First published 1911
Mary Lennox arrives at her uncle's Yorkshire estate after her parents die in India. The ten-year-old girl finds herself alone in a vast, dreary house with little companionship except for a young housemaid named Martha. Mary spends her days wandering the grounds and exploring the many rooms. One morning, she discovers a key buried in the earth. The key opens a door to a walled garden that has been locked and abandoned for years. Mary begins working in the secret space, pulling weeds and planting seeds. She enlists Martha's brother Dickon to help her restore the neglected beds. Later, Mary finds her sickly cousin Colin hidden away in the house, convinced he will die young. She brings Colin to the garden, where the fresh air and physical work begin to strengthen his weak body. As Mary tends the plants and watches them grow, she learns to care for something outside herself for the first time.
Genres: fiction, classics, historical-fiction, 20th-century, 19th-century
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate, thought-provoking, whimsical
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Yorkshire, India
Period: 19th-Century
276 pages · Paperback · Penguin Books