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爻丕乇丕 讴賵乇賵
爻丕乇丕 讴賵乇賵 丿禺鬲乇 孬乇賵鬲賲賳丿蹖 丕夭 賴賳丿賵爻鬲丕賳 丕爻鬲 讴賴 倬丿乇卮 丕賵 乇丕 亘賴 賲丿乇爻賴鈥屫й� 丿乇 賱賳丿賳 賲蹖鈥屬佖必池�. 倬爻 丕夭 趩賳丿 爻丕賱 亘丕 乇爻蹖丿賳 禺亘乇 賲乇诏 倬丿乇卮 丿賵乇丕賳 乇丕丨鬲蹖 丕賵 亘賴 丕鬲賲丕賲 賲蹖鈥屫必池� 賵 賳丕趩丕乇 賲蹖鈥屫促堌� 丿乇 丌賳 賲丿乇爻賴 亘賴 毓賳賵丕賳 禺丿賲鬲鈥屭┴ж� 賲卮睾賵賱 亘賴 讴丕乇 卮賵丿. 鬲乇亘蹖鬲 禺賵亘 賵蹖 賵 賴賲鈥屭嗁嗃屬� 乇賵蹖丕倬乇丿丕夭蹖鈥屫ж� 爻亘亘 賲蹖鈥屫促堌� 亘鬲賵丕賳丿 丿乇 丌賳噩丕 丿賵丕賲 亘蹖丕賵乇丿.
248 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1905
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189067 people want to read
About the author
Frances Hodgson Burnett
1,585听books4,694听followersFrances Eliza Hodgson Burnett was a British-American novelist and playwright. She is best known for the three children's novels Little Lord Fauntleroy (1886), A Little Princess (1905), and The Secret Garden (1911).
Frances Eliza Hodgson was born in Cheetham, Manchester, England. After her father died in 1853, when Frances was 4 years old, the family fell on straitened circumstances and in 1865 emigrated to the United States, settling in New Market, Tennessee. Frances began her writing career there at age 19 to help earn money for the family, publishing stories in magazines. In 1870, her mother died. In Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1873 she married Swan M. Burnett, who became a medical doctor. Their first son Lionel was born a year later. The Burnetts lived for two years in Paris, where their second son Vivian was born, before returning to the United States to live in Washington, D.C. Burnett then began to write novels, the first of which (That Lass o' Lowrie's), was published to good reviews. Little Lord Fauntleroy was published in 1886 and made her a popular writer of children's fiction, although her romantic adult novels written in the 1890s were also popular. She wrote and helped to produce stage versions of Little Lord Fauntleroy and A Little Princess.
Beginning in the 1880s, Burnett began to travel to England frequently and in the 1890s bought a home there, where she wrote The Secret Garden. Her elder son, Lionel, died of tuberculosis in 1890, which caused a relapse of the depression she had struggled with for much of her life. She divorced Swan Burnett in 1898, married Stephen Townesend in 1900, and divorced him in 1902. A few years later she settled in Nassau County, New York, where she died in 1924 and is buried in Roslyn Cemetery.
In 1936, a memorial sculpture by Bessie Potter Vonnoh was erected in her honor in Central Park's Conservatory Garden. The statue depicts her two famous Secret Garden characters, Mary and Dickon.
Frances Eliza Hodgson was born in Cheetham, Manchester, England. After her father died in 1853, when Frances was 4 years old, the family fell on straitened circumstances and in 1865 emigrated to the United States, settling in New Market, Tennessee. Frances began her writing career there at age 19 to help earn money for the family, publishing stories in magazines. In 1870, her mother died. In Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1873 she married Swan M. Burnett, who became a medical doctor. Their first son Lionel was born a year later. The Burnetts lived for two years in Paris, where their second son Vivian was born, before returning to the United States to live in Washington, D.C. Burnett then began to write novels, the first of which (That Lass o' Lowrie's), was published to good reviews. Little Lord Fauntleroy was published in 1886 and made her a popular writer of children's fiction, although her romantic adult novels written in the 1890s were also popular. She wrote and helped to produce stage versions of Little Lord Fauntleroy and A Little Princess.
Beginning in the 1880s, Burnett began to travel to England frequently and in the 1890s bought a home there, where she wrote The Secret Garden. Her elder son, Lionel, died of tuberculosis in 1890, which caused a relapse of the depression she had struggled with for much of her life. She divorced Swan Burnett in 1898, married Stephen Townesend in 1900, and divorced him in 1902. A few years later she settled in Nassau County, New York, where she died in 1924 and is buried in Roslyn Cemetery.
In 1936, a memorial sculpture by Bessie Potter Vonnoh was erected in her honor in Central Park's Conservatory Garden. The statue depicts her two famous Secret Garden characters, Mary and Dickon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 10,873 reviews
June 16, 2016
Oh my goodness I absolutely adored this! This brought me right back to childhood since I loved the movie as a kid, so glad the book is just as good!!
December 4, 2013
My mother thought it completely foolish of me to buy a hardcover book and then finish it in one night (these were the days before Harry Potter and, besides, we had enough books in our house, in her opinion). But I loved owning this edition with its gorgeous images and, when I gave it to my younger cousins in Singapore, believing myself ready to part with my childhood attachment to a book I wouldn't ever forget, I did mourn its loss, though I was a teenager by then and studying the dead white male canon. I'm an awful person, I know, but when I visited my family in Singapore the year before I graduated from college, I noticed the book on their shelf and asked to see it, and my aunt, noticing how my face lit up, asked if I wanted it back.
"Really? You mean it? Is that OK?"
"Of course, why wouldn't it be?"
"Are you sure? Oh, but I'm awful. I guess I didn't know how much it meant to me. You're so wonderful. What can I give you?"
I forget what I gave them in exchange, but it certainly held no value compared to this book. Not to be too psychoanalytical, but I suppose my reclaiming the book was a silent protest against my mother (and my unconsciously wanting to reconnect with my father, from whom I'd inherited my love of books). I haven't changed much in all these years.
"Really? You mean it? Is that OK?"
"Of course, why wouldn't it be?"
"Are you sure? Oh, but I'm awful. I guess I didn't know how much it meant to me. You're so wonderful. What can I give you?"
I forget what I gave them in exchange, but it certainly held no value compared to this book. Not to be too psychoanalytical, but I suppose my reclaiming the book was a silent protest against my mother (and my unconsciously wanting to reconnect with my father, from whom I'd inherited my love of books). I haven't changed much in all these years.
December 31, 2020
My favourite book of all time.
May 28, 2020
UNPOPULAR OPINION TIME. Sorry folks.
Meet the characters:
Sara aka the Little Princess is described as (and I'm only using words written explicitly in the book): thin, pale, with striking green eyes too big for her face (now I know where so many YA heroine's descriptions come from LOL), clever, good, serious, quick at her lessons, proud, brave, generous, hospitable, unconquerable, amiable, good-tempered, having good manners. She speaks fluent French, though she'd never learned it. She also speaks fluent Hindi.
Sara's father is described as young, beautiful, nice and clever.
Ermengarde (aka Sara's best friend) is explicitly described as fat, stupid, not clever, having a slow little mind, vulgar, forgetful and forgettable.
Lottie is another one of Sara's friends, a young child. She's also fat and stupid, but also ill-tempered and capricious, prone to throwing tantrums.
Beckie, aka the servant, is another Sara's friend. She's always described as poor-poor-poor Becky. Also stupid.
Lavinia, aka the nemesis, is described as horrid, nasty, priggish, sneering, and jealous.
Miss Minchin, aka the headmistress, is described as rude, acid, harsh, domineering, hard-hearted, mean, vulgar. Also, she doesn't know French and doesn't try to learn it, being the headmistress of a top school for young ladies in XIX England. Hmmm...
Cook is described as vulgar and insolent.
Beggar girl seen on the street: with a stupid look of suffering, frightful, little ravening savage, poor little wild animal.
Do you see a pattern here? I do.
1) Sara is a total Mary Sue, so is her kin (dad). They are oh-so-clever (even though Father never set aside any of his money for his daughter in case something happened, didn't even pay her school forward for even a day. Is that very clever?)
2) Sara's friends are all fat and stupid, and their only redeeming quality is that they worship her and trail her like puppies with unwavering loyalty and admiration.
3) Sara's enemies are all dumb and rude.
Do I have to say I didn't adore a book with such characters?
WHAT ABOUT THE PLOT?
So. Sara is awesome and rich. She briefly becomes poor but stays awesome. Her friends continue to worship her; her enemies expose their shallow, awful true natures. Then Sara becomes rich again, remaining awesome as ever, and punishing all who were mean to her. Yup, Sara never changes in her awesomeness, she doesn't need a character arc. Instead, the whole world around her makes an arc. Brilliant.
Don't even get me started that a child who has always been given all she wants, has never heard the word "no" and had -literally- servants and slaves at her beck and call - isn't spoiled, but is instead wise and teaches her wisdom to the adults around her. Sure, because wisdom isn't something you learn through error and hardship. You're just born with it if you're a true Princess inside.
WHAT MADE ME WANT TO GOUGE MY EYES OUT
Was the complete and unwavering snobbism of Sara and the author.
"It's not your fault that you are stupid" - says Sara to her BFF Ermengarde. How nice and kind, right?
I tried not to be a princess. I tried! - but failed. Who could blame you, Sara?
I can give buns and bread to the populace! - says Sara exuberantly, when she becomes rich again.
"You couldn't look like a street beggar, you haven't a street beggar face," "...clothes to make her look somehow like a servant" - um, so what is a "beggar face" and what do servants look like? Not like humans, just in different clothes?
Everyone keeps beating themselves up about how much Sara is working (at the time she is poor), but no one pays any mind to Becky, who is of comparable age and actually works more and also harder. Sara deserves all the sympathy because she used to be rich, you see! The whole London filled with hungry children working way too hard is of no concern because they look like servants and have beggar faces.
Miss Minchin is portrayed as a monster because she made Sara work when she turned from crazy rich to a beggar. Sara is, in fact, indebted to Minchin, because not only did her father not pay forward, he also didn't cover some hefty bills. Minchin does a good thing not throwing Sara out and also adapting her to a change of station. Because her station is indeed very much changed. What should she have done? Ignored reality, to make Sara face it later, even more harshly? Sure, Minchin could have been softer to a child who's just lost her father. But of course, the author wouldn't have that.
So I absolutely HATED every page of this book. As I hated Little Women and Black Beauty, as a matter of fact. Maybe catching up on children's classics I haven't read is a bad idea.
P.S. (20.07.2019) In fairness, I've just finished a different book by - - which is a children's classic as well. And I loved it and gave it 5 stars. So it seems too early to give up on the genre or even the author. The Little Princess was just not for me.
Meet the characters:
Sara aka the Little Princess is described as (and I'm only using words written explicitly in the book): thin, pale, with striking green eyes too big for her face (now I know where so many YA heroine's descriptions come from LOL), clever, good, serious, quick at her lessons, proud, brave, generous, hospitable, unconquerable, amiable, good-tempered, having good manners. She speaks fluent French, though she'd never learned it. She also speaks fluent Hindi.
Sara's father is described as young, beautiful, nice and clever.
Ermengarde (aka Sara's best friend) is explicitly described as fat, stupid, not clever, having a slow little mind, vulgar, forgetful and forgettable.
Lottie is another one of Sara's friends, a young child. She's also fat and stupid, but also ill-tempered and capricious, prone to throwing tantrums.
Beckie, aka the servant, is another Sara's friend. She's always described as poor-poor-poor Becky. Also stupid.
Lavinia, aka the nemesis, is described as horrid, nasty, priggish, sneering, and jealous.
Miss Minchin, aka the headmistress, is described as rude, acid, harsh, domineering, hard-hearted, mean, vulgar. Also, she doesn't know French and doesn't try to learn it, being the headmistress of a top school for young ladies in XIX England. Hmmm...
Cook is described as vulgar and insolent.
Beggar girl seen on the street: with a stupid look of suffering, frightful, little ravening savage, poor little wild animal.
Do you see a pattern here? I do.
1) Sara is a total Mary Sue, so is her kin (dad). They are oh-so-clever (even though Father never set aside any of his money for his daughter in case something happened, didn't even pay her school forward for even a day. Is that very clever?)
2) Sara's friends are all fat and stupid, and their only redeeming quality is that they worship her and trail her like puppies with unwavering loyalty and admiration.
3) Sara's enemies are all dumb and rude.
Do I have to say I didn't adore a book with such characters?
WHAT ABOUT THE PLOT?
So. Sara is awesome and rich. She briefly becomes poor but stays awesome. Her friends continue to worship her; her enemies expose their shallow, awful true natures. Then Sara becomes rich again, remaining awesome as ever, and punishing all who were mean to her. Yup, Sara never changes in her awesomeness, she doesn't need a character arc. Instead, the whole world around her makes an arc. Brilliant.
Don't even get me started that a child who has always been given all she wants, has never heard the word "no" and had -literally- servants and slaves at her beck and call - isn't spoiled, but is instead wise and teaches her wisdom to the adults around her. Sure, because wisdom isn't something you learn through error and hardship. You're just born with it if you're a true Princess inside.
WHAT MADE ME WANT TO GOUGE MY EYES OUT
Was the complete and unwavering snobbism of Sara and the author.
"It's not your fault that you are stupid" - says Sara to her BFF Ermengarde. How nice and kind, right?
I tried not to be a princess. I tried! - but failed. Who could blame you, Sara?
I can give buns and bread to the populace! - says Sara exuberantly, when she becomes rich again.
"You couldn't look like a street beggar, you haven't a street beggar face," "...clothes to make her look somehow like a servant" - um, so what is a "beggar face" and what do servants look like? Not like humans, just in different clothes?
Everyone keeps beating themselves up about how much Sara is working (at the time she is poor), but no one pays any mind to Becky, who is of comparable age and actually works more and also harder. Sara deserves all the sympathy because she used to be rich, you see! The whole London filled with hungry children working way too hard is of no concern because they look like servants and have beggar faces.
Miss Minchin is portrayed as a monster because she made Sara work when she turned from crazy rich to a beggar. Sara is, in fact, indebted to Minchin, because not only did her father not pay forward, he also didn't cover some hefty bills. Minchin does a good thing not throwing Sara out and also adapting her to a change of station. Because her station is indeed very much changed. What should she have done? Ignored reality, to make Sara face it later, even more harshly? Sure, Minchin could have been softer to a child who's just lost her father. But of course, the author wouldn't have that.
So I absolutely HATED every page of this book. As I hated Little Women and Black Beauty, as a matter of fact. Maybe catching up on children's classics I haven't read is a bad idea.
P.S. (20.07.2019) In fairness, I've just finished a different book by - - which is a children's classic as well. And I loved it and gave it 5 stars. So it seems too early to give up on the genre or even the author. The Little Princess was just not for me.
April 13, 2022
A Little Princess, Frances Hodgson Burnett
A Little Princess is a children's novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, first published as a book in 1905.
Captain Crewe, a wealthy English widower, has been raising his only child, Sara, in India where he is stationed with the British Army. Because the Indian climate is considered too harsh for children, British families living there traditionally send their children to boarding school back home in England.
The captain enrolls his young daughter at Miss Minchin's boarding school for girls in London, and dotes on his daughter so much that he orders and pays the headmistress for special treatment and exceptional luxuries for Sara, such as a private room for her with a personal maid and a separate sitting room, along with Sara's own private carriage and a pony. Miss Minchin openly fawns over Sara for her money, but secretly and jealously despises her for her wealth. ...
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鬲丕乇蹖禺 亘賴賳诏丕賲 乇爻丕賳蹖 23/01/1401賴噩乇蹖 禺賵乇卮蹖丿蹖貨 丕. 卮乇亘蹖丕賳蹖
A Little Princess is a children's novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, first published as a book in 1905.
Captain Crewe, a wealthy English widower, has been raising his only child, Sara, in India where he is stationed with the British Army. Because the Indian climate is considered too harsh for children, British families living there traditionally send their children to boarding school back home in England.
The captain enrolls his young daughter at Miss Minchin's boarding school for girls in London, and dotes on his daughter so much that he orders and pays the headmistress for special treatment and exceptional luxuries for Sara, such as a private room for her with a personal maid and a separate sitting room, along with Sara's own private carriage and a pony. Miss Minchin openly fawns over Sara for her money, but secretly and jealously despises her for her wealth. ...
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賳賯賱 丕夭 賲鬲賳 亘乇诏乇丿丕賳 芦乇丕賲鈥嵹┾€� 賳鈥嵺屸€嵹┾€屫焚勨€嵷ㄢ€屄�: (芦丕乇賲賳诏丕乇丿禄 賵 芦賱賵鬲蹖禄 賴賲蹖卮賴 賳賲蹖鈥屫堌з嗀池嗀� 亘賴 丿蹖丿賳 芦爻丕乇丕禄 亘乇賵賳丿貨 亘蹖卮鬲乇 賵賯鬲鈥屬囏� 丕蹖賳 讴丕乇 禺胤乇賳丕讴 亘賵丿貨 亘丕蹖丿 丕亘鬲丿丕 丕夭 亘賵丿賳 芦爻丕乇丕禄 丿乇 丕鬲丕賯卮 賲胤賲卅賳 賲蹖鈥屫簇嗀� 亘毓丿 亘丕蹖丿 賲乇丕賯亘 賲蹖鈥屫ㄙ堌嗀� 讴賴 芦丌賲蹖賱蹖丕禄 賴賳诏丕賲 亘丕夭乇爻蹖 卮亘丕賳賴 丌賳賴丕 乇丕 賳亘蹖賳丿貨 亘乇丕蹖 賴賲蹖賳貙 亘賴 賳丿乇鬲 芦爻丕乇丕禄 乇丕 賲蹖鈥屫屫嗀� 夭賳丿诏蹖 芦爻丕乇丕禄 毓噩蹖亘 亘賵丿貨 诏丕賴蹖 丿乇 倬丕蹖蹖賳貙 亘蹖卮鬲乇 丕夭 亘丕賱丕 丕丨爻丕爻 鬲賳賴丕蹖蹖 賲蹖鈥屭┴必� 賴賳诏丕賲 讴丕乇 讴爻蹖 亘丕 丕賵 丨乇賮 賳賲蹖鈥屫藏� 賵賯鬲蹖 亘賴 禺乇蹖丿 賲蹖鈥屫辟佖� 賴蹖讴賱 讴賵趩讴 丨夭賳鈥屫з嗂屫槽� 亘賵丿 讴賴 爻亘丿卮 乇丕 亘賴 爻禺鬲蹖 賲蹖鈥屭┴篡屫� 賵 爻毓蹖 賲蹖鈥屭┴必� 讴賱丕賴卮 乇丕 丿乇 亘丕丿賴丕蹖 卮丿蹖丿 亘乇 爻乇 賳诏賴鈥屫ж必� 賵賯鬲蹖 亘丕乇丕賳 賲蹖鈥屫ㄘж臂屫� 賵 禺蹖爻卮 賲蹖鈥屭┴必� 賲乇丿賲 亘蹖鈥屫堌� 賵 亘丕 毓噩賱賴 丕夭 讴賳丕乇卮 賲蹖鈥屭柏簇嗀� 賵 丕蹖賳 讴丕乇卮丕賳 鬲賳賴丕蹖蹖鈥屫ж� 乇丕 亘夭乇诏鈥屫� 賲蹖鈥屭┴必� 夭賲丕賳蹖 讴賴 芦卮丕賴夭丕丿賴 爻丕乇丕禄 亘賵丿貙 亘丕 丌賳 讴鬲鈥屬囏� 賵 讴賱丕賴鈥屬囏й� 賯卮賳诏 賵 丿蹖丿賳蹖貙 亘丕 氐賵乇鬲蹖 卮丕丿 賵 丿乇禺卮丕賳 賵 賴賲乇丕賴蹖 賵 賲乇丕賯亘鬲 賲乇蹖鬲 丿乇 讴丕賱爻讴賴 賲蹖鈥屬嗀簇池� 賵 鬲賵噩賴 賲乇丿賲 乇丕 亘賴 禺賵丿 噩賱亘 賲蹖鈥屭┴必� 賲乇丿賲 亘賴 鬲賲丕卮丕蹖卮 賲蹖鈥屫й屫池ж嗀� 賵 鬲丕 賲丿鬲鈥屬囏� 賳诏丕賴卮 賲蹖鈥屭┴必嗀� 賵 賱亘禺賳丿 賲蹖鈥屫藏嗀� 丕蹖賳 乇賵夭賴丕 讴爻蹖 亘賴 芦爻丕乇丕禄 賳诏丕賴 賳賲蹖鈥屭┴必� 丕賳诏丕乇 賴蹖趩鈥屭┴� 丕賵 乇丕 賳賲蹖鈥屫屫� 賯丿卮 亘賱賳丿鬲乇 卮丿賴 亘賵丿 賵 亘丕 丌賳 賱亘丕爻 賳丕夭讴 賵 賯丿蹖賲蹖貙 賲卮讴賵讴 亘賴 賳馗乇 賲蹖鈥屫必驰屫� 丕夭 賱亘丕爻鈥屬囏й� 诏乇賲 賵 诏乇丕賳鈥屫ㄙ囏� 禺亘乇蹖 賳亘賵丿 賵 亘丕蹖丿 丌賳趩賴 乇丕 讴賴 丿丕卮鬲貙 鬲丕 丌賳噩丕 讴賴 賲蹖鈥屫堌з嗀池� 賲蹖鈥屬举堌篡屫� 诏丕賴蹖 賵賯鬲鈥屬囏� 讴賴 丿乇 賵蹖鬲乇蹖賳 蹖丕 丌蹖賳賴鈥屰� 賲睾丕夭賴鈥屬囏� 禺賵丿卮 乇丕 賲蹖鈥屫屫� 禺賳丿賴鈥屫ж� 賲蹖鈥屭辟佖� 賵 诏丕賴蹖 爻乇禺 賲蹖鈥屫簇� 賵 賱亘卮 乇丕 诏丕夭 賲蹖鈥屭辟佖� 賵 賲蹖鈥屫堐屫�.)貨 倬丕蹖丕賳 賳賯賱
鬲丕乇蹖禺 亘賴賳诏丕賲 乇爻丕賳蹖 23/01/1401賴噩乇蹖 禺賵乇卮蹖丿蹖貨 丕. 卮乇亘蹖丕賳蹖
January 24, 2025
A blast from the past
Once upon a time, in my childhood, I had watched the movie and read a modernized version of this old classic book, but I had never actually dusted off The Original.
On eBay, I scored a 1928 copy of A Little Princess in relatively good shape for about $20.
Mmmmmmmmmmm. What a tactile treat! The book has these incredible glossy color pictures. The 1905 version does have a few extra pictures (cost cutting existed even in the 1900鈥檚!). The text is laid out perfectly 鈥� it isn鈥檛 bunched all together where you need a magnifying glass to read it. The pages in this book were uncut and had to be separated by hand. The paper, nice and thick, a perfect weight in your hands.
As luck would have it, a few of my pages still needed to be cut. Just imagine. Some of these pages had been waiting to be read for almost 100 years! Worry no more. I liberated them!
As far as the story is concerned, it couldn鈥檛 be more timely. Ultra wealthy, seven-year-old Sara Crewe is dropped off at boarding school. Unfortunately, Sara experiences a tragedy, and her circumstances suddenly change drastically. Will Sara rise above her challenging circumstances?
A great reminder to focus on what we can control.
The Green Light at the End of the Dock (How much I spent):
Hardcover Text 鈥� $21.28 on eBay
Connect With Me!
Once upon a time, in my childhood, I had watched the movie and read a modernized version of this old classic book, but I had never actually dusted off The Original.
On eBay, I scored a 1928 copy of A Little Princess in relatively good shape for about $20.
Mmmmmmmmmmm. What a tactile treat! The book has these incredible glossy color pictures. The 1905 version does have a few extra pictures (cost cutting existed even in the 1900鈥檚!). The text is laid out perfectly 鈥� it isn鈥檛 bunched all together where you need a magnifying glass to read it. The pages in this book were uncut and had to be separated by hand. The paper, nice and thick, a perfect weight in your hands.
As luck would have it, a few of my pages still needed to be cut. Just imagine. Some of these pages had been waiting to be read for almost 100 years! Worry no more. I liberated them!
As far as the story is concerned, it couldn鈥檛 be more timely. Ultra wealthy, seven-year-old Sara Crewe is dropped off at boarding school. Unfortunately, Sara experiences a tragedy, and her circumstances suddenly change drastically. Will Sara rise above her challenging circumstances?
A great reminder to focus on what we can control.
The Green Light at the End of the Dock (How much I spent):
Hardcover Text 鈥� $21.28 on eBay
Connect With Me!
September 4, 2024
"She liked books more than anything else, and was, in fact, always inventing stories of beautiful things and telling them to herself."
This book tells the story of a seven year old girl, Sara, whose father got posted in a faraway place and she had to stay in a seminary.
And this is the best description of Sara so far as the story goes at the beginning of the book:
"Her young mother had died, and as the child had been treated like a favorite doll or a very spoiled pet monkey or lap dog ever since the first hour of her life, she was a very appalling little creature."
But what's more important about her character is how she tells stories and being there for those who need some kindness and a pair of listening ears.
Other characters include Miss Minchin (strict without much purpose I feel, very dislikeable) and her other staffs, Ermangarde ("fat", "not clever" *me: I just can't ugh...), Lavinia (almost a bully and a bully), Lottie (with the "small, fat legs"), Becky (the young, "ugly", stunted maid), Miss Amelia (the one with "fat" hands), Ram Das (the man next door) but try to know who are these characters when you read the book: Emily, Mr and Mrs Melchisedec.
*Child labour, starvation, child abuse and neglect
"鈥淚 can鈥檛 bear this,鈥� said the poor child, trembling. 鈥淚 know I shall die. I鈥檓 cold; I鈥檓 wet; I鈥檓 starving to death. I鈥檝e walked a thousand miles today, and they have done nothing but scold me from morning until night. And because I could not find that last thing the cook sent me for, they would not give me any supper."
I really do not like the usage of derogatory words like ugly, fat over and over again in books especially in books that are considered classics and meant for the youngsters.
I liked this book and enjoyed it thoroughly but I wasn't ready for the stereotypes it has regarding gender and culture.
To be honest I was bored in between as there was an unending fuss on the main character. And then the book took a turn and it got pretty serious. That's when I started enjoying the book for the story it has.
The book deals with loneliness (and grief) in great detail from the perspective of a child. Sara even made friends with animals and birds to overcome such times.
The best part though is the writing. It made the book so easy to get into and get through with it until the end. It tells how company and imagination comfort during such difficult times. And also, there are a lot of times Sara stood up for herself and spoke her mind. It's liberating!
*Quite relatable:
"People who are fond of books know the feeling of irritation which sweeps over them at such a moment. The temptation to be unreasonable and snappish is one not easy to manage."
"Her imagination was beginning to work for her. It had not worked for her at all since her troubles had come upon her. She had felt as if it had been stunned."
鈥淚t鈥檚 a lonely place,鈥� she said. 鈥淪ometimes it鈥檚 the loneliest place in the world.鈥�
"Give her books, and she would devour them and end by knowing them by heart."
鈥淚 am growing quite fond of him. I should not like him to be disturbed. I have adopted him for a friend. You can do that with people you never speak to at all. You can just watch them, and think about them and be sorry for them, until they seem almost like relations."
(This sounds so much like me fangirling over my K-pop idols. Creepy me!)
鈥淚 don鈥檛 want you to give me anything,鈥� said Sara. 鈥淚 want your books鈥擨 want them!鈥� And her eyes grew big, and her chest heaved.
*Lines to reflect upon:
"If Nature has made you for a giver, your hands are born open, and so is your heart; and though there may be times when your hands are empty, your heart is always full, and you can give things out of that鈥攚arm things, kind things, sweet things鈥攈elp and comfort and laughter鈥攁nd sometimes gay, kind laughter is the best help of all."
鈥淎dversity tries people, and mine has tried you and proved how nice you are.鈥�
鈥淓VERYTHING鈥橲 a story. You are a story鈥擨 am a story."
"When people are insulting you, there is nothing so good for them as not to say a word鈥攋ust to look at them and THINK."
"When you will not fly into a passion people know you are stronger than they are, because you are strong enough to hold in your rage, and they are not, and they say stupid things they wish they hadn鈥檛 said afterward. There鈥檚 nothing so strong as rage, except what makes you hold it in鈥攖hat鈥檚 stronger. It鈥檚 a good thing not to answer your enemies."
"While the thought held possession of her, she could not be made rude and malicious by the rudeness and malice of those about her."
鈥淧erhaps you can FEEL if you can鈥檛 hear,鈥� was her fancy. 鈥淧erhaps kind thoughts reach people somehow, even through windows and doors and walls. Perhaps you feel a little warm and comforted, and don鈥檛 know why, when I am standing here in the cold and hoping you will get well and happy again."
(***The iconic lines***)
鈥淲hatever comes,鈥� she said, 鈥渃annot alter one thing. If I am a princess in rags and tatters, I can be a princess inside. It would be easy to be a princess if I were dressed in cloth of gold, but it is a great deal more of a triumph to be one all the time when no one knows it."
鈥淧erhaps,鈥� she said, 鈥渢o be able to learn things quickly isn鈥檛 everything. To be kind is worth a great deal to other people.
*This part broke my heart:
鈥淵ou are nothing but a DOLL!鈥� she cried. 鈥淣othing but a doll鈥攄oll鈥攄oll! You care for nothing. You are stuffed with sawdust. You never had a heart. Nothing could ever make you feel. You are a DOLL!鈥�
The anguish. The frustration.
No child should feel this way.
The story ends well. Believe in yourself. Believe in the magic. Believe someone cares for you. Kindness matters.
And Miss Minchin, go to H. I really dislike such heartless, abusive, shallow characters.
Well, being yourself and being kind. That's how you conquer everything you want.
This book tells the story of a seven year old girl, Sara, whose father got posted in a faraway place and she had to stay in a seminary.
And this is the best description of Sara so far as the story goes at the beginning of the book:
"Her young mother had died, and as the child had been treated like a favorite doll or a very spoiled pet monkey or lap dog ever since the first hour of her life, she was a very appalling little creature."
But what's more important about her character is how she tells stories and being there for those who need some kindness and a pair of listening ears.
Other characters include Miss Minchin (strict without much purpose I feel, very dislikeable) and her other staffs, Ermangarde ("fat", "not clever" *me: I just can't ugh...), Lavinia (almost a bully and a bully), Lottie (with the "small, fat legs"), Becky (the young, "ugly", stunted maid), Miss Amelia (the one with "fat" hands), Ram Das (the man next door) but try to know who are these characters when you read the book: Emily, Mr and Mrs Melchisedec.
*Child labour, starvation, child abuse and neglect
"鈥淚 can鈥檛 bear this,鈥� said the poor child, trembling. 鈥淚 know I shall die. I鈥檓 cold; I鈥檓 wet; I鈥檓 starving to death. I鈥檝e walked a thousand miles today, and they have done nothing but scold me from morning until night. And because I could not find that last thing the cook sent me for, they would not give me any supper."
I really do not like the usage of derogatory words like ugly, fat over and over again in books especially in books that are considered classics and meant for the youngsters.
I liked this book and enjoyed it thoroughly but I wasn't ready for the stereotypes it has regarding gender and culture.
To be honest I was bored in between as there was an unending fuss on the main character. And then the book took a turn and it got pretty serious. That's when I started enjoying the book for the story it has.
The book deals with loneliness (and grief) in great detail from the perspective of a child. Sara even made friends with animals and birds to overcome such times.
The best part though is the writing. It made the book so easy to get into and get through with it until the end. It tells how company and imagination comfort during such difficult times. And also, there are a lot of times Sara stood up for herself and spoke her mind. It's liberating!
*Quite relatable:
"People who are fond of books know the feeling of irritation which sweeps over them at such a moment. The temptation to be unreasonable and snappish is one not easy to manage."
"Her imagination was beginning to work for her. It had not worked for her at all since her troubles had come upon her. She had felt as if it had been stunned."
鈥淚t鈥檚 a lonely place,鈥� she said. 鈥淪ometimes it鈥檚 the loneliest place in the world.鈥�
"Give her books, and she would devour them and end by knowing them by heart."
鈥淚 am growing quite fond of him. I should not like him to be disturbed. I have adopted him for a friend. You can do that with people you never speak to at all. You can just watch them, and think about them and be sorry for them, until they seem almost like relations."
(This sounds so much like me fangirling over my K-pop idols. Creepy me!)
鈥淚 don鈥檛 want you to give me anything,鈥� said Sara. 鈥淚 want your books鈥擨 want them!鈥� And her eyes grew big, and her chest heaved.
*Lines to reflect upon:
"If Nature has made you for a giver, your hands are born open, and so is your heart; and though there may be times when your hands are empty, your heart is always full, and you can give things out of that鈥攚arm things, kind things, sweet things鈥攈elp and comfort and laughter鈥攁nd sometimes gay, kind laughter is the best help of all."
鈥淎dversity tries people, and mine has tried you and proved how nice you are.鈥�
鈥淓VERYTHING鈥橲 a story. You are a story鈥擨 am a story."
"When people are insulting you, there is nothing so good for them as not to say a word鈥攋ust to look at them and THINK."
"When you will not fly into a passion people know you are stronger than they are, because you are strong enough to hold in your rage, and they are not, and they say stupid things they wish they hadn鈥檛 said afterward. There鈥檚 nothing so strong as rage, except what makes you hold it in鈥攖hat鈥檚 stronger. It鈥檚 a good thing not to answer your enemies."
"While the thought held possession of her, she could not be made rude and malicious by the rudeness and malice of those about her."
鈥淧erhaps you can FEEL if you can鈥檛 hear,鈥� was her fancy. 鈥淧erhaps kind thoughts reach people somehow, even through windows and doors and walls. Perhaps you feel a little warm and comforted, and don鈥檛 know why, when I am standing here in the cold and hoping you will get well and happy again."
(***The iconic lines***)
鈥淲hatever comes,鈥� she said, 鈥渃annot alter one thing. If I am a princess in rags and tatters, I can be a princess inside. It would be easy to be a princess if I were dressed in cloth of gold, but it is a great deal more of a triumph to be one all the time when no one knows it."
鈥淧erhaps,鈥� she said, 鈥渢o be able to learn things quickly isn鈥檛 everything. To be kind is worth a great deal to other people.
*This part broke my heart:
鈥淵ou are nothing but a DOLL!鈥� she cried. 鈥淣othing but a doll鈥攄oll鈥攄oll! You care for nothing. You are stuffed with sawdust. You never had a heart. Nothing could ever make you feel. You are a DOLL!鈥�
The anguish. The frustration.
No child should feel this way.
The story ends well. Believe in yourself. Believe in the magic. Believe someone cares for you. Kindness matters.
And Miss Minchin, go to H. I really dislike such heartless, abusive, shallow characters.
Well, being yourself and being kind. That's how you conquer everything you want.
January 28, 2018
"Whatever comes," she said, "cannot alter one thing. If I am a princess in rags and tatters, I can be a princess inside. It would be easy to be a princess if I were dressed in cloth of gold, but it is a great deal more of a triumph to be one all the time when no one knows it."
Much can be said about the improbabilities in the plot, about the desperate sentimentality and caricature of Victorian England's boarding school system. It doesn't matter.
To me, Sarah Crewe will always remain a symbol for inner strength, perseverance and values winning over greed, sadism and abusive power. I can't recall how many times I read my hardcover copy as a young girl, shivering with anger and fear when the young heiress thinks she has lost everything and is turned into an unpaid maid at the school where she used to be a shining star.
Quite often, I think of her when I enter a bakery on a cold day, the smell of fresh bread making me instantly hungry. I think of the hungry girl, and how much she must have craved the buns she bought for a coin she found. And I know it is a simple show-effect on the part of Frances Hodgson Burnett to make Sarah hand over the buns to a starving girl sitting outside the bakery. It is not realistic! We are human beings. We a greedy, egotistical, trained and constructed to guarantee our own selfish survival first of all. We don't give away our bread. We hoard it until it gets moldy and can't be eaten by anyone!
And yet - Sarah Crewe, the fictional perfect human being, clever, kind, using her power to help, rather than to destroy others, makes my heart feel a tiny bit better each time I think of her. She is not realistic, and nor is the poetical justice in the novel, giving back the wealth she had thought she lost as some kind of divine reward for being a good sport when she lost it.
Does it really matter whether this story is exaggerated? If I can choose to give my children one of the countless bestselling young adult novels that show humanity in its worst egomania, or this tale of friendship, genuine care and power of imagination, I won't have to think twice. I like to imagine that people loving Sarah Crewe might start seeing those around themselves that are "hungrier than she was herself", and that they might feel that they can offer a bun or two from their bakery basket as a result of their reading. If reading inspires, I like to think this one inspires more than a dire account of teenage violence and crime...
Try being a princess no matter what - that's what I believe in, loving my fairy tales still!
Much can be said about the improbabilities in the plot, about the desperate sentimentality and caricature of Victorian England's boarding school system. It doesn't matter.
To me, Sarah Crewe will always remain a symbol for inner strength, perseverance and values winning over greed, sadism and abusive power. I can't recall how many times I read my hardcover copy as a young girl, shivering with anger and fear when the young heiress thinks she has lost everything and is turned into an unpaid maid at the school where she used to be a shining star.
Quite often, I think of her when I enter a bakery on a cold day, the smell of fresh bread making me instantly hungry. I think of the hungry girl, and how much she must have craved the buns she bought for a coin she found. And I know it is a simple show-effect on the part of Frances Hodgson Burnett to make Sarah hand over the buns to a starving girl sitting outside the bakery. It is not realistic! We are human beings. We a greedy, egotistical, trained and constructed to guarantee our own selfish survival first of all. We don't give away our bread. We hoard it until it gets moldy and can't be eaten by anyone!
And yet - Sarah Crewe, the fictional perfect human being, clever, kind, using her power to help, rather than to destroy others, makes my heart feel a tiny bit better each time I think of her. She is not realistic, and nor is the poetical justice in the novel, giving back the wealth she had thought she lost as some kind of divine reward for being a good sport when she lost it.
Does it really matter whether this story is exaggerated? If I can choose to give my children one of the countless bestselling young adult novels that show humanity in its worst egomania, or this tale of friendship, genuine care and power of imagination, I won't have to think twice. I like to imagine that people loving Sarah Crewe might start seeing those around themselves that are "hungrier than she was herself", and that they might feel that they can offer a bun or two from their bakery basket as a result of their reading. If reading inspires, I like to think this one inspires more than a dire account of teenage violence and crime...
Try being a princess no matter what - that's what I believe in, loving my fairy tales still!
August 11, 2020
One of my favorite books of all time.
Okay, this needs an update. I love magical realism and as far as I can tell, this is one of the first books that I read about magical realism. This book moved me so much. The world seems to crumble around the 'little princess', but she keeps her hope that things are better with story and imagination, no matter the real world. She uplifts those girls around her.
She is left at a boarding school for girls while her father goes to be in a war. He sets her up with the best room and things and he does his best to spoil her from afar. She is kind to the girls around her and spins fabulous tales that change the lives of the girls around her. It gives them strength and hope and a sense of belonging, of home.
Then, her father goes missing and the money stops and the head mistress who put up with the girls shenanigans lets her hatred out and the girl has to become a servant in the school. She continues to help the girls around her, she continues to spin tales.
Our perspective in life really does define our reality. I love this story because I strive to be this way, but I fall so short. I want to be able to live this so much. When life gets difficult, I tend to give up and shrink away. Then I have to build myself up all over again. I want to be more like Sarah and able to withstand tough times.
This would be a desert island book for me. I need that romantic view of life. I'm also a 4 on the enneagram which is the romantic and I just see the world through that romantic lens, so it makes sense stories about romantic ideals will speak to me. This is the best of the best.
Okay, this needs an update. I love magical realism and as far as I can tell, this is one of the first books that I read about magical realism. This book moved me so much. The world seems to crumble around the 'little princess', but she keeps her hope that things are better with story and imagination, no matter the real world. She uplifts those girls around her.
She is left at a boarding school for girls while her father goes to be in a war. He sets her up with the best room and things and he does his best to spoil her from afar. She is kind to the girls around her and spins fabulous tales that change the lives of the girls around her. It gives them strength and hope and a sense of belonging, of home.
Then, her father goes missing and the money stops and the head mistress who put up with the girls shenanigans lets her hatred out and the girl has to become a servant in the school. She continues to help the girls around her, she continues to spin tales.
Our perspective in life really does define our reality. I love this story because I strive to be this way, but I fall so short. I want to be able to live this so much. When life gets difficult, I tend to give up and shrink away. Then I have to build myself up all over again. I want to be more like Sarah and able to withstand tough times.
This would be a desert island book for me. I need that romantic view of life. I'm also a 4 on the enneagram which is the romantic and I just see the world through that romantic lens, so it makes sense stories about romantic ideals will speak to me. This is the best of the best.
November 11, 2020
"When one was sitting by a warm fire in a big, glowing room, it was quite delightful to hear how cold it could be in an attic."
This might be commonly classified as a children's book, but I absolutely loved it. The story is give your a blast of all kinds of emotions throughout the story, and how the protagonist, Sarah Crewe faces and reacts to each of them in quite a wonderful way. The way how each supporting character complements the story is excellent, and adds much impact.
' 鈥淵ou see, I know what it is to be hungry, and it is very hard when one cannot even pretend it away.鈥� '
This book will make your laugh, sad, cry, and happy while submersing you in one of the loveliest plots of all time. It's true that certain things seems a bit too perfect, but I guess it's best that way, considering this is indeed a children's book. Also, the lessons are plentiful, specially in the middle part of the story, which will be invaluable to any child. If you have not read this book - regardless what age you are in right now - give it a chance, for, I think, this is something that has no age limit.
"She had learned to know how comforting a smile, even from a stranger, may be."
This might be commonly classified as a children's book, but I absolutely loved it. The story is give your a blast of all kinds of emotions throughout the story, and how the protagonist, Sarah Crewe faces and reacts to each of them in quite a wonderful way. The way how each supporting character complements the story is excellent, and adds much impact.
' 鈥淵ou see, I know what it is to be hungry, and it is very hard when one cannot even pretend it away.鈥� '
This book will make your laugh, sad, cry, and happy while submersing you in one of the loveliest plots of all time. It's true that certain things seems a bit too perfect, but I guess it's best that way, considering this is indeed a children's book. Also, the lessons are plentiful, specially in the middle part of the story, which will be invaluable to any child. If you have not read this book - regardless what age you are in right now - give it a chance, for, I think, this is something that has no age limit.
"She had learned to know how comforting a smile, even from a stranger, may be."
February 6, 2023
Why I chose to read this book:
1. after recently reading and enjoying by , several GR friends recommended this book; and,
2. February 2023 is my "Books For Young and Old Alike" Month.
Praises:
1. even though MC Sara Crewe had an indulgent upbringing, her positive outlook on life, her self-control, and her compassion for others less fortunate than herself make her character extremely likeable - a character young readers could hopefully emulate, especially when things go wrong; and,
2. Miss Minchin is one of the most terrifying villain(nesses) I've ever come across in literature! She was intent on breaking a child's spirit!
Niggle:
This may be a tricky read-aloud as some words and phrases may be uncomfortable for today's youth to hear in the context provided (e.g. stupid, fat).
Overall Thoughts:
"There but for the grace of God go I."
This story really had me thinking: "What if ...?" my comfortable lifestyle vanished instantly? Would I be able to face my new challenges with the same grace as Sara?
Recommendation?
This story sends a lovely message of empathy, compassion and patience; however, I do recommend reading it to yourself first before sharing it with young listeners.
1. after recently reading and enjoying by , several GR friends recommended this book; and,
2. February 2023 is my "Books For Young and Old Alike" Month.
Praises:
1. even though MC Sara Crewe had an indulgent upbringing, her positive outlook on life, her self-control, and her compassion for others less fortunate than herself make her character extremely likeable - a character young readers could hopefully emulate, especially when things go wrong; and,
2. Miss Minchin is one of the most terrifying villain(nesses) I've ever come across in literature! She was intent on breaking a child's spirit!
Niggle:
This may be a tricky read-aloud as some words and phrases may be uncomfortable for today's youth to hear in the context provided (e.g. stupid, fat).
Overall Thoughts:
"There but for the grace of God go I."
This story really had me thinking: "What if ...?" my comfortable lifestyle vanished instantly? Would I be able to face my new challenges with the same grace as Sara?
Recommendation?
This story sends a lovely message of empathy, compassion and patience; however, I do recommend reading it to yourself first before sharing it with young listeners.
December 17, 2020
Last week I read a novel Maud Martha and wondered as I was reading it, and when done, where I was for all of these years and never heard of that book prior to being on 欧宝娱乐. Today as I was reading this book the exact same question popped into my head. I guess better late than never. 馃槈
This book came out in serial form in 1888 in St. Nicholas Magazine, a popular American monthly publication designed for children. Imagine being a child back in the day and reading these chapters and coming to the end of a chapter and having to wait (at least) 30 days until the next chapter. When you鈥檙e left wondering what happens next in Sara鈥檚 life. There鈥檚 something to be said for serialization. I guess that鈥檚 the way a lot of people got their reading of literature from鈥iterary publications that came out weekly or monthly.
A riches-to-rags-to-riches story. I read this from a Puffins Book edition (2014)鈥t had drawings in it by Margery Gill (from Puffins edition in 1961) which I enjoyed as part of the reading experience. Miss Minchin was certainly a meanie extraordinaire. Sara Crewe almost reminded me of a saint (nobody can be this good, can they?), but I think her moral code is what made the book shine for me. She was a saint come hell or highwater. And she not only 鈥渄o unto others as they will do unto you鈥濃€he affected other people so that they too did good.
鈥� A wonderful example of this was when she came upon a beggar girl who was starving鈥he had just found a coin in the muddy streets of London and could buy 4 buns for it from a bakery. She herself was starving from the mistreatment of Miss Minchin. But after she bought the 4 buns (and the woman who owned the bakery shop felt so bad for Sara she threw in 2 more buns for good measure) she stepped outside the bakery and gave a bun to the beggar girl鈥ho wolfed it down. And Sara knew this girl was starving and was in even worse straits than she was, so she gave another bun and another鈥ntil she walked away with only one bun. Meanwhile the bakery woman had been watching this with amazement (she knew Sara was in bad shape and yet she was giving her buns away to the beggar girl), and she ended up taking the beggar girl in, employing her, and clothing her and feeding her鈥� And get this, rewind to when Sara found the coin鈥he was starving and she saw the bakery across the road, but she wondered that perhaps the baker women had lost the coin鈥nd so she walks into the bakery and asks if the baker women had lost a coin. How good is that??!!!
I am anxious to get to GR reviews and reviews from literary periodicals on this book, so I鈥檒l shut my piehole for now. 馃槷 I liked this book bunches. 馃槉 It was an interesting and enjoyable read, and it had a happy ending, and sometimes we all need that.
Notes
鈥� Wow鈥his is interesting鈥 knew about the magazine serialization but not about the two plays: the 1905 book is based on an adaptation from two plays (1902 & 1903) that is based on the serial publication in St. Nicolas Magazine (1887-8). I found this in an abstract of a Master鈥檚 Thesis awarded to Johanna Elizabeth Resler in 1952 at Indiana University鈥擯urdue University Indianapolis (Department of English) in 1952. SARA鈥橲 TRANSFORMATION: A TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF FRANCES HODGSON BURNETT鈥橲 SARA CREWE AND A LITTLE PRINCESS (iupui.edu)
鈥� According to Burnett, after she composed the 1902 play A Little Un-fairy Princess based on that story, her publisher asked that she expand the story as a novel with "the things and people that had been left out before". 4] The novel was published by Charles Scribner's Sons (also publisher of St. Nicholas) with illustrations by Ethel Franklin Betts and the full title A Little Princess: Being the Whole Story of Sara Crewe Now Being Told for the First Time. From:
Reviews from periodicals:
鈥�
鈥�
Reviews from blogsites:
鈥�
鈥�
This book came out in serial form in 1888 in St. Nicholas Magazine, a popular American monthly publication designed for children. Imagine being a child back in the day and reading these chapters and coming to the end of a chapter and having to wait (at least) 30 days until the next chapter. When you鈥檙e left wondering what happens next in Sara鈥檚 life. There鈥檚 something to be said for serialization. I guess that鈥檚 the way a lot of people got their reading of literature from鈥iterary publications that came out weekly or monthly.
A riches-to-rags-to-riches story. I read this from a Puffins Book edition (2014)鈥t had drawings in it by Margery Gill (from Puffins edition in 1961) which I enjoyed as part of the reading experience. Miss Minchin was certainly a meanie extraordinaire. Sara Crewe almost reminded me of a saint (nobody can be this good, can they?), but I think her moral code is what made the book shine for me. She was a saint come hell or highwater. And she not only 鈥渄o unto others as they will do unto you鈥濃€he affected other people so that they too did good.
鈥� A wonderful example of this was when she came upon a beggar girl who was starving鈥he had just found a coin in the muddy streets of London and could buy 4 buns for it from a bakery. She herself was starving from the mistreatment of Miss Minchin. But after she bought the 4 buns (and the woman who owned the bakery shop felt so bad for Sara she threw in 2 more buns for good measure) she stepped outside the bakery and gave a bun to the beggar girl鈥ho wolfed it down. And Sara knew this girl was starving and was in even worse straits than she was, so she gave another bun and another鈥ntil she walked away with only one bun. Meanwhile the bakery woman had been watching this with amazement (she knew Sara was in bad shape and yet she was giving her buns away to the beggar girl), and she ended up taking the beggar girl in, employing her, and clothing her and feeding her鈥� And get this, rewind to when Sara found the coin鈥he was starving and she saw the bakery across the road, but she wondered that perhaps the baker women had lost the coin鈥nd so she walks into the bakery and asks if the baker women had lost a coin. How good is that??!!!
I am anxious to get to GR reviews and reviews from literary periodicals on this book, so I鈥檒l shut my piehole for now. 馃槷 I liked this book bunches. 馃槉 It was an interesting and enjoyable read, and it had a happy ending, and sometimes we all need that.
Notes
鈥� Wow鈥his is interesting鈥 knew about the magazine serialization but not about the two plays: the 1905 book is based on an adaptation from two plays (1902 & 1903) that is based on the serial publication in St. Nicolas Magazine (1887-8). I found this in an abstract of a Master鈥檚 Thesis awarded to Johanna Elizabeth Resler in 1952 at Indiana University鈥擯urdue University Indianapolis (Department of English) in 1952. SARA鈥橲 TRANSFORMATION: A TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF FRANCES HODGSON BURNETT鈥橲 SARA CREWE AND A LITTLE PRINCESS (iupui.edu)
鈥� According to Burnett, after she composed the 1902 play A Little Un-fairy Princess based on that story, her publisher asked that she expand the story as a novel with "the things and people that had been left out before". 4] The novel was published by Charles Scribner's Sons (also publisher of St. Nicholas) with illustrations by Ethel Franklin Betts and the full title A Little Princess: Being the Whole Story of Sara Crewe Now Being Told for the First Time. From:
Reviews from periodicals:
鈥�
鈥�
Reviews from blogsites:
鈥�
鈥�
July 11, 2017
I managed to write an almost-full review of this book. It is here!:
---------------------------
I can't believe I'm saying this, but...the movie really was a better story.
Maybe I'll go watch that for the millionth time.
This book pales in comparison to The Secret Garden, but it was still good. Hard to make an 眉ber-wealthy seven-year-old seem great, but this book does it. (Burnett KILLS it with the unlikable characters!) I liked the first half better than the second, probably because, again, the movie version of the story is just a lot more entertaining.
There are also a lot more villains in the book. It's more like Sara in a sea of people who are average-to-bad, which is kind of a weird message for a children's book.
Anyway. I'm glad I finally read this, though. It was good, and if I'd read the book first I wouldn't be judging it so harshly.
Bottom line: Yeah, give it a try. Look at that goddamn cover!
---------------------------
I can't believe I'm saying this, but...the movie really was a better story.
Maybe I'll go watch that for the millionth time.
This book pales in comparison to The Secret Garden, but it was still good. Hard to make an 眉ber-wealthy seven-year-old seem great, but this book does it. (Burnett KILLS it with the unlikable characters!) I liked the first half better than the second, probably because, again, the movie version of the story is just a lot more entertaining.
There are also a lot more villains in the book. It's more like Sara in a sea of people who are average-to-bad, which is kind of a weird message for a children's book.
Anyway. I'm glad I finally read this, though. It was good, and if I'd read the book first I wouldn't be judging it so harshly.
Bottom line: Yeah, give it a try. Look at that goddamn cover!
January 19, 2018
鈥淚f I am a princess in rags and tatters, I can be a princess inside. It would be easy to be a princess if I were dressed in cloth of gold, but it is a great deal more of a triumph to be one all the time when no one knows it.鈥�
What an adorable, heartwarming little book !! I believe this is the second classic that I have read ever( yeah, not a huge fan of classics :-|).The plot is a very simple one .But, as an old wise man once stated 鈥淢ysteries and complexities have their own charm but sometimes the simplest stories are the nicest鈥�. Best way to sum it up!
It is the story of a little girl named Sara. She is remarkable鈥n intelligent, kind girl鈥 bit strange at times鈥ut overall remarkable. She is super rich and her father spares no expenses to fulfill any of her wishes. But she doesn鈥檛 let it go to her head.
Will she be the same person if the circumstances were to change?? What determines what kind of a person you are? Well, no suspense here 鈥e find out soon enough . Something really horrible happens 鈥nd she turns from princess to a servant overnight. What stands out though, is her unique way of dealing with these extraordinarily horrible circumstances .She uses make-beliefs to draw strength and cooks up stories to stay positive.
Well, every story needs a villain. And Oh yes 鈥e get the cruelest of them all- Ms. Minchin. I hated her with all my heart!
Overall, a wonderful story with a beautiful theme/ message. But I felt there were some repetitiveness and the plot was too simple. If I had been younger , probably it would have been a 5-star read . But, still it鈥檚 a great book for everyone. And if you are in need for a little pick-me-up 鈥t鈥檚 the perfect one ! ;)
鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing so strong as rage, except what makes you hold it in 鈥� that鈥檚 stronger.鈥�
Thank u Mr. Grumpy for the awesome rec and BR ! :)
May 12, 2017
This was actually really nice. An uplifting tale, where the heroine wins out and the villain fails (screw you Miss Minchen!)
Sara Crewe is a well off young lady, whose father sends her to a boarding school in London so she can be educated.
Despite her upbringing being given her every hearts desire, Sara doesn't act like a brat. She shares what she has with the other girls - apart from two awful jealous ones. (There's always a vindictive girl and her sidekick).
So when her father dies suddenly having lost their fortune Sara is reduced to a life of servitude and hunger.
Despite this she pretends in her heart that she is a princess just going through hard times and that things will improve.
It's a wonderful story with an ending that everyone would love. It restores faith in karma and good triumphing over bad. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Sara Crewe is a well off young lady, whose father sends her to a boarding school in London so she can be educated.
Despite her upbringing being given her every hearts desire, Sara doesn't act like a brat. She shares what she has with the other girls - apart from two awful jealous ones. (There's always a vindictive girl and her sidekick).
So when her father dies suddenly having lost their fortune Sara is reduced to a life of servitude and hunger.
Despite this she pretends in her heart that she is a princess just going through hard times and that things will improve.
It's a wonderful story with an ending that everyone would love. It restores faith in karma and good triumphing over bad. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
December 13, 2024
Some books don鈥檛 hold up well over time. Others improve with every reading. This is a book that is firmly in the latter category for me. I liked this book a lot when I was a child. I love it as an adult. Maybe I鈥檝e grown to adore this book because, as I age, the premise of the book and the lessons it teaches strike my heart harder. I鈥檝e never experienced highs quite as high as those Sara Crewe experiences, and I鈥檝e never suffered through lows quite as low as Sara is forced to endure. But, like everyone, I have experienced triumphs and tragedies. The more I go through in my life, the more I respect little Sara Crewe, a little princess if ever there was one, and how she handled everything both happy or horrific that life threw her way. She always carried herself as the little princess she pretended to be, whether dressed in tattered rags or extravagant riches. She shared what she had with those less fortunate, even when she didn鈥檛 really have enough for herself. Sara endured. And if Sara can endure, so can I. My story can be her story in the disguise of my times, hidden within the setting of my life.
I don鈥檛 want to say much about the story, though I know it鈥檚 a classic and thus the plot is probably already known to anyone who reads this review. If you haven鈥檛 read this book, please do. It鈥檚 short and it鈥檚 lovely and it reminds readers that the way we view ourselves and the actions spawned from that view truly matters. It also reminds us to see others as people, no matter their station in life, and to give freely. Is there any better way to wrap yourself in Christmas spirit than by remembering to give unto others as Christ gave to us? That鈥檚 what Sara Crewe鈥檚 story does for me.
Merry Christmas. May you remember the true reason for the season. And if your memory should fail, let little Sara Crewe remind you.
鈥淓verything鈥檚 a story - You are a story - I am a story.鈥�
I don鈥檛 want to say much about the story, though I know it鈥檚 a classic and thus the plot is probably already known to anyone who reads this review. If you haven鈥檛 read this book, please do. It鈥檚 short and it鈥檚 lovely and it reminds readers that the way we view ourselves and the actions spawned from that view truly matters. It also reminds us to see others as people, no matter their station in life, and to give freely. Is there any better way to wrap yourself in Christmas spirit than by remembering to give unto others as Christ gave to us? That鈥檚 what Sara Crewe鈥檚 story does for me.
鈥淚f nature has made you for a giver, your hands are born open, and so is your heart. And though there may be times when your hands are empty, your heart is always full, and you can give things out of that鈥攚arm things, kind things, sweet things鈥攈elp and comfort and laughter鈥攁nd sometimes gay, kind laughter is the best help of all.鈥�
Merry Christmas. May you remember the true reason for the season. And if your memory should fail, let little Sara Crewe remind you.
July 22, 2016
Book #3 for #booktubeathon is DONE!
I finished this audiobook on the way to work this morning and MAN do I love this story. I've loved the movie for a long time and I loved this book just as much, although the endings and elements of the story were different. Sarah is such a fantastically beautiful character with such a big heart for others. I loved reading about her adventures and how she continued to have the attitude of a princess, regardless of her circumstances.
JUST A GREAT CHILDREN'S BOOK, ERRYONE READ IT.
I finished this audiobook on the way to work this morning and MAN do I love this story. I've loved the movie for a long time and I loved this book just as much, although the endings and elements of the story were different. Sarah is such a fantastically beautiful character with such a big heart for others. I loved reading about her adventures and how she continued to have the attitude of a princess, regardless of her circumstances.
JUST A GREAT CHILDREN'S BOOK, ERRYONE READ IT.
May 3, 2023
Buen libro, s煤per f谩cil de leer.
Cada nuevo d铆a es una completa sorpresa. Intentamos controlarlo todo, programar lo que haremos por la noche, al siguiente d铆a, en el fin de semana, en las vacaciones, pero por m谩s que tengamos planes para el futuro hay situaciones in茅ditas que afectan completamente aquella ruta de viaje programada. Esto ocurre porque en el fondo, ese control que creemos poseer solo es una ilusi贸n, y por m谩s que sintamos que nuestro porvenir depende de nosotros mismos la verdad es que no es as铆. Hay infinidad de situaciones, posibilidades y caminos, que en caso de presentarse alterar铆a completamente nuestra vida: desde nuestro trabajo, hasta nuestra vida sentimental. No nos gusta reconocerlo porque nos sentir铆amos vulnerables, pero de una u otra forma dependemos de lo que hacen los dem谩s. Si se muere el due帽o de la empresa donde trabajamos, 驴seguiremos teniendo empleo? Si alg煤n sector productivo de nuestro pa铆s deja de funcionar, 驴seguiremos disfrutando de las comodidades que podemos disfrutar? Si se presentan desastres naturales cerca a nuestro hogar, 驴tendremos la fortuna de que nuestros familiares sigan con vida? Si sufrimos una enfermedad, 驴tendremos la capacidad f铆sica y mental para seguir nuestro plan de vida al pie de la letra? Pues bien, de esto es lo que trata esta obra.
En, La princesita, conoceremos la historia de Sara Creewe, hija del Capitan Creewe, que de la noche a la ma帽ana se convierte en una ni帽a pobre, a pesar de que antes hab铆a gozado de todas las comodidades posibles que le brindaba su padre. La historia est谩 clasificada en el g茅nero Drama/Infantil por lo que naturalmente no encontraremos escenas excesivamente sombr铆as o crueles; sin embargo, aqu铆 la autora hace el intento de plasmar de una forma tenue la visi贸n de c贸mo un infante puede quedar expuesto en un mundo de miseria donde la desigualdad social es la que prima en todas partes. La autora hace un gran trabajo al describir correctamente esas situaciones, especialmente con el cambio de actitud de las personas hacia Sara cuando se enteran de la nueva situaci贸n econ贸mica de la protagonista. Es una cr铆tica muy interesante que nos ayuda a reflexionar sobre los prejuicios que tenemos como sociedad hacia las personas con menos recursos. Es como si juzg谩ramos a las personas por la cantidad de dinero que poseen en sus bolsillos y no por las habilidades o inteligencia que puedan poseer para sobrevivir en el mundo. Personalmente, creo que fue un gran acierto de la autora primero describir ese mundo 芦color rosa禄 para luego mostrar la otra faceta de la vida, ese mundo 芦color mierda禄.
El argumento de la historia me ha parecido muy bueno, la prosa tambi茅n porque he logrado leer el libro a una velocidad r谩pida, e incluso el vocabulario me ha parecido bastante claro y f谩cil de entender: L贸gicamente, al tratarse de un libro enfocado para un p煤blico infantil y juvenil, deb铆a ser as铆. Sin embargo, quiz谩s por mi historial de lectura, fue una obra que no logr贸 conmoverme por la historia de la protagonista. No s茅, me pareci贸 todo como muy leve, nunca tan grave. Lo s茅, no puedo exigir en este libro orientado para un p煤blico juvenil m谩s situaciones l煤gubres para la protagonista, pero en caso de que se hubieran presentado escenas m谩s dram谩ticas, m谩s giros inesperados, m谩s dificultades, y m谩s miseria, ser铆a una obra maestra en todo el sentido de la palabra. No obstante, no significa que no me haya gustado la obra o que mi experiencia sea negativa. Nada de eso. Lo que ocurre es que a veces nuestra mente nos hace creer que el contenido que acabamos de consumir pudo ser mejor.
Otro aspecto del libro importante para mencionar es sobre la protagonista. Sara, es una ni帽a muy bien educada, sabe comportarse, controlar sus emociones, es amable, solidaria con las m谩s necesitadas, tiene una imaginaci贸n incre铆ble, y en verdad que es una ni帽a ejemplar. Sara tiene el tipo de personalidad adecuada para la historia, ya que justamente es en las situaciones adversas cuando vale la pena observar sus reacciones y comprobar si es capaz de mantener su actitud temple todo el tiempo. No obstante, no fue un personaje que se ganara mi cari帽o y simpat铆a. Quiz谩s tambi茅n es un tema personal, algo relacionado a la qu铆mica que siento con ciertas personalidades, pero siento que un poco de picard铆a y rebeld铆a hubiera sido perfecto para Sara. Al fin y al cabo era una ni帽a, por lo que esa docilidad con la que se comport贸 todo el tiempo no me termin贸 de convencer. Sin embargo, es un personaje correcto, cumple su rol, y quiz谩s a otros lectores si les guste su participaci贸n.
En resumen, una obra con una idea interesante, una autora que escribe de forma amena, una cr铆tica social que nos invita a la reflexi贸n, y una lectura que recordar茅 como una experiencia agradable, a pesar de que la resoluci贸n de la historia es bastante predecible desde casi el inicio del libro. La calificaci贸n de tres estrellas me parece apropiada: Menos ser铆a injusto, pero m谩s ya ser铆a demasiado generoso. Buen libro.
Cada nuevo d铆a es una completa sorpresa. Intentamos controlarlo todo, programar lo que haremos por la noche, al siguiente d铆a, en el fin de semana, en las vacaciones, pero por m谩s que tengamos planes para el futuro hay situaciones in茅ditas que afectan completamente aquella ruta de viaje programada. Esto ocurre porque en el fondo, ese control que creemos poseer solo es una ilusi贸n, y por m谩s que sintamos que nuestro porvenir depende de nosotros mismos la verdad es que no es as铆. Hay infinidad de situaciones, posibilidades y caminos, que en caso de presentarse alterar铆a completamente nuestra vida: desde nuestro trabajo, hasta nuestra vida sentimental. No nos gusta reconocerlo porque nos sentir铆amos vulnerables, pero de una u otra forma dependemos de lo que hacen los dem谩s. Si se muere el due帽o de la empresa donde trabajamos, 驴seguiremos teniendo empleo? Si alg煤n sector productivo de nuestro pa铆s deja de funcionar, 驴seguiremos disfrutando de las comodidades que podemos disfrutar? Si se presentan desastres naturales cerca a nuestro hogar, 驴tendremos la fortuna de que nuestros familiares sigan con vida? Si sufrimos una enfermedad, 驴tendremos la capacidad f铆sica y mental para seguir nuestro plan de vida al pie de la letra? Pues bien, de esto es lo que trata esta obra.
En, La princesita, conoceremos la historia de Sara Creewe, hija del Capitan Creewe, que de la noche a la ma帽ana se convierte en una ni帽a pobre, a pesar de que antes hab铆a gozado de todas las comodidades posibles que le brindaba su padre. La historia est谩 clasificada en el g茅nero Drama/Infantil por lo que naturalmente no encontraremos escenas excesivamente sombr铆as o crueles; sin embargo, aqu铆 la autora hace el intento de plasmar de una forma tenue la visi贸n de c贸mo un infante puede quedar expuesto en un mundo de miseria donde la desigualdad social es la que prima en todas partes. La autora hace un gran trabajo al describir correctamente esas situaciones, especialmente con el cambio de actitud de las personas hacia Sara cuando se enteran de la nueva situaci贸n econ贸mica de la protagonista. Es una cr铆tica muy interesante que nos ayuda a reflexionar sobre los prejuicios que tenemos como sociedad hacia las personas con menos recursos. Es como si juzg谩ramos a las personas por la cantidad de dinero que poseen en sus bolsillos y no por las habilidades o inteligencia que puedan poseer para sobrevivir en el mundo. Personalmente, creo que fue un gran acierto de la autora primero describir ese mundo 芦color rosa禄 para luego mostrar la otra faceta de la vida, ese mundo 芦color mierda禄.
El argumento de la historia me ha parecido muy bueno, la prosa tambi茅n porque he logrado leer el libro a una velocidad r谩pida, e incluso el vocabulario me ha parecido bastante claro y f谩cil de entender: L贸gicamente, al tratarse de un libro enfocado para un p煤blico infantil y juvenil, deb铆a ser as铆. Sin embargo, quiz谩s por mi historial de lectura, fue una obra que no logr贸 conmoverme por la historia de la protagonista. No s茅, me pareci贸 todo como muy leve, nunca tan grave. Lo s茅, no puedo exigir en este libro orientado para un p煤blico juvenil m谩s situaciones l煤gubres para la protagonista, pero en caso de que se hubieran presentado escenas m谩s dram谩ticas, m谩s giros inesperados, m谩s dificultades, y m谩s miseria, ser铆a una obra maestra en todo el sentido de la palabra. No obstante, no significa que no me haya gustado la obra o que mi experiencia sea negativa. Nada de eso. Lo que ocurre es que a veces nuestra mente nos hace creer que el contenido que acabamos de consumir pudo ser mejor.
Otro aspecto del libro importante para mencionar es sobre la protagonista. Sara, es una ni帽a muy bien educada, sabe comportarse, controlar sus emociones, es amable, solidaria con las m谩s necesitadas, tiene una imaginaci贸n incre铆ble, y en verdad que es una ni帽a ejemplar. Sara tiene el tipo de personalidad adecuada para la historia, ya que justamente es en las situaciones adversas cuando vale la pena observar sus reacciones y comprobar si es capaz de mantener su actitud temple todo el tiempo. No obstante, no fue un personaje que se ganara mi cari帽o y simpat铆a. Quiz谩s tambi茅n es un tema personal, algo relacionado a la qu铆mica que siento con ciertas personalidades, pero siento que un poco de picard铆a y rebeld铆a hubiera sido perfecto para Sara. Al fin y al cabo era una ni帽a, por lo que esa docilidad con la que se comport贸 todo el tiempo no me termin贸 de convencer. Sin embargo, es un personaje correcto, cumple su rol, y quiz谩s a otros lectores si les guste su participaci贸n.
En resumen, una obra con una idea interesante, una autora que escribe de forma amena, una cr铆tica social que nos invita a la reflexi贸n, y una lectura que recordar茅 como una experiencia agradable, a pesar de que la resoluci贸n de la historia es bastante predecible desde casi el inicio del libro. La calificaci贸n de tres estrellas me parece apropiada: Menos ser铆a injusto, pero m谩s ya ser铆a demasiado generoso. Buen libro.
October 17, 2016
A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett is the story of a little girl "Sara" whose father鈥檚 bankruptcy and death leave her impoverished, alone, and at the mercy of the evil Miss Minchin, i didn't read the book when i was a child but i loved the animation adaptation of Burnett鈥檚 book. when I did read it! Meeting the real Sara for the first time it was a completely different experience for me, It makes me feel really old :(
鈥淣ever did she find anything so difficult as to keep herself from losing her temper when she was suddenly disturbed while absorbed in a book. People who are fond of books know the feeling of irritation which sweeps over them at such a moment. The temptation to be unreasonable and snappish is one not easy to manage.
"It makes me feel as if something had hit me," Sara had told Ermengarde once in confidence. "And as if I want to hit back. I have to remember things quickly to keep from saying something ill-tempered.鈥�
鈥淣ever did she find anything so difficult as to keep herself from losing her temper when she was suddenly disturbed while absorbed in a book. People who are fond of books know the feeling of irritation which sweeps over them at such a moment. The temptation to be unreasonable and snappish is one not easy to manage.
"It makes me feel as if something had hit me," Sara had told Ermengarde once in confidence. "And as if I want to hit back. I have to remember things quickly to keep from saying something ill-tempered.鈥�
April 13, 2022
Now as much as Frances Hodgson Burnett's A Little Princess is and remains both a childhood and adulthood favourite for me, in some if not actually many ways, main protagonist Sara Crewe and her entire demeanour do at times appear as being simply and frustratingly just a bit too good to be true. And while I have indeed always liked Sara's story tremendously, I also must admit that I have never loved A Little Princess as much as, say, The Secret Garden (also, of course, by Frances Hodgson Burnett) or the Anne of Green Gables and the Emily of New Moon series (Lucy Maud Montgomery). For in all of these here novels, the main characters are presented as having their share of faults (and at times even seriously problematic and major ones), while in A Little Princess, Sara Crewe seemingly has little or no such peccadilloes (except perhaps that she does at times appear almost patronising in her goodness and her feelings for the populace, but I think that the author, that Frances Hodgson Burnett actually does not mean this to be considered as a fault, and it is just our more modern sensibilities which tend to make us consider this kind of noblesse oblige feeling to be not entirely, not altogether praiseworthy anymore).
And actually, one important consideration to keep in mind is that A Little Princess was published quite a few years before The Secret Garden (the fomer was published in 1905, I believe, and I think The Secret Garden was not published until 1911 or so, and the novella on which A Little Princess is based, Sara Crewe, Or What Happened At Miss Minchin's was actually published even earlier, around 1888). And thus, perhaps Frances Hodgson Burnett's attitude towards children had matured by the time she penned The Secret Garden, and she might have by then realised that it would be better to have main characters who are not perfect, but also have their share of not so stellar character traits. But on the other hand, I also have to wonder whether the author, whether Frances Hodgson Burnett might not have deliberately portrayed Sara as a faultless princess-like character because she wanted to portray her as some kind of magical, fairy tale like entity (a child-goddess of compassion, helpful, patient, accepting, but ultimately too good to be true, a bit like the type of character Dickon represents in The Secret Garden, similarly godlike and unrealistic, but then, Dickon is a supporting character and not the main character, like Sara is in A Little Princess).
Still, A Little Princess truly is and always will be a lovely and sweet tale (somewhat of an upside down fairy tale, a riches to rags and then back to riches story) and a novel that although written more than a century ago, is still enjoyable, readable and for most children, sufficiently approachable (and I bet many adults are like me, having not just fond childhood memories of A little Princess, but also of repeated rereads).
And actually, one important consideration to keep in mind is that A Little Princess was published quite a few years before The Secret Garden (the fomer was published in 1905, I believe, and I think The Secret Garden was not published until 1911 or so, and the novella on which A Little Princess is based, Sara Crewe, Or What Happened At Miss Minchin's was actually published even earlier, around 1888). And thus, perhaps Frances Hodgson Burnett's attitude towards children had matured by the time she penned The Secret Garden, and she might have by then realised that it would be better to have main characters who are not perfect, but also have their share of not so stellar character traits. But on the other hand, I also have to wonder whether the author, whether Frances Hodgson Burnett might not have deliberately portrayed Sara as a faultless princess-like character because she wanted to portray her as some kind of magical, fairy tale like entity (a child-goddess of compassion, helpful, patient, accepting, but ultimately too good to be true, a bit like the type of character Dickon represents in The Secret Garden, similarly godlike and unrealistic, but then, Dickon is a supporting character and not the main character, like Sara is in A Little Princess).
Still, A Little Princess truly is and always will be a lovely and sweet tale (somewhat of an upside down fairy tale, a riches to rags and then back to riches story) and a novel that although written more than a century ago, is still enjoyable, readable and for most children, sufficiently approachable (and I bet many adults are like me, having not just fond childhood memories of A little Princess, but also of repeated rereads).
September 8, 2018
My heart is so full after reading this. Years ago, I got the movie A Little Princess for my birthday. I had never heard anything about it before, but little did I know that I would break the DVD player watching it so many times. Like the movie, the book is beautiful. There really is no other word that can accurately describe it.
I've never felt as connected to a protagonist as I did to Sara. This little girl had the biggest, most generous heart and no matter how bad her situation got, her character remained pure; even when she had nothing to her name she still put others before herself and never wanted pity. When she was grieving the loss of her father and went from being treated like a princess to being treated like a slave, I wanted so badly to save her. It made me want to find a way into the pages to take all her sadness and pain away because she deserved none of it.
This is one of those books that you should encourage your kids to read when they are young. Not to say that it isn't a book for adults, because it is, but I think children especially would benefit from reading it as they are most impressionable. As I was reading, I was overcome with a compelling desire to adopt Sara鈥檚 open-heartedness鈥攊t just made me want to be a better person which I think is a really special reaction to a book. Honestly every time my heart cracked and pieced back together was worth it and I would suffer a million times over if it meant that I had the honor of being touched by this story forever.
My favourite quote in the whole book:
鈥淚f nature has made you for a giver, your hands are born open, and so is your heart; and though there may be times when your hands are empty, your heart is always full, and you can give things out of that鈥攚arm things, kind things, sweet things鈥攈elp and comfort and laughter鈥攁nd sometimes gay, kind laughter is the best help of all.鈥�
I've never felt as connected to a protagonist as I did to Sara. This little girl had the biggest, most generous heart and no matter how bad her situation got, her character remained pure; even when she had nothing to her name she still put others before herself and never wanted pity. When she was grieving the loss of her father and went from being treated like a princess to being treated like a slave, I wanted so badly to save her. It made me want to find a way into the pages to take all her sadness and pain away because she deserved none of it.
This is one of those books that you should encourage your kids to read when they are young. Not to say that it isn't a book for adults, because it is, but I think children especially would benefit from reading it as they are most impressionable. As I was reading, I was overcome with a compelling desire to adopt Sara鈥檚 open-heartedness鈥攊t just made me want to be a better person which I think is a really special reaction to a book. Honestly every time my heart cracked and pieced back together was worth it and I would suffer a million times over if it meant that I had the honor of being touched by this story forever.
My favourite quote in the whole book:
鈥淚f nature has made you for a giver, your hands are born open, and so is your heart; and though there may be times when your hands are empty, your heart is always full, and you can give things out of that鈥攚arm things, kind things, sweet things鈥攈elp and comfort and laughter鈥攁nd sometimes gay, kind laughter is the best help of all.鈥�
October 21, 2021
Short story about a little girl named Sara aged 7 who used to live with her father in India. Father being concerned of her education, decides to send her to a boarding school in London. There she lives in luxury than other pupils and everyone was envied because of her intelligence and luxurious lifestyle. However her father, Captain Crewe dies from a high fever, leaving Sara penniless. He had put all his money in the diamond mines business along with his friend, who went missing after seeing some losses.
The news of Captain Crewe鈥檚 death changed Sara鈥檚 life completely in the utter misery and mercy of Miss Minchin. She was made to live like a maid who worked for hours, ran errands and taught young pupil lessons. She was a very bright child and a quick learner, who loved reading and creating stories. Her father鈥檚 friend who ran away, searched for Sara everywhere and finally finds her after two years, as he happened to move to the house next to the boarding school.
He tells her the entire story and gives her every comfort she deserved as she was the owner of half the fortunes from diamond mines, which were later discovered. Sara always pretended and acted as if she was a princess and in the end with the help of magic (she liked to believe that) she lives her life as a princess, who was kind, well-mannered, caring and above all loved sharing her goodness with others.
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The news of Captain Crewe鈥檚 death changed Sara鈥檚 life completely in the utter misery and mercy of Miss Minchin. She was made to live like a maid who worked for hours, ran errands and taught young pupil lessons. She was a very bright child and a quick learner, who loved reading and creating stories. Her father鈥檚 friend who ran away, searched for Sara everywhere and finally finds her after two years, as he happened to move to the house next to the boarding school.
He tells her the entire story and gives her every comfort she deserved as she was the owner of half the fortunes from diamond mines, which were later discovered. Sara always pretended and acted as if she was a princess and in the end with the help of magic (she liked to believe that) she lives her life as a princess, who was kind, well-mannered, caring and above all loved sharing her goodness with others.
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September 1, 2020
The movie adaptation of this book was my beloved, childhood favourite, yet, for some reason, I had never read the book. I was pleasantly surprised to find how accurate my favourite film was to the classic text it originated from.
I find it odd how I adored this story so, when my favourite childhood read was Frances Hodgson Burnett's . I loved the former for the pure-hearted and eternally kind protagonist and adored the latter for the unlikable, cross and bad-tempered one. The two differing protagonists dually delighted me, however dissimilar they appeared, and I believe the author has a powerful gift in creating characters children (and adults, too!) can find all sides of themselves in.
Asides from the lovable characters, this book also has a poignant story-line that completely enraptured me. Sara Crewe's riches-to-rags-to-riches story was a charming one, but what completely captivated me was in how she dealt with her fate. She remained eternally optimistic and often used fairy tale and stories created inside her own head as a brief escape from her plight. She was gifted with a pure character and a generous soul and instead of appearing as a two-dimensional 'goody good' character, she instilled in me a yearning to be a better individual and to channel some of her spirit.
The parts that brought me to tears, both then and now, was Sara's belief that every female was a princess at heart, and so it is only fitting to end this review with a quote that sums up exactly what is so endearing about this book:
"Whatever comes," she said, "cannot alter one thing. If I am a princess in rags and tatters, I can be a princess inside. It would be easy to be a princess if I were dressed in cloth of gold, but it is a great deal more of a triumph to be one all the time when no one knows it.鈥�
I find it odd how I adored this story so, when my favourite childhood read was Frances Hodgson Burnett's . I loved the former for the pure-hearted and eternally kind protagonist and adored the latter for the unlikable, cross and bad-tempered one. The two differing protagonists dually delighted me, however dissimilar they appeared, and I believe the author has a powerful gift in creating characters children (and adults, too!) can find all sides of themselves in.
Asides from the lovable characters, this book also has a poignant story-line that completely enraptured me. Sara Crewe's riches-to-rags-to-riches story was a charming one, but what completely captivated me was in how she dealt with her fate. She remained eternally optimistic and often used fairy tale and stories created inside her own head as a brief escape from her plight. She was gifted with a pure character and a generous soul and instead of appearing as a two-dimensional 'goody good' character, she instilled in me a yearning to be a better individual and to channel some of her spirit.
The parts that brought me to tears, both then and now, was Sara's belief that every female was a princess at heart, and so it is only fitting to end this review with a quote that sums up exactly what is so endearing about this book:
"Whatever comes," she said, "cannot alter one thing. If I am a princess in rags and tatters, I can be a princess inside. It would be easy to be a princess if I were dressed in cloth of gold, but it is a great deal more of a triumph to be one all the time when no one knows it.鈥�
August 9, 2018
This was just what I needed. This book was beautifully heart-warming, and I must confess, my heart is most certainly warmed. I remember loving the film of "A little Princess" many years ago, and it has remained a firm favourite with me. Even though the story in the film is slightly different to the original book, I enjoyed both, in a similar way. Actually, I now have a distinct urge to go and watch the film!
"If I am a princess in rags and tatters, I can be a princess inside. It would be easy to be a princess if I were dressed in cloth of gold, but it is a great deal more of a triumph to be one all the time when no one knows it.鈥�
I enjoyed the first half of the book more, in comparison to the second. Maybe this is because I feel it follows the film more, plus, there are some beautiful and incredible quotes, that really touched me. It also became apparent rather quickly, that there are many more villains in the book, which really, I think is slightly strange for a children's book. But damn, I have to say, I despised Ms Minchin. She really was such a terrible person, and each time she abused Sara, I felt quite angry inside. (Yes, some books have a profound effect on me.)
Overall, this is a wonderful story, with a prominent message, and I think I could definitely enjoy this again, at some point in the future.
"If I am a princess in rags and tatters, I can be a princess inside. It would be easy to be a princess if I were dressed in cloth of gold, but it is a great deal more of a triumph to be one all the time when no one knows it.鈥�
I enjoyed the first half of the book more, in comparison to the second. Maybe this is because I feel it follows the film more, plus, there are some beautiful and incredible quotes, that really touched me. It also became apparent rather quickly, that there are many more villains in the book, which really, I think is slightly strange for a children's book. But damn, I have to say, I despised Ms Minchin. She really was such a terrible person, and each time she abused Sara, I felt quite angry inside. (Yes, some books have a profound effect on me.)
Overall, this is a wonderful story, with a prominent message, and I think I could definitely enjoy this again, at some point in the future.
November 25, 2017
Casi parece un retelling de 'La cenicienta' y sin duda tiene todo ese halo de cuento de hadas ambientado en la Inglaterra victoriana, no puedo pedir m谩s.... 鈾�
Read
February 4, 2017The Hook - My GR friend Stephanie loved this story as a child. Stephanie owns many editions of her beloved book and her re-reads of this have not disappointed her. Honestly I had never heard of it. I have read A Secret Garden and wondered why A Little Princess never made my childhood reading. I would have loved to have this read out loud to me at that age. Stephanie did suggest an audio version available on Hoopla. I may listen to a bit of this but decided to just take the plunge and found an edition on my library鈥檚 subscription to Freading.
The Line(s) - "Sara often thought afterward that the house was somehow exactly like Miss Minchin. It was respectable and well furnished, but everything in it was ugly; and the very armchairs seemed to have hard bones in them.鈥�
The Sinker - A Little Princess was published in 1905 by author Frances Hodgson Burnett and is suggested for audiences of 10-13 year olds. At this time of my life I was probably just leaving behind series books like Nancy Drew and Cherry Ames, just on the cusp of rolling over to more adult novels. If I had read this rags to riches story a few years earlier I am certain I would have found the imagery delightful and would have been fascinated by Sara鈥檚 world, one in which she wears such beautiful clothing so descriptively described in all its finery.
Sara Crewe is quite young when the story begins. Her father, Captain Crewe, a wealthy Englishman living in India brings Sara to England for her formal schooling, leaving her in the hands of the owner, Miss Minchin. Sara status and privilege really get under Minchin鈥檚 skin and though Minchin is known to be cruel, Sara gets more than her share of her nasty disposition. But Sara remains kind, always trying to look at the bright side of life, making lemonade out of lemons so to speak. Sara鈥檚 gift of storytelling, her ability to empathize with the girls who are bullied by their peers and her willingness to do what must be done, endear her to most but not all. How she becomes called Princess is key part of the story. There are marvelous characters throughout these pages, including a doll, with her divine garments and accoutrements, an attic girl named Becky, and even Melchisedec; oh, I鈥檓 not telling you who he is.
The parting of Sara and her father is very hard to witness. As the time for him to return to India grows closer it鈥檚 decided that Sara will be given a new doll, but not just any doll. Her name is to be Emily and she will be Sara鈥檚 friend.
"I want her to look as if she wasn鈥檛 a doll really鈥�, Sara said. 鈥淚 want her to look as if she listens when I talk to her. The trouble with dolls, papa鈥� 鈥揳nd she put her head on one side and reflected as she said it鈥斺€渢he trouble with dolls is that they never seem to hear.鈥�
When Sara鈥檚 father diamond mine deal fails and he suddenly dies leaving Sara penniless, her life spirals from wealth to poverty quite quickly. The change in her life and its resolution has the fairytale appeal that makes this story charming.
I鈥檓 not certain how children of today would enjoy this book. The language is old fashioned and the story doesn鈥檛 have the modern zing of today鈥檚 movies, TV, games or books. It is simplistic and offers much that is black or white, yet still has themes of goodness and evil to challenge discussion. And yet, given the right child, the right person to share the story with, I could see it being a beloved tale.
Thank you Stephanie. Better late than never. A Little Princess was an enchanting read.
The Line(s) - "Sara often thought afterward that the house was somehow exactly like Miss Minchin. It was respectable and well furnished, but everything in it was ugly; and the very armchairs seemed to have hard bones in them.鈥�
The Sinker - A Little Princess was published in 1905 by author Frances Hodgson Burnett and is suggested for audiences of 10-13 year olds. At this time of my life I was probably just leaving behind series books like Nancy Drew and Cherry Ames, just on the cusp of rolling over to more adult novels. If I had read this rags to riches story a few years earlier I am certain I would have found the imagery delightful and would have been fascinated by Sara鈥檚 world, one in which she wears such beautiful clothing so descriptively described in all its finery.
Sara Crewe is quite young when the story begins. Her father, Captain Crewe, a wealthy Englishman living in India brings Sara to England for her formal schooling, leaving her in the hands of the owner, Miss Minchin. Sara status and privilege really get under Minchin鈥檚 skin and though Minchin is known to be cruel, Sara gets more than her share of her nasty disposition. But Sara remains kind, always trying to look at the bright side of life, making lemonade out of lemons so to speak. Sara鈥檚 gift of storytelling, her ability to empathize with the girls who are bullied by their peers and her willingness to do what must be done, endear her to most but not all. How she becomes called Princess is key part of the story. There are marvelous characters throughout these pages, including a doll, with her divine garments and accoutrements, an attic girl named Becky, and even Melchisedec; oh, I鈥檓 not telling you who he is.
The parting of Sara and her father is very hard to witness. As the time for him to return to India grows closer it鈥檚 decided that Sara will be given a new doll, but not just any doll. Her name is to be Emily and she will be Sara鈥檚 friend.
"I want her to look as if she wasn鈥檛 a doll really鈥�, Sara said. 鈥淚 want her to look as if she listens when I talk to her. The trouble with dolls, papa鈥� 鈥揳nd she put her head on one side and reflected as she said it鈥斺€渢he trouble with dolls is that they never seem to hear.鈥�
When Sara鈥檚 father diamond mine deal fails and he suddenly dies leaving Sara penniless, her life spirals from wealth to poverty quite quickly. The change in her life and its resolution has the fairytale appeal that makes this story charming.
I鈥檓 not certain how children of today would enjoy this book. The language is old fashioned and the story doesn鈥檛 have the modern zing of today鈥檚 movies, TV, games or books. It is simplistic and offers much that is black or white, yet still has themes of goodness and evil to challenge discussion. And yet, given the right child, the right person to share the story with, I could see it being a beloved tale.
Thank you Stephanie. Better late than never. A Little Princess was an enchanting read.
February 17, 2019
Downloaded this one in audio form from Librivox as well.
This is one of my all time favourite books. I first read it when I was thirteen years old and a bit of an outcast at my school and it gave me strength to move on. Her way of pretending things was very familiar to me and I got so sucked into the magic of the story.
Hearing it now, I was afraid it would prove childish, as childhood favourites often do. But to my delight it didn't. Sarah was a bit naive at times, which doesn't conflict with the fact that she's a little girl, and the story was as charming as I remembered it.
There's a lot of moral and reproach in the book, but the author manages to keep it lighthearted, and to make you yourself wish to become a better person. This book and 'The secret garden' are much better in that way than 'Little Lord Fauntleroy', which is absolutly awful, and which I haven't even been able to finish. Here, the people are not perfect, but each is good in his own way.
And of course there's the magic transformation of the attic, which I'll always remember, but which has somehow made less of an impression on me this time than it did last.
The only thing which disturbed me was, as another person mentioned here, the hints of orientalism. But you have to remember that that was the way people thought in those times in England. You can compare in to the fact that in the 19th century most of the writers were vaguly antisemetic - you can find it in Dickens, in Verne. So just keep in mind that it was the norm at the time.
14.7.07
This is one of my all time favourite books. I first read it when I was thirteen years old and a bit of an outcast at my school and it gave me strength to move on. Her way of pretending things was very familiar to me and I got so sucked into the magic of the story.
Hearing it now, I was afraid it would prove childish, as childhood favourites often do. But to my delight it didn't. Sarah was a bit naive at times, which doesn't conflict with the fact that she's a little girl, and the story was as charming as I remembered it.
There's a lot of moral and reproach in the book, but the author manages to keep it lighthearted, and to make you yourself wish to become a better person. This book and 'The secret garden' are much better in that way than 'Little Lord Fauntleroy', which is absolutly awful, and which I haven't even been able to finish. Here, the people are not perfect, but each is good in his own way.
And of course there's the magic transformation of the attic, which I'll always remember, but which has somehow made less of an impression on me this time than it did last.
The only thing which disturbed me was, as another person mentioned here, the hints of orientalism. But you have to remember that that was the way people thought in those times in England. You can compare in to the fact that in the 19th century most of the writers were vaguly antisemetic - you can find it in Dickens, in Verne. So just keep in mind that it was the norm at the time.
14.7.07
January 13, 2024
'She liked books more than anything else...'
Alongside The Secret Garden, A Little Princess is one of my favourite books. One of those ones where every page seems to resonate completely, and one that I've read so many times that I've lost count. It has never lost its magic.
Sara Crewe is one of the characters I hold most dear, out of all the books I've ever read, she is one of the few that seems to have maintained a permanent residence in my heart and mind. I identified fiercely with her as child, and that feeling remains, even though I am now so much older than her. She is wonderful, dignified, and strange.
I was fascinated with the doll her father gives her early on in the book, Emily, with her custom-made outfits and excessive finery. He is ludicrously wealthy and indulges her absurdly, but Sara is so gracious and aware of the luck of her position in life that it doesn't feel like poor parenting, just the actions of a devoted father with a lot of money to spend! She could so easily be spoiled, but isn't. In many ways she is the serious adult, while he is the excitable child.
I won't detail the plot, but despite knowing it by heart I get completely absorbed by it every time I read. I love everything about it. Sara is a wonderfully good child, but she never feels false.
'Never did she find anything so difficult as to keep herself from losing her temper when she was suddenly disturbed while absorbed in a book. People who are fond of books know the feeling of irritation which sweeps over them at such a moment. The temptation to be unreasonable and snappish is one not easy to manage.'
That quote is probably one of many reasons why she feels like such a kindred spirit to me!
馃拵馃懜馃懗馃挅馃悁馃惖馃崬馃尮馃悯馃摎馃摉馃挓馃悞
Alongside The Secret Garden, A Little Princess is one of my favourite books. One of those ones where every page seems to resonate completely, and one that I've read so many times that I've lost count. It has never lost its magic.
Sara Crewe is one of the characters I hold most dear, out of all the books I've ever read, she is one of the few that seems to have maintained a permanent residence in my heart and mind. I identified fiercely with her as child, and that feeling remains, even though I am now so much older than her. She is wonderful, dignified, and strange.
I was fascinated with the doll her father gives her early on in the book, Emily, with her custom-made outfits and excessive finery. He is ludicrously wealthy and indulges her absurdly, but Sara is so gracious and aware of the luck of her position in life that it doesn't feel like poor parenting, just the actions of a devoted father with a lot of money to spend! She could so easily be spoiled, but isn't. In many ways she is the serious adult, while he is the excitable child.
I won't detail the plot, but despite knowing it by heart I get completely absorbed by it every time I read. I love everything about it. Sara is a wonderfully good child, but she never feels false.
'Never did she find anything so difficult as to keep herself from losing her temper when she was suddenly disturbed while absorbed in a book. People who are fond of books know the feeling of irritation which sweeps over them at such a moment. The temptation to be unreasonable and snappish is one not easy to manage.'
That quote is probably one of many reasons why she feels like such a kindred spirit to me!
馃拵馃懜馃懗馃挅馃悁馃惖馃崬馃尮馃悯馃摎馃摉馃挓馃悞
December 21, 2017
兀賳丕 賯氐丞 廿賳爻丕賳
兀賳丕 噩乇丨 丕賱夭賲丕賳
兀賳丕 爻丕賱賷 爻丕賱賷
賴匕丕 丕賱賲賯胤毓 丕賱匕賷 丕賳丨賮乇 賮賷 匕丕賰乇丞 賲賱丕賷賷賳 丕賱兀胤賮丕賱 丕賱匕賷賳 鬲丕亘毓賵丕 丕賱賲爻賱爻賱 丕賱賰乇鬲賵賳賷 丕賱卮賴賷乇 "爻丕賱賷"
丕賱賲兀禺賵匕 毓賳 乇賵丕賷丞 "丕賱兀賲賷乇丞 丕賱氐睾賷乇丞" 賱賮乇丕賳爻賷爻 賴賵丿爻賵賳 亘乇賳賷鬲貙 賵賱賰賳 亘丕爻賲 "爻丕乇丞 賰乇賵".
賰賳丕 賳丨亘 爻丕賱賷 噩丿賸丕貙 賵賳鬲毓丕胤賮 賲毓賴丕 亘卮丿丞貙 賵賰賲 亘賰賷賳丕 賵鬲兀孬乇賳丕 賱賲丕 賲乇賾 亘賴丕 賲賳 賲丌爻賺 毓丿賷丿丞! 賵丿丿賳丕 賱賵 丕爻鬲胤毓賳丕 賲爻丕毓丿鬲賴丕! 兀丨亘亘賳丕 冥賷賰賷 丕賱胤賷亘丞貙 賵廿賷乇賲賳噩丕乇丿 丕賱賱胤賷賮孬 丕賱賲爻賰賷賳丞貙 賵賱賵鬲賷 丕賱氐睾賷乇丞. 賵賰賲 賰乇賴賳丕 丕賱丌賳爻丞 賲賳卮賳 丕賱卮乇賷乇丞 丕賱賯丕爻賷丞 丕賱鬲賷 賱賲 鬲乇兀賮 賱丨丕賱 丕賱胤賮賱丞 丕賱賲爻賰賷賳丞! 賵賱丕冥賷賳丕 丕賱賯丕爻賷丞 兀賷囟賸丕! 賵賰乇賴賳丕 賰賱 卮禺氐 鬲爻亘亘 亘兀匕賶 賱爻丕賱賷!
賱賲 鬲賰賳 爻丕賱賷 兀賵 爻丕乇丞 賲噩乇丿 卮禺氐賷丞 賰乇鬲賵賳賷丞 兀賵 卮禺氐賷丞 乇賵丕卅賷丞 賮賯胤貙 賵廿賳賲丕 "賯氐丞 廿賳爻丕賳" 丨賯賸丕貙 廿賳爻丕賳 賷鬲丨賱賶 亘賰丕賮丞 丕賱賮囟丕卅賱 丕賱賳亘賷賱丞 賵丕賱丨爻賳丞貙 丕賱匕賷 兀丨亘賴 丕賱噩賲賷毓 賱丿賲丕孬丞 兀禺賱丕賯賴貙 賵丨鬲賶 丨賷賳 禺爻乇 孬乇賵鬲賴 賵賲乇賰夭賴 丕賱丕噩鬲賲丕毓賷 亘賯賷 賰賲丕 賴賵 賵乇亘賲丕 夭丕丿 賳購亘賱賸丕 賵賮賴賲賸丕 賱賱丌禺乇賷賳.
"Whats'ever 'appens to you鈥攚hats'ever鈥攜ou'd be a princess all the same鈥攁n' nothin' couldn't make you nothin' different."
氐賵乇丞 丕賱胤賮賱丞 爻丕乇丞 賰乇賵 丕賱鬲賷 賰購鬲亘鬲 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 丕賱卮賴賷乇丞 毓賳賴丕
鈥�
May 17, 2021
Sara Crewe is a young pupil at Miss Minchin's Select Seminary for Young Ladies and it is clear from the start that she is favored.
Of course she is - she's absolutely loaded. A private room, custom gowns, more toys than what she could ever play with.
The teachers resent her and the other students envy her.
And yet...and yet...Sara is the kindest soul of them all. Always quick to lend a hand or provide guidance or comfort the younger ones.
And (of course) her actions do nothing but stir the pot of hatred from the others.
And then, the worst possible thing happens - Sara's father dies, and with it her fortune. Suddenly the teachers have no problem with being cruel to Sara's face.
And the little princess becomes nothing more than a servant.
But Sara maintains her aura of poise and grace - she will be a princess in riches or rags. And maybe, just maybe, her life will get better.
Oh my gosh. First I read the Secret Garden and I'm blown away. Then I read this one and I'm just in love.
I cannot get over just how wonderful Sara is, the hardships she faced and the true kindness she showed despite it all.
This is such a truly amazing story - I cannot recommend it enough!!
Of course she is - she's absolutely loaded. A private room, custom gowns, more toys than what she could ever play with.
The teachers resent her and the other students envy her.
And yet...and yet...Sara is the kindest soul of them all. Always quick to lend a hand or provide guidance or comfort the younger ones.
And (of course) her actions do nothing but stir the pot of hatred from the others.
And then, the worst possible thing happens - Sara's father dies, and with it her fortune. Suddenly the teachers have no problem with being cruel to Sara's face.
And the little princess becomes nothing more than a servant.
But Sara maintains her aura of poise and grace - she will be a princess in riches or rags. And maybe, just maybe, her life will get better.
Oh my gosh. First I read the Secret Garden and I'm blown away. Then I read this one and I'm just in love.
I cannot get over just how wonderful Sara is, the hardships she faced and the true kindness she showed despite it all.
This is such a truly amazing story - I cannot recommend it enough!!
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