Uptown Oracle Reads… The Secret Garden: A Graphic Novel

The Secret Garden: A Graphic Novel by Mariah Marsden and Hanna Luechtefeld

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Green-growing secrets and magic await you at Misselthwaite Manor, now reimagined in this graphic novel adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s tale.

Ten-year-old Mary Lennox arrives at a secluded estate on the Yorkshire moors with a scowl and a chip on her shoulder. First, there’s Martha Sowerby: the too-cheery maid with bothersome questions who seems out of place in the dreary manor. Then there’s the elusive Uncle Craven, Mary’s only remaining family—whom she’s not permitted to see. And finally, there are the mysteries that seem to haunt the run-down place: rumors of a lost garden with a tragic past, and a midnight wail that echoes across the moors at night. 

As Mary begins to explore this new world alongside her ragtag companions—a cocky robin redbreast, a sour-faced gardener, and a boy who can talk to animals—she learns that even the loneliest of hearts can grow roots in rocky soil.

The Secret Garden was one of my favourite classic books when growing up. I often pulled off the special edition my aunt owned to read through when I visited, and eventually got my own copy too. I find it’s one of the easier classics to read as it’s quite small so I’m happy it’s been adapted into a graphic novel as it allows children of all ages to enjoy it. 

First thing to note about the graphic novel is that it has the perfect gloomy artwork and introduction to Misselthwaite Manor. The artwork gets brighter and brighter as the book goes on and Mary makes friends.

I personally didn’t enjoy the artstyle as a whole, but I loved that it encompassed multiple types of frames, often with imagery crossing multiple panels to show off importance. The art style was also consistent no matter what the subject was and the characters were well drawn to be distinct. The artstyle also allowed for expressive faces easily, which covered a wide range of emotions in this story. 

The story is fast paced, and much faster than the original tale. It covers a lot of the main story but with this form it does lose some nuance and context as we don’t know what the character is thinking most of the time. I would describe it as similar to the children’s versions of Shakespeare, it gets the main story points but has lost a lot of the artwork in the writing itself. 

Another thing that I think we can’t really ignore when talking about The Secret Garden is that it relies a lot on themes of racism and colonialism as a backdrop to Mary’s character and upbringing. This has been left out of the graphic novel completely and on purpose by the author. I both understand it would be more complicated to cover in this medium and also I feel like ignoring the history is a mistake.

But overall I found The Secret Garden: A Graphic Novel to be a lovely little read for a rainy Sunday afternoon. 

Positives of The Secret Garden: A Graphic Novel

• Beautiful artstyle which changes in tone with the story and main character
• Fast paced read

Negatives of The Secret Garden: A Graphic Novel

• Lacks some of the nuance and context of the original book

I received The Secret Garden: A Graphic Novel by Mariah Marsden and Hanna Luechtefeld from the publisher. This is an unbiased and honest review

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