If your Dead Mother was not already Dead, no doubt your theatrics would kill her.
That was your Dead Mother’s favorite horse. It trampled her to death when it became jealous of her attentions to other creatures. Anyway, it’s yours now.
You do not resemble your Dead Mother in the slightest, except for your eyes. Your damned, cursed, pale eyes.
Your Dead Mother’s feet were so small, she wept bitterly every time she danced. It was exquisite.
Once you could still catch the scent of your Dead Mother’s perfume amongst these old gowns. But no more. No more.
Your Dead Mother had no sense of humor, but was passionately fond of laughter in the abstract.
I could have sworn I you told about your Dead Mother’s twin sister. I’m certain I did; you just weren’t paying attention.
Your Dead Mother had a special stick she used to beat away impertinent suitors. One day it broke over a gentleman’s head and she could never find another one she liked as much. That it how your mother and father came to be betrothed.
We have bricked off the garden and every other thing your Dead Mother loved. We attempted to brick off her favorite maid as well, but she made a dreadful scene about it.
That is not your Dead Mother’s ghost we have lately seen roaming the moors. I don’t know whose ghost it is. Some other lady’s, I suppose.
Your Dead Mother’s favorite color was lilac; anything stronger gave her a headache.
Do not ask for help finding your Dead Mother’s Secret Dressing Room. It is a thing every girl must do for herself.
Of course, it’s no one’s fault, really, that your Dead Mother died in childbirth. (Except for yours. It is your fault.)
Your Dead Mother was so frail she was often mistaken for a paper doll. Once a servant threw in her the fire and killed her.
There is but one photograph of your Dead Mother and it is hidden. I don’t know where it is hidden; probably in her Secret Dressing Room. She is frowning in it anyway.
Your Dead Mother used her last breath to name you, unfortunately no one thought to write it down and it was immediately forgotten.
Your Dead Mother is quite possibly still in the attic.
Perhaps if your Dead Mother had been a bit friendlier to people, you wouldn’t have all these troubles now, hmm?
Your Dead Mother’s ship was never found, you know; but we needn’t talk any more about that.
Tags: books, death, elaine atwell, literary children, moms
“Your Dead Mother was so frail she was often mistaken for a paper doll. Once a servant threw in her the fire and killed her.”
!! I love it.
That was my favourite one, too!
Your dead mother loved you very much. Just kidding, she abandoned you to become a famous artist. But aren’t you proud of her anyway?
Oh, man, The Secret Garden. Dead Mothers, lilac and bricked-up gardens galore.
I only ever read a kids’ abridged version. Is it enough of a classic that I should seek it out in its unexpurgated form?
I don’t know about the book but I want to watch the movie RIGHT NOW. Stupid employment.
Your avatar + secret garden chat = http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=350
Kate Beaton is a national treasure. That nation might be Canada, but still.
!!!
I don’t remember which version of the movie I watched, but I remember quite vividly the scene where the grizzled old gardener sees that Colin isn’t a hunchback after all, because he cries in a thick Yorkshire accent, “THOU’ST GOT NO KNOB!” and I laughed so hard I almost threw up. It still makes me laugh really hard now, years later. I am immature.
It has some stronger “who needs medicine here rub some dirt on it” themes than I remembered from reading it as a kid, but it’s short and worth rereading if you feel like it.
YES. I found it much darker and much funnier the last time I read it.
Personally, I think so. And really, I still find it delightful that in an age of multiple saccharine heroines, Mary Lennox is delightfully bratty and even after she gets nicer, she’s still fairly abrasive, which I appreciate. Also, Frances H. Burnett was really into New Age-y spiritual stuff, and so there’s this thread, too, about in addition to the physical strengthening, the kids do all this weird mental stuff.
So yeah.
I mean, the third one: http://bit.ly/11vtPgQ
Love this. 🙂
Brilliant, haunting and compelling recap!
(this is my mom and she is definitely alive but also i guess thinks all the things i write are called recaps?)
Awww, moms are adorable.
Children’s books: making dead mothers more mysterious and compelling for children with live mothers, worldwide
Your Dead Mother sang herself to death, and if you don’t do the same you are unworthy to be her daughter.
“I could have sworn I you told about your Dead Mother’s twin sister. I’m certain I did; you just weren’t paying attention.”
I am reading this book right now!
Mallory, have your read Deerskin by Robin McKinley? That is one perfect Dead Mother. The part where she dies reads a bit like a Letter From Chris Kimball.
I would like to take this opportunity to mention that Mallory is not the author of this piece.
Oh jeeeeez. I am a monster. My apologies to Ms. Atwell and the Toast as a whole. I will go live in the woods now, and lurk where motherless children can be frightened by me.
So, to be fair, “this sounds like something Mallory would write” is enormously high praise.
Also, to be fair, Mallory produces an alarming number of brilliant pieces each week. But yeah, this is by a different awesome lady.
I LOVE DEERSKIN! And I feel like nobody else has ever heard of it.
my main point before I was a rotten jerk about it, is that’s a great book with a real great dead mom.
Other deerskin story, I once left my copy with an ex boyfriend and spent YEARS searching for the original cover with the purple hair and the dog. I had the option to buy the new one with some stupid statue picture on it, but I refused. In addition to being the best of books, this is truly the greatest cover a book could ever offer an awkward 15 year old who likes magic and faithful animal companions: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a1/Dee…
oh i am flattered as all get-out.
This is my FAVORITE thing.
Your Dead Mother would have loved this piece.
“Your Dead Mother’s feet were so small, she wept bitterly every time she danced. It was exquisite.”
We’re done here. Nothing will ever be as good as this.
“a trash novella about lesbian spies in World War II” yes perfect I will now give you my money so that you may continue doing the lord’s work
addendum: where is a good place to buy an electronic version of this that gives the author the most money? I assume Amazon is a shifty creep that doesn’t give much to authors.
nah i make the same solid 40% wherever you buy it. ALSO THANK YOU.
YES. I found it much darker and much funnier the last time I read it.
‘Your Dead Mother had no sense of humor, but was passionately fond of laughter in the abstract.’ this made me snort out my tea. also I imagine she had the tiniest waist in the town, before she gave birth to YOU?
This is perfect.
I’ve hated you all your life because we all thought your dead mother had run off with her cousin (eew!) and both were shipwrecked until today when we found her skeleton at the bottom of the old well. Sorry.