A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of A Little Princess
Book Review: A Little Princess
Summary: 5 Stars
A well-loved childhood classic that one never tires of reading. It brought back wonderful memories I had from the first time I read it. This should be in every child's (and adult's) library.Book Review: A Little Princess
Summary: 5 Stars
I have read this book several times. I like it because SaraCrewe was brave and that she always had an optimistic mind. She alwayswanted to help the poor and other people who needed attention such asBecky the overworked servant and Ermangarde the girl with no friends. I also like Sara because she knew how to talk back to Miss Minchin and snobby Lavinia.Book Review: A Little Princess
Summary: 5 Stars
A Little Princess had a lot of detail and excitement. The details made me imagine all of the wonderful places and characters in my head. I couldn't put the book down for a minute. There was always something new happening and I wanted to know what would happen next. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves princesses and a book that pulls you in right from the beginning. A Little Princess is one of my favorite books and I hope it will turn out to be your favorite book too, when you read it.Book Review: A Little Princess
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm not sure why I've always liked this book so much- usually I can't stand books like this. This is a sweet, sad, and happy tale. I know Sara is a very fake character, but what I like about it is that she and everyone else realizes that she's too good to be true. It would be different if the author didn't even realize that she made Sara unrealistic.I think it's unfair to categorize this book ages 5-7. I didn't appreciate this book until I was about 9 or 10. I know a 5 year old won't be as touched by this story as much as an older child would be. My favorite part of A Little Princess is when Sara is in the attic and just cries. It shows that even she is a little human. I highly recommend this book to all ages.
Book Review: A Little Princess
Summary: 5 Stars
Sometimes, when I hit that recession-low when my thoughts begin to eerily resemble that of Macbeth's and I return from bookstores shockingly empty-handed, I raid my shelves for old favorites. Once or twice a year, I inevitably return to A Little Princess.Formerly of India, Captain Crewe and his daughter Sara are in London because the latter is to attend Miss Minchin's boarding school. Due to her intelligence and wealth, Sara is made a show pupil; however, her attributes combined with her kindness and humility earns her jealous enemies, among them the headmistress herself. Several years pass and tragic circumstances leave Sara penniless and indebted to the villaness, Miss Minchin. All of Sara's privileges are taken away, and she is thrown into the attic and forced into the role of an unpaid servant/maid/governess. A combination of all things-- deus ex machina, dramatic irony, peripeteia (all I knew was that it blew away my seven-year old mind and got me banging the book on the bed and yelling at the characters)-- brings about the happily-ever-after, and the proverbial riding off into the sunset (except Sara persumably did so in a luxurious coach and into the foggy London mist, or as I'd like to imagine).
We can talk about the plausible holes in ALP... (and here are some SPOILERS!!!) such as the absolutely unrealistic character of Sara Crewe; the business deal between Captain Crewe and "the Indian gentleman" (but I suppose it's wrong to judge with a 21st century view of proper investigations and contracts and lawyers)... not to mention the incredible political-incorrectness and (even though it is entirely unrelated) the movie versions of the book, which TOTALLY missed the point by reviving the dead Captain Crewe!
Despite all, or maybe because of them, I love A Little Princess. It has everything you'd ever want: an intelligent, gallant heroine; exotic locales (although I wanted a diamond mine more than I wanted to live in India); history; extravagance (I drooled for days over the description of the laces and velvets of the doll's wardrobe); loyalty, and tamed mice and wily monkeys... and let's not forget the sheer romance palpable in every word of the book, which I guess is embodied in all of the "everything" aforementioned. This is a romp, a book that uses every shameless, sappy device to tug at your heartstrings and brings about tears and great gnashings of the teeth. But every time, I gamely cheer on the brave Sara and her friends, boo Miss Minchin, and beg the characters to go next door and borrow a cup of sugar (or at least for Sara to sign her name, for God's sake, when she writes that note in her attic!!). I love it.
This is the copy I had as a child, too, although I had a hardback; I remember the feel of the book in my hands, the rose-colored jacket, and the lovely, lovely colored illustrations done by Ms. Tudor. It's an apt color-- because isn't that we're asking for when we open the book, to be immersed into a world tinted by rose-colored glasses, where the good is forever valiant and always triumphant?