Good evening and welcome to The Sleepy Bookshelf. This season we are excited to be reading The Secret Garden by British American author Francis Hodgson-Benneth. We know our listeners are as unique as our novels and lucky for you our bookshelf is varied with lots of different types of stories to lull you into a deep sleep. The following is a preview to give you an idea of what to expect from this season.
Francis Hodgson-Benneth was a book loving girl born to a middle-class family in Manchester, England in 1849. When her father died suddenly the family were required to move frequently, even migrating to Knoxville, Tennessee, with an uncle to support them until his business failed during the Civil War. Francis turned to writing at a young age to earn money for her family and had her first book published within one year at 17 years old.
She went on to live in England and Paris and finally settled in Washington, DC, where her husband practiced as a doctor. After Francis' great success with another children's novel, Little Lord Fontroy, she became established as a writer of children's fiction and she bought her home in England. Here she wrote The Secret Garden which was published in 1911. It revolves around the life of a little girl named Mary Lennox born to wealthy but neglectful parents in India under the British Empire.
After she is left orphaned, the girl's life is turned upside down when she's forced to move to the care of her extended family, finding comfort in the nature of the grounds of the estate. We hope you will join us for this season. However, if you decide that The Secret Garden just isn't your cup of tea, feel free to explore the rest of the bookshelf because we are sure you will find something to help guide you into a restful sleep.
Don't forget to, our Premium subscription offers additional stories to choose from. You can sign up whenever you'd like and listen to bonus content between the seasons on the main feed or as an alternative to them. If you are already a Premium supporter, we thank you so much. And remember, if there's a book you would like to hear on the Sleepy Bookshelf, you can go to SleepyBookshelf.com or use the link in the show notes to offer a suggestion.
So if it's time for bed, why not choose an episode, get cozy and you will be asleep in no time. Otherwise, I hope to see you very soon at the Sleepy Bookshelf.