cuttings and practical tips but most of all， the insight into her story。 The most breathtaking photograph is that of the cascading roses over the blue door。 This is precisely how I imagined The Secret Garden to look。"Garden where you are。 Garden with what you have。 Simply garden。" Brilliant。 And so very true。 All fans of Frances Hodgson-Burnett ought to read this book。 And if you haven't yet read The Secret Garden， you are never too old。 My sincere thank you to Timber Press and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this astounding book about one of the most deliciously descriptive authors ever！ 。。。more

Tracy J Hora ，

Having grown up loving The Secret Garden and often calling gorgeous places by the same name-- this book tugged at my heartstrings。 A wonderful mix of history， biography and gardening paired with gorgeous illustrations and real photos， this book belongs on any Secret Garden fans' shelf！ I will be looking up other Marta McDowell books。 Just lovely！ （*reviewed for NetGalley） Having grown up loving The Secret Garden and often calling gorgeous places by the same name-- this book tugged at my heartstrings。 A wonderful mix of history， biography and gardening paired with gorgeous illustrations and real photos， this book belongs on any Secret Garden fans' shelf！ I will be looking up other Marta McDowell books。 Just lovely！ （*reviewed for NetGalley） 。。。more

Annie ，

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader。 Unearthing The Secret Garden is a gently written hybrid biography and period historical garden inspiration written and curated by Marta McDowell。 Due out 12th Oct 2021， from Workman Publishing on their Timber Press imprint， it's 320 pages and will be available in hardcover， audio， and ebook formats。 I read The Secret Garden in my childhood and like so many others， it helped to inculcate in me a love of planting seeds， caring for my small garde Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader。 Unearthing The Secret Garden is a gently written hybrid biography and period historical garden inspiration written and curated by Marta McDowell。 Due out 12th Oct 2021， from Workman Publishing on their Timber Press imprint， it's 320 pages and will be available in hardcover， audio， and ebook formats。 I read The Secret Garden in my childhood and like so many others， it helped to inculcate in me a love of planting seeds， caring for my small garden patch （in my grandparent's garden） and later plants wherever I found myself。 This book is a nice homage to both Burnett's life and her own （real life） gardens as well as the other horticultural writing she produced， and some garden inspiration for translation into readers' own green spaces。The biography follows Burnett's childhood， life in England， subsequent emigration to America， and adulthood - in the words of author McDowell a riches to rags to riches story。 The book is beautifully illustrated throughout with photographs and facsimile reproductions of illustrations from early editions of The Secret Garden。 The photos and facsimiles are captioned and provide insight into Burnett's life， family， and social circles。 There are also numerous excerpts from personal correspondence and news and other print media appearances， being one of the most highly paid authors of her time。 Five stars。 I found the book engaging， well written， beautifully illustrated and full of both biographical narrative and gardening inspiration。Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes。 。。。more

Kate ，

This beautiful book had me engaged from beginning to end！ I have always been a big fan of The Secret Garden， however， I did not know a lot about its author， Frances Hogsdon Burnett。 This book was the perfect remedy to that。 It is beautifully illustrated， with abundant photographs from Burnett's life， and masterfully written。 I loved learning about how her life experiences impacted her writing and found it intriguing that she developed her love for gardening when quite a bit older。 The book inclu This beautiful book had me engaged from beginning to end！ I have always been a big fan of The Secret Garden， however， I did not know a lot about its author， Frances Hogsdon Burnett。 This book was the perfect remedy to that。 It is beautifully illustrated， with abundant photographs from Burnett's life， and masterfully written。 I loved learning about how her life experiences impacted her writing and found it intriguing that she developed her love for gardening when quite a bit older。 The book includes pictures of Burnett and her gardens， as well as flowers from The Secret Garden and its inspiration。 This book will be loved by bibliophiles who love this classic and gardeners alike！ 。。。more

Elizabeth Chandler ，

This was much more than I expected it to be。 The layout of the book is beautiful and the photographs of the flowers are gorgeous。 Even if not a true fan of The Secret Garden， gardeners will appreciate this book for its attention to detail。 This book centers her life and literary works around her flowers and gardening。 The not from a descended family member was especially relevant and a surprise。 I think researchers， students， and gardeners will enjoy this to reference。Thank you NetGalley for an This was much more than I expected it to be。 The layout of the book is beautiful and the photographs of the flowers are gorgeous。 Even if not a true fan of The Secret Garden， gardeners will appreciate this book for its attention to detail。 This book centers her life and literary works around her flowers and gardening。 The not from a descended family member was especially relevant and a surprise。 I think researchers， students， and gardeners will enjoy this to reference。Thank you NetGalley for an a galley of this title！ 。。。more

Melissa Graham ，

Unearthing The Secret Garden: The Plants and Places That Inspired Frances Hodgson Burnett by Marta McDowell is a wonderful treasure trove of everything about， and behind the book， The Secret Garden。 Unearthing The Secret Garden， details Burnett’s life and background。 It is full of beautiful illustrations from different versions of The Secret Garden， as well as images from Frances’s life。 There are lists of the flowers she grew in her gardens and detailed illustrations of different sections of he Unearthing The Secret Garden: The Plants and Places That Inspired Frances Hodgson Burnett by Marta McDowell is a wonderful treasure trove of everything about， and behind the book， The Secret Garden。 Unearthing The Secret Garden， details Burnett’s life and background。 It is full of beautiful illustrations from different versions of The Secret Garden， as well as images from Frances’s life。 There are lists of the flowers she grew in her gardens and detailed illustrations of different sections of her garden。 If you have read The Secret Garden and want to know more about the author’s life and her ideas for the book I would definitely recommend this book。 。。。more

Holly Senecal ，

Magic。 That。 for me， is the best way to describe this book。 As a lover of flower gardening and The Secret Garden this book was a dream come true。 After finishing reading， I wanted to write a Thank You note to Marta McDowell for creating it！ It was very easy to form the pictures in my mind like actually being on a walking tour of these gardens/settings。 A copy of this will be on my list to buy for people at Christmas。~ Truly wonderfully done。

Charlotte Fay ，

What an absolute gem of a book！ I have grown up with the story of The Secret Garden and never until。 now known much of its author。 But what a fascinating life she had。 This book is an inspiring story of Frances’s life and also includes some of her shorter works。 A truly lovely book that should be read by any fan of The Secret Garden。

Books By Your Bedside ，

At risk of alienating myself from book lovers everywhere， I have only read The Secret Garden once and that was last year， and honestly， I didn’t think much of it。 I absolutely adored the Maggie Smith film version from my childhood， but I didn’t find the book that special。 But that doesn’t mean I’m not interested in the book’s history and how Frances Hodgson Burnett depicted such an absorbing garden。In Martha’s book， she has provided some of the original illustrations from The Secret Garden which At risk of alienating myself from book lovers everywhere， I have only read The Secret Garden once and that was last year， and honestly， I didn’t think much of it。 I absolutely adored the Maggie Smith film version from my childhood， but I didn’t find the book that special。 But that doesn’t mean I’m not interested in the book’s history and how Frances Hodgson Burnett depicted such an absorbing garden。In Martha’s book， she has provided some of the original illustrations from The Secret Garden which are just simply delightful and make me feel like a child again。 Frances came to gardening relatively late and I think that’s why her descriptions of the garden and the imagery portrays a very warm， innocent， almost childlike view。I know you run the risk of spoilers （can you really spoil a book that came out in 1911？） but I wonder if it would be more beneficial to read this book before reading The Secret Garden？ I personally feel I have a more thorough understanding of Frances and her love of flowers that I might give the original text another go as I think I’ll get more out of it。The way Marta describes France’s hometown of Rolvenden makes it sound like the most magical place and I even went property searching there as it sounded wonderful - we’ll ignore the fact that the house I fell in love with was over half a million pounds。I love that Marta included some of Frances’ other， less known writings so we can see the woman behind The Secret Garden。 She seemed like such a warm and loving woman。One of the latter sections which documents every plant either mentioned or planted by Frances is absolutely amazing and a godsend for bibliophiles and gardeners。 The time and effort that must have taken is commendable。 You can really see Marta’s passion for the topic。Also in her acknowledgments， she mentions that her mother’s grandfather was Vivien， Frances’ son， which makes Frances Marta’s great， great grandmother， so it’s not wonder she’s this passionate。 。。。more

Phillip Oliver ，

I'm a big fan of the book "The Secret Garden" so I was interested in reading about the life of the author Frances Hodgson Burnett。 She was born in Manchester， England in 1849。 Her and her mother moved to Knoxville， Tennessee after the death of her father。 Burnett began writing stories at the age of 19 and she published a dozen novels before her greatest successes - "Little Lord Fauntleroy" （1886） and "The Secret Garden" in 1911。 During her time， she was one of the highest paid writers in the cou I'm a big fan of the book "The Secret Garden" so I was interested in reading about the life of the author Frances Hodgson Burnett。 She was born in Manchester， England in 1849。 Her and her mother moved to Knoxville， Tennessee after the death of her father。 Burnett began writing stories at the age of 19 and she published a dozen novels before her greatest successes - "Little Lord Fauntleroy" （1886） and "The Secret Garden" in 1911。 During her time， she was one of the highest paid writers in the country。 Burnett herself was a colorful figure， a world traveler， entertainer and friends with Henry James and Louisa May Alcott。 She was almost 50 before she created her own garden at a country estate she purchased in Kent， England。 Her experiences in that garden greatly influenced "The Secret Garden"。 In addition to the biographical details， the book also reprints several articles Burnett wrote including an account of the robin who plays a big part in "The Secret Garden"。 A list of the plants she grew in her gardens （she later lived in New York and Bermuda） is also included。 The book is nicely illustrated with portraits of Burnett， her gardens and illustrations from editions of "The Secret Garden"。 。。。more

Samantha Martin ，

This is a lovely history book， in the guise of a gardener’s guide。 The author/researcher charts the gardens that inspired Burnett’s writing， particularly “The Secret Garden。” So much of Burnett’s personal life went into the creation of her enchanting stories—I learned a lot about her and I’m grateful for that。 I loved reading The Secret Garden when I was a little girl and the movie left a lasting mark。 Did I pick up this book expecting it to be a how-to guide for creating my very own Secret Gard This is a lovely history book， in the guise of a gardener’s guide。 The author/researcher charts the gardens that inspired Burnett’s writing， particularly “The Secret Garden。” So much of Burnett’s personal life went into the creation of her enchanting stories—I learned a lot about her and I’m grateful for that。 I loved reading The Secret Garden when I was a little girl and the movie left a lasting mark。 Did I pick up this book expecting it to be a how-to guide for creating my very own Secret Garden？ Yes。 But was it a fine read？ Very much。 。。。more

Becca ，

This book is really lovely。 It straddles two worlds-- biography of Hodgson Burnett and exploration of her garden experiences-- which means neither is fully delved-into， but as long as you know that going in， this is a wonderful， easy to read book for lovers of Secret Gardens of all types。