Characters
I spent most of Saturday researching Victoria England and Colonial India. Did you know that a British officer had to wait until he was 30 to be married, had to be engaged for a year, and had to have the approval of his CO? And it wasn't until the 1880's that women gained the right to get custody of thier children. And it was about that time that it was decided that doctors were allowed to examine female patients. Weird.
It's funny, the difference between ready a book for pleasure and reading it more carefully. I spent most of Thursday and Friday nights reading Secret Garden in minute detail. I listen to the musical often, and i love the movies, and I've discovered that they had me totally mixed up about an important detail. Lily didn't have a sister who was Mary's mother. It was her brother who was Mary's father.
I was so pleased to figure this out. i was having trouble figuring out how the two sisters would relate. I've never been very fond of the mother, who never noticed her daughter and told the servents to keep Mary out of sight. But once I realized that Lily had a brother, that relationship fell into place. It also gave Lily a last name. Lennox, just like Mary.
Lilias "Lily" Lennox. She hates her first name, which is why she goes by Lily. (FH Burnett, what kind of name is Lilias Lennox?) She adores her older brother, and hates that he is so far away in India. He sends her little elephants carved out of ivory, and letters, quite often.
All the Main Characters-
Lilias "Lily" Lennox (who during the course of the novel will become Lily Craven.)
Archibald Craven
Minor characters mentioned in Secret Garden that I'm stealing
Ben Weatherstaff
Susan Sowerby (Martha and Dicken's mother)
Martha and Dicken (very young, Dicken not born until towards the end.)
Sarah Medlock (position?)
Lily's brother (Mary's father) - needs a first name.
Dr. Craven (also needs first name)
Minor characters not mentioned (and all in need of names)
Lily's mother
Lily's father
Lily's aunt/chaparon
Misc. villagers and other minor characters.
