Books/Movies Archives

I wanted to tell you what inspired me to create my first jewelry collection under the name “The Secret Garden.”

Have you heard of it before? It is actually the name of a story, which was written primarily for children, by the English-born author Frances Hodgson Burnett (1849 – 1924). It was first published in sections in a magazine, and then it was published in a book format in 1911. Nowadays, it is considered a classic in children’s literature.

The Secret Garden, as its name tells you, entails a secret garden that has been neglected for years, and one day a girl called Mary enters it after finding the lost key to the gate. In summary, this changes everything! This story is a reminder that it is possible to restore the beauty and the happiness of things if we start taking care of them again. There is more to the storyline, and I really would like you to read or watch the movie because I think you will love it!

Interestingly, you can find the US cover and pages of the book from 1911, and download a PDF copy, at the Library of Congress website. Pretty cool!

For books from The Rare Book and Special Collections Division: Library of Congress, Rare Book and Special Collections Division

Now if you want to enjoy the whole story in a different way, then you can also get the e-book in several formats (including Kindle) for free here, or if you don’t want to deal with that then you can also buy the kindle option on Amazon.

Illustrated Book Secret Garden — A Secret Garden Book that is Illustrated by Adelin Lirius

If you are like me and want a visual story, then you need to get this book (which is actually for very little kids, but that is great for browsing and relaxing thanks to its amazing illustrations). You could use it to read to your kids or grandkids and spark an early interest in this beautiful story.

A secret keyhole pendant and a silver key pendant inspired by the “Secret Garden” story

Fine Silver Secret Garden Key Pendant Nadin — A secret keyhole pendant and a silver key pendant inspired by the “Secret Garden” story

So let’s learn a little bit about the author, Frances H. Burnett, before we move to the movies. Did she enjoy gardens for real? Yes, and she strongly believed that gardens had healing properties. She was a very talented lady because she wrote 53 novels. She is considered the “highest-paid woman writer” of her time in America. She also wrote, Little Lord Fauntleroy, which is a novel that made her very famous in her time. Nevertheless, “The Secret Garden” is the book she is very well known for nowadays. Besides living in NY, she also lived and owned a 17-room house in Washington DC, (a cool fact for those of us who live near DC), but she died at her home in NY.

Now, moving along with the movies, if you don’t have the time or the energy to read the book, or if you want to read the book and then watch the movie, I am going to tell you about it. The whole point is that you need to sense it in some kind of way.

I suggest watching the 1993 version of the movie, which is the one I watched and I really liked. I found a small clip of it since I couldn’t find the trailer.

The one below is the most recent remake of the movie, which was released in 2020, which is nice but has less emotion than the earlier version. This is more fantasy-oriented, and graphics-oriented, but I feel it is quicker and shorter in telling the story.

So after reading or watching the movie I challenge you to keep an eye like me for secrets doors, secret keys, beautiful gardens, and mysterious birds! Let me quickly tell you that I had a cute encounter with a bird that started hopping from tree to tree following me. It crossed the street and went to a tree while I kept walking, then it flew to the next closest tree to see me, and this all happened while it was singing beautifully next to me. We were curious about each other, but we both were cautious and a little surprised since we knew about the presence of each other.

Likewise, last week, walking around my neighborhood, I found a door that had a cool magical feel. You know what I mean, it had the perfect light hitting it, the perfect vines, and there was a stillness to it all.