jasmine ✿’s Comments (group member since Mar 21, 2025)

jasmine ✿’s comments from the slowly • reading group.

Hi all!

I’m really sorry to the people who have joined this club and have hoped to participate.
But I have decided to close this club down on Goodreads due to lack of engagement.
There was no discussion over the two months for the first book pick, and so I have decided to exclusively interact with this club on Fable.

If anyone is interested in joining on Fable, here’s the link:
https://fable.co/club/slowly-reading-...

Please feel welcomed to join the small community on there. Our new pick until August 28th is Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen!

Hello all !! Just two more days to get involved with The Secret Garden’s discussion!
I hope all that have had the chance to get involved will partake in the group discussion and share their thoughts!

Please could you suggest summery classics below that you’d like for us all the read together next!
I’ll make a poll with all the suggestions.

I have lots of options I’d love to suggest but I’d like to get everyone’s input first! 🌞🌻🦜

Okay first of all, I’d just like to start by saying I loved the book overall! It was full of so much whimsy, gorgeous writing and beautiful descriptions of nature.

I really appreciated the attention to detail and what seemed like an attempt to have you slow down, appreciate the changes around you, the small moments in life which I’d argue are deemed as insignificant in today’s fast paced culture.

Whilst I can appreciate the book is a story of development and learning to enjoy your childhood, the narrative focus shift from Mary to Colin felt a bit jarring at the end. I do think it was slowly moved into focus so I was not completely put off, and how Mary’s story technically had a justifiable ending with her character development, but I did not feel like her story was fully and satisfyingly ended. Colin took the centre stage and essentially ended the story, and whilst I liked his story, I don’t feel like I truly believed the focus shift to him.

So I was disappointed to an extent. If that makes sense. Apologies if not, I’m in my post reading rambling phase at the moment.

Finally finished! Little late but I’ve been so busy! I’ll post my review and start responding to some prompts later this evening!

Hopefully everyone else is also finished and enjoyed the book!

Today is the last day of our read of The Secret Garden! I really hope everyone has enjoyed!

Discussions will begin tomorrow officially and I’d like to pick a new book, a summery classic, by the 25th May.

If you have any books you’d like to read that fits within the category please list them below. I’ll attempt to make a poll for us all to vote on by the 25th, if not just after!

@Ella That’s such a good idea, I should have done that! Excited for the discussion later this month <3

@Rosalie Picard I’m so happy you could join us! Glad you’re enjoying the book!

I hope everyone is having a great time reading The Secret Garden!! I haven’t had much time to read it over the last few weeks but I will definitely get back to it soon.

The discussions for the book will take place after the final date, May 21st.
I will then see if anyone wants to recommend a next ‘summer-y’ classic for us all to read together. Followed by a poll to see which is the collective favourite for the next few months.
Hopefully, the next book will be chosen by May 25th!

Happy Reading! ✨

skyler :p wrote: "hii !! this book club looks so sweet and cozy, im excited (⁠｡⁠･⁠ω⁠･⁠｡⁠)⁠ﾉ⁠♡"

I'm so happy you could join us! Hopefully people have been enjoying The Secret Garden! <3

I also love how Mary is being filled with more childlike whimsy!

This chapter is just cementing my love for narrative descriptions of nature. This book is so fully of natural life, it makes me just want to run around outdoors; to feel the fresh breeze and hear the chirping of birds.

There’s something so endearing about children’s classics.
I wish I had actually read them when I was the intended age but you are still able to understand the charm of children’s classics regardless of the age you read then.

“The children seemed to tumble about and amuse themselves like a litter of rough, good-natured collie puppies”.

There are so many sweet lines in this book. The imagery is being painted in such a lovely way.

I really enjoyed chapter 4, my favourite one so far.
It began with Mary being incredibly unlikable but as the chapter progressed you realise she’s an incredibly lonely little girl who has always been cared for with an approach of disdain and separation; never to be refused or criticised. Very much so nurtured into her disagreeable traits.
However, being confronted by her loneliness, lack of basic skills, and faced with blunt honesty, will hopefully push her to start being more compassionate and less entitled.

“Dickon’s wanderin’ about everywhere. Th’ very blackberries an’ heather-bells knows him. I warrant th’ foxes shows him where their cubs lies an’ th’ skywards doesn’t hide their nests from him.”

🩷🩷🩷
So sweet.

“We’re neither of us good-lookin’ an’ we’re both of us as sour as we look.”

Oof, that’s rough buddy. I’m not sure what I’d do if an older person told me I was ugly and sour at 10 years old.

‘ “Here he is,” chuckled the old man, and then he spoke to the bird as if he were speaking to a child.
“Where has tha’ been, tha’ cheeky little beggar?” He said. “I’ve not seen thee before today. Has tha’ begun tha’ courtin’ this early in th’ season? Tha’rt too for’ard.” ‘

This is actually the cutest thing I’ve read. There’s such a cute irony of looking at a little bird and telling them they’re being too forward.

I can tell a big theme of this book is supposed to be ‘character progression’ and learning to be compassionate and considerate of others, but boy has Burnett made Mary almost too dislikable for me 😅

Michelle wrote: "I know one very old black and white one . And a PBS version that might be hard to find. But the most visually appealing one that keeps close to the book is The France’s Ford Coppella one that came ..."

Thank you so much for the recommendations Michelle! That sounds like an amazing watch, I noticed the 90s film is was on Netflix so I'll watch it once I'm finished with the book :)

Sofia ☕️ wrote: "Hi everyone! I'm so excited to be a part of this bookclub! I used to read a fair bit of classics around 2015 but honestly have not read many since. I can't wait to slowly start reading some more as..."

I'm so glad you could join us! I'm happy to create a cosy space for us slower readers who want to read more classics <3