Maybe its me brooding over the posts when discussing this book or maybe I am in a strange mood, but I don't know if I really see the heavy spirtualism that the rest of you have seen. Don't get me wrong I did see some of it but not in the context that you may have.

To me this book was about a longing to be part of the whole bigger picture of the world. At the same time, finding a place in this world that you can escape from the world. We have all been children and know that there were moments in our lives where we wanted to be with a group but be able to hide from that group. We all wanted to belong but only on our terms. The garden gave the three children just that. They were part of a group/family but the garden gave them that hide away that they were needing.

I believe that everyone of us has a percentage of outgoing and loner personality in them. Some may have more than others, but overall each of us has it. It is in the loner part of our personality that we find who we truly are. We find out our strengths, our weaknesses, our hopes and dreams. It may not be easy to find them but eventually we do. We can only achieve that during our loner personality. That is what Mary found when she spent all those days alone playing and exploring the garden. Dickon would spend hours with animals but longed to be in the garden where he could concentrate on one thing and not that of those who counted on his attention (the creatures). Colin had to come to the garden to realize that he could live together in a group. That sometimes being alone can be your worst enemy. But he did not have his outgoing balancing the loner, so he drove himself almost to the point of madness.

Once finding themselves, they were able to form the group of their own. Later, they slowly brought others in namely Ben Weatherstaff, Mother, and Mr. Craven. But it was on their terms. They couldn't have done that without finding and conversing with their loner selves.

We all need to escape but at the same time balance it all out with other human interactions (outgoing). Okay, I think I have rambled enough. What do you think?

I think it would have been interesting if there was a followup to this book. Kinda of where are they now type of thing? Maybe that should be this month's challenge. Write about what you think that three children are doing in another 10 years time. I don't have a prize to give except just bragging rights? What do you think?