The Secret Garden is one of those classic books that I know I "should have" read at some point in my long reading life, but somehow never did. When I had the opportunity to listen to this audiobook version I decided to jump at the chance, in part because it was narrated by the wonderful actress Glenda Jackson. The story didn't disappoint me, nor did the narration. It's a charming story, one that I was familiar with from movies and just because the book is a well-known classic. This particular abridged edition was recorded on vinyl years ago, and might have been directed towards younger readers/listeners, because not only is it abridged, it also includes music and sound effects (particularly bird song). As expected, Jackson's narration is excellent. Note though that this IS an abridged version, so might not be a good choice for some listeners. I may well pull out an unabridged version to see if I can find what was cut.
My thanks to Netgalley and Harper Audio for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

This brought back some childhood memories. Was such a quick beautifully narrated book to read. Highly recommend. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

What a magical book and what a magical narration. I’ve loved this book but never listened to it. Although I’m not a fan of music in audiobooks because I think it distracts from the storytelling. Still this audio was fabulous. The narration was magical. I can’t wait to share this with my daughter. She loves audios too.

My absolute all time favorite children's book in audio format! I'm in absolute heaven! It was so much fun to hear it brought to life in with a narrator giving a bit of personality to each of the characters that elevates them and helps them become more real! If you haven't bought this book for the children in your life, you absolutely should then you should download the audio and let them experience it that way as well. It is a delightful treat that no one, adult or child should miss out on! It's been more than 40 years since I first read this book and I love it today as much as I did then.

I love The Secret Garden, I always have. I've never read it (or watched it for that matter) without just dreaming of finding my own secret garden and watching things grow and come alive. If I remember correctly, my grandmother bought me my first copy and there has never been a time that reading this has not reminded me of her in the best way.

The magic is exactly like I remembered it. The version of the audiobook I received was unfortunately abridged, and that's almost the only flaw. It was almost like a radioplay. There was ambient music, additional background music, the sound of nature.

Glenda Jackson, the narrator was wonderful. Her voice has an aged quality that felt incredibly authentic, her accents were top-shelf.

I can't wait to re-read the unabridged version again.

I received a copy of this audiobook for free from NetGalley and Harper Audio in exchange for an honest, voluntary review.

A timeless classic for young and old alike. I loved this reader she reminded me of Julie Andrews and she did an excellent job on all the voices. Thank you so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for this audio book. I highly recommend it!

Such a cute audiobook. Loved the music added in at parts. I haven't heard this story in years so it was nice to hear it again.

I loved this book as a child so I was thrilled to see this audiobook. As for the story, it's a beloved classic for a reason, it's a beautiful story of growth and hope after despair. I enjoyed the narration, the narrator's voice felt traditional and for this book that was a good fit.

I received an audioARC in exchange for an honest review.

A gorgeous interpretation of a classic! Burnett's narration, paired with magical and musical sound effects, brings this childhood tale to life in an interesting and engaging way. Definitely one to listen to for the whole family!

This was a very sweet story with a message about how nurturing something makes it stronger.
The audiobook is quite lovely. It has some beautiful sound effects that add a whimsical essence to the story. I enjoy the narrators voice and think she does quite a nice job with the performance.
The story itself wasn't necessarily for me but I think if you like this classic that you will really enjoy this version of it.
Perfect for all ages.
I'm glad I listened to it.

Thankyou NetGalley and William Collins for this audiobook.

The Secret Garden is a classic true to its word and loved by children and adults alike across generations and rightly so. Its an enchanting ride and to relive this through an audiobook especially one with lovely musical background and sound effects was just all the more captivating. I was thoroughly sucked into this whimsical world through the audio. Not to mention Glenda Jackson's wonderful narration was the cherry on top of all of it. The secret garden description will make you yearn for a garden of your own whenever you read this book. There's nothing new that is there for me to add to review this book that has not been already said and praised but my takeaway from this book has always been that "Our only limitations are those we set up in our own minds". There's nothing that we cant achieve when we put out heart and mind to someone. No crippling fear can dare near us when we break free from the shackles of our doubts and apprehensions. I just love how this thought is beautifully conveyed in a way that will root deep in young children's minds. Its a beautiful story and i just loved reminiscing it all over again.

The Secret Garden is a classic book. A great children's book that can still be read and enjoyed by adults. This review is for the audio book narrated by actress Glenda Jackson which was originally released 1975 on Decca Records. This is an abridged version of the book that has the occasional musical accompaniment and odd sound effect.

This was given to me for free as an advanced listening copy by Net Galley and the publisher Harper Audio in exchange for an honest review.

I do plan on giving this five stars, but that doesn't mean I didn't have any issues with it. I think this audio book is perfect for someone older who had the record as a child OR for someone who is looking for something to play for children of their own. This could be good for an adult as well, but the fact that it's abridged may turn some avid readers away.

The story is great. We know that. This is a story about growth. The characters of Mary Lennox, Colin Craven, and Archibald Craven each go through a change in the book. The Garden itself grows and it seems that even Misselthwaite grows as well. This is a charming tale that doesn't have any problematic elements to hinder it's enjoyment over time.

I mentioned that I did have issues with the audio book. Those issues weren't big enough to lower my overall score. I found some of the background sound effects to be annoying. When the children sang it was just cringy and when the bird was chirping it was recorded too loud and was a bit uncomfortable. But other than that, the sound effects added a bit of flair to an old recording.

Glenda Jackson does a good job narrating and you can even tell the difference between characters by the voice she does. That can be an issue even with modern audio books, but Jackson gave each character a unique sound.

This is a good audio book that's perfectly suited for a child or for an adult who wants a bit of nostalgia.

The Secret Garden is an enjoyable book. I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed Glenda Jackson’s narration.
Mary is lonely and then finds a secret garden. The Secret Garden is an interesting story. It is a classic story, but I didn’t know anything about it before reading this version.
Thank you NetGalley and William Collins/Harper Audio for The Secret Garden.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett has been a favourite story of mine for a long time. It has been a staple in children’s literature even longer.

The narration by Glenda Jackson was fantastic. I listened to her narration in one straight sitting. Jackson’s voices were pretty distinct, at least the super important characters. I often felt the emotions of the characters as well. I enjoyed the music and sound effects that accompanied the narration. I felt it added to the drama, charm, and magic.

Book 5 Stars
Narration 4.5 Stars

I received an advanced audiobook copy from Harper Audio and William Collins through NetGalley. All opinions are 100% my own.

This is a Children's classic book. I love the story. This review is hard to write because I love the story, the characters in this book, and the plot of this book, but I did not love the audiobook. The narrator of the audiobook was good, but my big problem with this audiobook is all the sound effects and music in the audiobook. There is times in the audiobook you cannot hear the narrator because of the music or sound effects. I think the audiobook could be so much better without the music all together and less sound effects (or the sound effects be lower). I was kindly provided an e-audiobook of this book by the publisher (Harper Audio) or author (Frances Hodgson Burnett) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review about how I feel about this book, and I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

Such a beautiful audiobook production. The Secret Garden has been my favorite story since I was about five years old. It always makes me cry and I will never ever get tired of it. Glenda Jackson gives new life and breath to this stunning story, and the music and sound effects made it a very theatrical listening experience and even more beautiful than just listening to the story itself. A welcome and very comforting. reread

When this book, originally published in book form in 1911, came up for an audiobook review on NetGalley I jumped at it. This has been a story that I have always wanted to read, but just like a lot of classics, finding time to get to certain books is not always easy. This remarkable story celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2011, and it truly has stood the test of time. Flawlessly narrated by Oscar winner Glenda Jackson, with music, along with animal and wind sounds, I was transported into the beautiful garden.

Not only did I thoroughly enjoy this story in audio format, but I had a chance to learn about the book itself and how it transformed from a serial in a magazine then to book format. I find that to be very impressive as well as fortuitous because of the millions of people that have had the opportunity to read it over the years. Although this is the very first time I have read this, I am sure that this story has entered many a home in one format or another. Having the privilege to listen to it was truly a blessing.

The Secret Garden tells the story of Mary who lost both of her parents while in India and has returned to England. She was not a happy child by any means, and when she arrives at her uncle's home, her happiness only grows worse. What is more is that she is not a nice little girl. Selfish, angry and stubborn are just a few words to describe Mary. Things begin to change for her when she discovers a walled garden - and at this point in the audiobook there is pleasant music and birds singing - so I felt as if I were entering the garden with Mary. Simply put, magic happens. It takes place over time, but Mary begins to change.

I completely adored this story. Although it is around 300 pages, the audiobook flew by. I will definitely give this book another listen as the story was truly captivating. This audiobook would be a great bedtime story for children - maybe in three or so sessions.

I have never seen any iteration of this book before now, but as the blurb states, it has been adapted in several formats, as well as translated into several languages. As I have always wanted to make time to read more classics, it is wonderful that I got the opportunity to listen to this book due to NetGalley's relatively new audiobook review program.

Many thanks to Harper Audio and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

The Secret Garden is one of my favourite classic novels.

I know this story well. The story about young Mary who seems somewhat neglected by her parents ends up having to move to her Uncle's in England is a spoiled, rude girl when she first arrives. But then she finds a locked garden that has been neglected for many years.

The garden opens up Mary's heart, and as the garden transforms so does Mary and the people around her.

I was excited when NetGalley had this classic in audio as I thought it would be nostalgic to listen to, almost as if someone would read a book, I loved as a child, to the child still inside me. The audio is read by Glenda Jackson and she did a great job narrating. I will say that the English accent was a plus for me.

What bugged me a little bit, was the sound effects and music that sometimes played in the background. I'm sure that the intention was to add to the magical and enchanting story, but for me it was very distracting. For me, it took away from the story and didn't allow me to use my own imagination to create the story in my mind.

Of course, the story gets full stars for me and the narrator is good, because the audio let me down just a bit, I will be giving it 4 stars.

5 star book. 4.5 star audiobook.

The Secret Garden is one of my favorite classics! I read it as a kid and I still love it to this day. I was excited to try it out in audiobook format, as I’ve only ever read it. Though it’s not my favorite narration, I still really enjoy it & listening to it took me back to my childhood. Ultimately, it’s a great way to enjoy this timeless classic - regardless of it’s your first or third time experiencing it.

Thank you to NetGalley & Harper Audio for providing me with this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett follows Mary Lennox, a young English girl who returns to England from India, having suffered the immense trauma by losing both her parents in a cholera epidemic. However, her memories of her parents are not pleasant, as they were a selfish, neglectful and pleasure-seeking couple. Mary is given to the care of her uncle Archibald Craven, whom she has never met. She travels to his home, Misselthwaite Manor located in the gloomy Yorkshire, a vast change from the sunny and warm climate she was used to. When she arrives, she is a rude, stubborn and given to stormy temper tantrums. However, her nature undergoes a gradual transformation when she learns of the tragedies that have befallen her strict and disciplinarian uncle whom she earlier feared and despised. Once when he's away from home, Mary discovers a charming walled garden which is always kept locked. The mystery deepens when she hears sounds of sobbing from somewhere within her uncle's vast mansion. The kindly servants ignore her queries or pretend they haven't heard, spiking Mary's curiosity.

The Secret Garden is a classic for a good reason. Not only a fun read for children, but a meaningful one for adults. Every time I read this books, I discover new factoids about life and myself. The audiobook narrated by Glenda Jackson is a great way to engage in this timeless classic. I highly recommend this audiobook!

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.