Scan barcode
gmamartha's review against another edition
2.0
Interesting insight of "emotional abuse" set in 1900's.
coleycole's review against another edition
1.0
Worst. Narrative. Voice. Ever. Supposed to be from the POV of a spunky young girl whose family has come to live in a mental asylum in the late 1800s/early 1900s -- solid premis, right? But the voice is so horribly dull and explanatory that it sucked the life out of the whole thing. Did not finish, shame on me.
mallorykjorgensen's review against another edition
4.0
From the first page I was hooked. This book is a charming account of the heartaches attached to a death in a family. I was disappointed in the ending however. It seemed quite abrupt. Is there a sequel that I don't know about?
morepagesplease's review against another edition
3.0
he Locked Garden is set in the year 1900, and is primarily the story of two sisters: Verna, age 12, and Carlie, age 6. After the recent death of their mother, the girls move with their father, who is a physician, to a new home located on the grounds of an insane asylum where he will be given the opportunity to test his theories of treating mental illness with medication. Joining the family in their journey is Aunt Maude, their maternal aunt, who seems determined to constantly remind the children and their father of the recent loss they have suffered in an effort to keep the memory of her sister alive. Shortly after starting life in their new home, their father hires a young patient, Eleanor, to assist in the care of Verna and Carlie. Eleanor's arrival changes everything, and soon Verna and Carlie find themselves at odds with both their father and their aunt as they try to ensure that Eleanor will remain one of the family.
This was an enjoyable read, which at times reminded me of Sarah, Plain and Tall. I found the understanding and treatment of mental illness at the time of the novel to be especially interesting. The book certainly didn't feel like a history lesson, but I felt that I learned a lot during the course of my reading. This book would be a perfect introduction to helping children have an understanding of the concepts of mental illness and depression. I can picture myself someday reading it to my own children when they are older so that we can have a discussion about what mental illness is, and how such illnesses are treated today versus in the past. The book also deals with death and grieving, although this is certainly a minor focus of the book. I am mentioning it because I really appreciated Whelan's handling of this topic.
The story itself is very fast paced. I found this to be a quick read. I was able to finish it in an afternoon. The target age group is 8-12, or grades 3-7, and I feel that this book was perfectly suited to this audience. The only reason I can't give this book a higher rating is because of the abrupt ending. I really felt that the story came to a screeching halt just as I was bracing for the climax. Perhaps this is because Whelan is planning to write a sequel, but I just found myself shocked that this book was actually over.
I would like to thank Harper Collins for generously providing me a review copy. Whelan is a great writer, and this isn't the first novel of hers that I have read. It certainly won't be my last.
This was an enjoyable read, which at times reminded me of Sarah, Plain and Tall. I found the understanding and treatment of mental illness at the time of the novel to be especially interesting. The book certainly didn't feel like a history lesson, but I felt that I learned a lot during the course of my reading. This book would be a perfect introduction to helping children have an understanding of the concepts of mental illness and depression. I can picture myself someday reading it to my own children when they are older so that we can have a discussion about what mental illness is, and how such illnesses are treated today versus in the past. The book also deals with death and grieving, although this is certainly a minor focus of the book. I am mentioning it because I really appreciated Whelan's handling of this topic.
The story itself is very fast paced. I found this to be a quick read. I was able to finish it in an afternoon. The target age group is 8-12, or grades 3-7, and I feel that this book was perfectly suited to this audience. The only reason I can't give this book a higher rating is because of the abrupt ending. I really felt that the story came to a screeching halt just as I was bracing for the climax. Perhaps this is because Whelan is planning to write a sequel, but I just found myself shocked that this book was actually over.
I would like to thank Harper Collins for generously providing me a review copy. Whelan is a great writer, and this isn't the first novel of hers that I have read. It certainly won't be my last.
gabs_myfullbookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars.
This book was really interesting. I liked it a lot. It seemed like the majority of the people who didn't like this book didn't like it because the title was misleading; so, knowing that it was, I was able to enjoy the story a lot more. However, there were a few things that made it not quite 4 stars worthy. I'll get to those in a minute.
First off, what I enjoyed about the book: Eleanor. Her backstory, her personality, her battle with depression, and her relationship with Aunt Maude. It was the best part about the whole story. She tried so hard for Aunt Maude to like her, and I thought that was really sweet. I could not STAND Aunt Maude; she was so mean! Now, back to Eleanor. What I really liked was how the author showed you her family and gave insight as to what made Eleanor finally break. It was so sad, but so good at the same time!
And, did I sense a teeny bit of romance between Verna's dad and Eleanor? Just a teensy weensy bit? I think so!
Sadly, it is time for the negatives now...
THE ENDING. What the heck? It just ended. It wasn't even a real ending. Maybe I'm just too used to happily ever afters, but this seemed like there was no resolution at all. None whatsoever.
Also, I really didn't like Verna as much as I would have liked to. It seems like Eleanor is really the character that you are supposed to get attached to, and Verna is just the means of telling the story. That may have just been me, but it was still a bit of a problem.
All in all, it was a really good story. It has a unique feel to it that I haven't read in very many Juvenile books. I liked this one a lot.
This review can be found on: http://myfullbookshelfreviews.blogspot.com/
This book was really interesting. I liked it a lot. It seemed like the majority of the people who didn't like this book didn't like it because the title was misleading; so, knowing that it was, I was able to enjoy the story a lot more. However, there were a few things that made it not quite 4 stars worthy. I'll get to those in a minute.
First off, what I enjoyed about the book: Eleanor. Her backstory, her personality, her battle with depression, and her relationship with Aunt Maude. It was the best part about the whole story. She tried so hard for Aunt Maude to like her, and I thought that was really sweet. I could not STAND Aunt Maude; she was so mean! Now, back to Eleanor. What I really liked was how the author showed you her family and gave insight as to what made Eleanor finally break. It was so sad, but so good at the same time!
And, did I sense a teeny bit of romance between Verna's dad and Eleanor? Just a teensy weensy bit? I think so!
Sadly, it is time for the negatives now...
THE ENDING. What the heck? It just ended. It wasn't even a real ending. Maybe I'm just too used to happily ever afters, but this seemed like there was no resolution at all. None whatsoever.
Also, I really didn't like Verna as much as I would have liked to. It seems like Eleanor is really the character that you are supposed to get attached to, and Verna is just the means of telling the story. That may have just been me, but it was still a bit of a problem.
All in all, it was a really good story. It has a unique feel to it that I haven't read in very many Juvenile books. I liked this one a lot.
This review can be found on: http://myfullbookshelfreviews.blogspot.com/
daisycakesco's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this, but when I got to the end I thought I was missing some pages. I must be too used to endings that tie everything up neatly with a bow. This was an interesting look at mental illness (and perceptions about those WITH mental illnesses) during the late 1800s, and how one asylum "inmate" becomes part of Verna and Carlie's family.
corncobwebs's review
i was mostly drawn to this book because of the setting. you KNOW i love a book that's set within close proximity to an insane asylum. BUT i realized that i like asylums best when they're abandoned, run-down, and preferably haunted. the asylum in this book was none of those things; in fact, it was downright cheerful. the "locked garden" idea was tantalizing (i was imagining a dark and creepy secret garden), but it ended up being more of a metaphor for the status of one's heart: is your heart a locked garden that no one can get into, or is it, i dunno, highland park in may?
the main thing that i appreciated about this book was its treatment of mental illness - asylum patients are drawn as functioning human beings who happen to have an illness; something that's as real and legitimate as having tuberculosis or polio. the patients are treated with kindness and respect, which was refreshing, but also probably not very accurate. (i recently read [b:Ten Days a Madwoman: The Daring Life and Turbulent Times of the Original "Girl" Reporter, Nellie Bly|25716691|Ten Days a Madwoman The Daring Life and Turbulent Times of the Original "Girl" Reporter, Nellie Bly|Deborah Noyes|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1455144427s/25716691.jpg|45550623], and, um, mental institutions generally weren't that nice at the turn of the 20th century.) so, i guess it's nice to paint this rosy alternate reality where mental asylums were calming places where patients were allowed to retain their dignity...but it's not necessarily the reality on a broad scale. sure, there were probably pockets of human decency where hospital staff realized it's not okay to let other human beings sit in puddles of their own filth, but that would be the exception, not the rule. i was glad, though, that the author addressed the stigma that many people had towards asylum patients - eleanor's father is freaking horrible, but i think that was important to include to show that many people weren't understanding or supportive of family or loved ones who were patients at asylums.
so, mixed bag, i guess? not sure who i'd recommend this to...it's kind of an odd time period (not during one of those really pivotal times in american history), and the topic is so niche. i'd be pumped if more of my readers asked me for historical fiction set in/around asylums, but that's just not happening. my experience has been that kids want to read about the really exciting time periods they learn about in school - like the revolutionary war or world war ii. overall - interesting cover and title, but low-key (and possibly misleading) story.
the main thing that i appreciated about this book was its treatment of mental illness - asylum patients are drawn as functioning human beings who happen to have an illness; something that's as real and legitimate as having tuberculosis or polio. the patients are treated with kindness and respect, which was refreshing, but also probably not very accurate. (i recently read [b:Ten Days a Madwoman: The Daring Life and Turbulent Times of the Original "Girl" Reporter, Nellie Bly|25716691|Ten Days a Madwoman The Daring Life and Turbulent Times of the Original "Girl" Reporter, Nellie Bly|Deborah Noyes|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1455144427s/25716691.jpg|45550623], and, um, mental institutions generally weren't that nice at the turn of the 20th century.) so, i guess it's nice to paint this rosy alternate reality where mental asylums were calming places where patients were allowed to retain their dignity...but it's not necessarily the reality on a broad scale. sure, there were probably pockets of human decency where hospital staff realized it's not okay to let other human beings sit in puddles of their own filth, but that would be the exception, not the rule. i was glad, though, that the author addressed the stigma that many people had towards asylum patients - eleanor's father is freaking horrible, but i think that was important to include to show that many people weren't understanding or supportive of family or loved ones who were patients at asylums.
so, mixed bag, i guess? not sure who i'd recommend this to...it's kind of an odd time period (not during one of those really pivotal times in american history), and the topic is so niche. i'd be pumped if more of my readers asked me for historical fiction set in/around asylums, but that's just not happening. my experience has been that kids want to read about the really exciting time periods they learn about in school - like the revolutionary war or world war ii. overall - interesting cover and title, but low-key (and possibly misleading) story.
rhovingh's review
4.0
not as jaw-dropping amazing as I seem to remember her other books being, but still very good.
mpevans0517's review
3.0
3.5. This book was cute and good all the way to the end.
The ending was terrible. Sigh.
The ending was terrible. Sigh.
phenexrose's review
fast-paced
2.5
I mostly enjoyed this book. However I'm really disappointed by a couple things. The description is really misleading. There isn't really much of a mystery & the locked garden has very little to do with the plot. Most frustrating though, this book ends rather abruptly, it feels as if it was just abandoned mid story.