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A Little Princess
by
Sara Crewe, an exceptionally intelligent and imaginative student at Miss Minchin's Select Seminary for Young Ladies, is devastated when her adored, indulgent father dies. Now penniless and banished to a room in the attic, Sara is demeaned, abused, and forced to work as a servant. How this resourceful girl's fortunes change again is at the center of A Little Princess, one o
...more
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Paperback, Penguin Classics, 242 pages
Published
February 26th 2002
by Penguin Books
(first published 1905)
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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!!
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 mal
...more
My favourite book of all time.
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 ...more
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 ...more
"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 ...more
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 ...more
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 Mi ...more
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 Mi ...more
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 Goodreads. Today as I was reading this book the exact same question popped into my head. I guess better late than never. 😉
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 t ...more
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 t ...more
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 wit ...more
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 wit ...more
“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.”
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 “Mysteries and complexities have their own charm but sometim ...more
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, ...more
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, ...more
Jun 14, 2017
emma
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
classics,
children-s,
reviewed,
owned,
recommend,
3-and-a-half-stars,
owned-multiple,
gorgeous-covers
I managed to write an almost-full review of this book. It is here!: https://emmareadstoomuch.wordpress.co...
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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 über-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 ...more
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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 über-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 ...more
Nov 04, 2020
Tharindu Dissanayake
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
favorites-fiction,
favorites
"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.
' “You see, I know wh ...more
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.
' “You see, I know wh ...more
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 ha ...more
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 ha ...more
Oct 17, 2016
Clumsy Storyteller
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
2016-reading-assingment,
children-s-books
A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett is the story of a little girl "Sara" whose father’s 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’s 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 :(
“Never did she find anything so difficult as to keep herself from ...more
“Never did she find anything so difficult as to keep herself from ...more
Full review now posted!
A buddy read with my friend Missy!
Some books don’t 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’ve grown to adore this book because, as I age, the premise of the book and the lessons it teaches strike my heart harder. I’ve never experienced highs quite as high as those Sara Crewe experiences, and I’ve never suffered through l ...more
A buddy read with my friend Missy!
Some books don’t 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’ve grown to adore this book because, as I age, the premise of the book and the lessons it teaches strike my heart harder. I’ve never experienced highs quite as high as those Sara Crewe experiences, and I’ve never suffered through l ...more
Aug 20, 2018
Catherine
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
made-me-cry,
classics
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 charac ...more
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 charac ...more
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 ...more
"If I am a princess in rags and tatters, I can be a princess inside. It would be easy to ...more
Feb 22, 2018
Dannii Elle
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
classic-captivaton
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 The Secret Garden. 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 ...more
I find it odd how I adored this story so, when my favourite childhood read was Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden. 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 ...more
The 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 ed
...more
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 th ...more
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 th ...more
Now as much as Frances Hodgson Burnett's A Little Princess is and remains both a childhood and adulthood favourite, in some if not actually many ways, 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 it as much as, say, The Secret Garden (also, of course, by Frances Hodgson Burnett) or the Anne of Green Gables and the Em
...more
The story begins with little Sara Crewe traveling from the life she’s always known living in India with her beloved Father, Captain Crewe, to be schooled like all proper British girls in London. Her father is loathe to let her go but knows he must for her own good. Almost immediately upon arrival, Sara sees quite clearly with her wise beyond her years insight that Miss Minchin, the proprietor of the school, is not a fair lady, although she hides it well enough. Just as immediately, Sara gets the
...more
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 style. 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 lo
...more
'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 ...more
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 ...more
I really enjoyed this one! I thought it was very uplifting, and I loved the message behind it. I would definitely recommend this book to people of all ages.
I went into A Little Princess with a small amount of backstory - I’d loved the 1995 film as a child (the protagonist is called Sara...I’m called Sara...it was a given I’d love it) so I had some idea of the plot and characters. However, I had no idea just how much I would be affected by the story. By the last 50 pages, I was sobbing.
A Little Princess is the story of Sara Crewe, who has arrived in London after a privileged life in India as the daughter of Captain Crewe, to start her education at ...more
A Little Princess is the story of Sara Crewe, who has arrived in London after a privileged life in India as the daughter of Captain Crewe, to start her education at ...more
I am a princess
all girls are
even if they live in tiny old attics
even if they dress in rags
even if they aren't pretty or smart or young
they still princesses all of us
didn't your father ever tell you that ?
didn't he ??
* I think I loved this book more than the secret garden * ...more
all girls are
even if they live in tiny old attics
even if they dress in rags
even if they aren't pretty or smart or young
they still princesses all of us
didn't your father ever tell you that ?
didn't he ??
* I think I loved this book more than the secret garden * ...more
This story is very near and dear to my heart. I grew up watching the movie on repeat and when I found out it was a book as a teen, I was ecstatic. And the story only grows better with age for me. Something about it just speaks to my heart and it makes me incredibly happy. I do have to admit though, this is one of the very rare cases where I enjoy the movie more than the book. I think that may be just a case of childhood nostalgia though, I was absolutely enthralled by that movie!
The Story:
It is a simple heart warming story of a rich girl whose fortunes play hide and seek with her. Initially she is very rich and enjoys everything as a princess and after some time we see her reduced to a pauper, having nothing and no body in the world. She works and struggles to support her life as a charity pupil. And then arrives the fairy tale ending in which the pauper is restored to unimaginable riches.
What I understood from the Story/the Moral of the Story:
1. The nature of life and ...more
It is a simple heart warming story of a rich girl whose fortunes play hide and seek with her. Initially she is very rich and enjoys everything as a princess and after some time we see her reduced to a pauper, having nothing and no body in the world. She works and struggles to support her life as a charity pupil. And then arrives the fairy tale ending in which the pauper is restored to unimaginable riches.
What I understood from the Story/the Moral of the Story:
1. The nature of life and ...more
"she was always dreaming and thinking odd things and could not herself remember any time when she had not been thinking things about grown-up people and the world they belonged to. She felt as if she had lived a long, long time."
I wished Frances Hodgson Burnett stopped explaining about Sara at this point. Because at this point, I like her already. Because at this point, I wish I read this book when I was a child. Because at this point, I start to think that Sara and I have similarities.
Sadly tho ...more
I wished Frances Hodgson Burnett stopped explaining about Sara at this point. Because at this point, I like her already. Because at this point, I wish I read this book when I was a child. Because at this point, I start to think that Sara and I have similarities.
Sadly tho ...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princess | 20 | 199 | Oct 15, 2020 01:46AM | |
| Play Book Tag: [pb]A little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett, 5 stars | 5 | 18 | Aug 15, 2020 08:42AM | |
| Goodreads Librari...: Please add cover to this edition | 2 | 10 | Aug 11, 2020 03:17PM | |
| 2019 Roe Reading ...: A Little Princess | 3 | 9 | Mar 23, 2020 03:58AM | |
| Three things that make you smile? | 6 | 64 | Aug 25, 2018 08:40AM |
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Frances Eliza Hodgson was the daughter of ironmonger Edwin Hodgson, who died three years after her birth, and his wife Eliza Boond. She was educated at The Select Seminary for Young Ladies and Gentleman until the age of fifteen, at which point the family ironmongery, then being run by her mother, failed, and the family emigrated to Knoxville, Tennessee. Here Hodgson began to write, in order to sup
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“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.”
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