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Strangely filled me with sorrow. In wonderment at the achievement of the writing, I closed the book, and lay it on my chest. I couldn't let go. I closed my eyes and had to concentrate to get my emotions under control. And failed. Memories of the past, of missed opportunities, failed and half realized relationships, were upon me. And again I knew that all stories at their best redeem. And as such, Tom's Midnight Garden is re-creation in the best, original sense of the word.
And all this from a belated, middle-aged reading of a children's' book.
To say anything about the ingenious structure of the narrative would certainly spoil it for those for whom the reading of it happily still lies in the future. To say that the prose is simple and clear and unobtrusive, would be half-true; It has a peculiarly rhythmic intonation which would make it a treat to hear it read out loud. Like the true subject of the story, time, this quality eludes definition, and has to be experienced by the reading to be understood. It is marvelous.
Having been a voracious reader when I was young, it sometimes seems to me that I've read just about everything worth-while in print. I remember seeing the title in the local library all those years ago, but never took it out. So I've regained what I had discarded, a consolation, when it mattered.
Louis M.
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Tom, quarantined from his brother's measles and sent off to relatives, faces several weeks in a house converted into flats with no other kids, no playground and nothing at all for a boy of his age to do. A grandfather clock that tells the correct time but clangs different hours stands in the hallway of the house. One night, when the clock chimes a mysterious thirteenth hour, Tom goes down to investigate.
What he finds is an entirely different house with rich decorations and carpeting. And, behind the back door that in the daytime gives out to an alley, is his fondest wish - a vast garden to play in and a friend with whom to explore every tree and hedge and even the meadow and river beyond.
Time is the great mystery in this book. For Tom only 24 hours may have gone by since his last visit but seasons have passed in the garden. As for his friend, a girl named Hatty, sometimes she appears younger than he is and sometimes, she is almost an adult. And while he may spend a whole day in the garden, the grandfather clock shows that he only spent a few minutes out the door.
As with all good stories, the reader is not only immersed in the mystery and the enjoyment while reading, her imagination is stirred. And who knows what kind of concoction boils up when that happens? Oh to find one's own secret garden and a good friend behind a seemingly mundane door!
This book is not only for children but for adults as well. I would translate Tom's adventures to Zoe's Mid-afternoon Caribbean Cabana in which a cubicle-dwelling computer programmer enters a supplies closet in that hazy time between lunch and tea and finds a white sand beach, a hammock, a chick-lit novel and a cold, umbrella-decorated cocktail.
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What an amazing and haunting story! I originally read this in jr. high when I was feeling rather misunderstood and lonely. Children's literature has long lost its ability to make its fantasy infusions subtle and part of the story--without declaring the book high fantasy. This is part of that world of stories. Tom is a character at a remarkable level few characters reach; he is someone to whom kids can relate as he makes friends, hopes for an eternal childhood, and observes the process of growing up. Absolutely incredible.
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I fondly remember this book from school years, and happily purchased another copy again this year. And at 35, I enjoyed it just as much! The story is beautifully written, and as a reader I feel privileged to share the story from Tom's point of view, and feel that I'm there in the book with Tom as I read. It's easy to visualise the story as it progresses. The characters are lively and the emotions change with the story, a great read.
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Like all others who read the book as a child, I like them was enchanted by this beautifully written book. I read it (shool library) when I was about 11 and I have been looking for it the next forty years...
It took the Internet and Google to give me another chance at reading the story I cherished for a lifetime.
Extraordinary...
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