Reviews

Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce

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jho6226's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

mdevlin923's review against another edition

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3.0

Tom is sent to quarantine with his aunt and uncle when his brother Peter contracts measles. Upset about his summer plans being ruined, Tom lazes about this flat. Late one night, he hears the old grandfather clock strike 13...and heads downstairs to investigate. There he walks out the backdoor, and is transported to a beautiful garden where he meets Hatty. He goes back every night, trying to figure out how this magic works; and racing the clock to experience everything before he is sent back home.

A very gentle fantasy that will intrigue the whole family. Written in 1958, some of the language will be unfamiliar, but if the family is reading it together, parents can explain these new words two children.

thenovelbook's review against another edition

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4.0

Fanciful...timey-wimey...too gentle and charming to be called sci-fi, but you get the idea.
In this book, written in the 50s, young Tom Long must go stay with his uncle and aunt to be quarantined in case he caught the measles from his brother.
While there, late at night, he hears the grandfather clock chime thirteen times. He discovers that at this mysterious signal, he is able to walk out the door into a beautiful garden that's not there during the day.
To begin with, he just enjoys playing and exploring. But eventually he makes friends with a girl named Hatty.
Who is she? When is she? And will Tom ever understand the enigma that is his Midnight Garden?
It's a really very touching story by the end, with a surprise twist that will give you all the feels. I suppose it was written for children, but it surprised me and I enjoyed it a lot. Think "The Secret Garden," but with the laws of physics bending. :D

I read this because of a discussion on the lovely Tea or Books podcast.

lil_13's review against another edition

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lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

Ok book, nothing special. I should probably stick to the YA genre

abigailhope13's review against another edition

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5.0

genuinely one of the loveliest books i have read to date, i’m so sad i didn’t read it when i was a child. my adult self wishes that it was double the length, to spend more time with hatty and tom, but as it is, it is a delightful book that left me in tears when it ended, just as upset as tom that the magic of the garden was over