Originally published in France in 1943, and translated into
250 different languages.
Let me start off by saying that when I ordered this book, I
thought it was a children’s book. Just
from looking at the cover, anyone would think so. Except, when I finally had it in my hands, I
found that that was far from the case.
It’s close to a hundred pages long, most with a full page of text, and
wording that small kids wouldn’t understand.
If my teenage son were to read it, (not too likely since he’s at that “I
hate reading” stage), he might grasp the concept of the book, but there would
be no chance for my younger ones.
THE LITTLE PRINCE /
LA PETIT PRINCE
by Antoine De Saint-Exupéry
BOOK DESCRIPTION
“Six Years Ago,” writes Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, “I made a forced landing in
the Sahara, alone, a thousand miles from help, and faced with the necessity of
repairing my motor by myself within the number of days my supply of drinking
water would last. The first morning I
was awakened by a gentle but determined voice which said, ‘If you please, draw
me a sheep.’” Thus it was that he met
the Little Prince, whose strange history he learned, bit by bit, in the days
that followed.
The Little Prince lived alone on a tiny planet no larger
than a house. He possessed three
volcanoes, two active and one extinct, although one never knows about
volcanoes. He also owned a flower,
unlike any flower in all the galaxy, of great beauty and of inordinate
pride. It was this pride that ruined the
serenity of the Little Prince’s world and started him on travels that brought
him at last to the Earth where he learned finally, from a fox, the secret of
what is really important in life.
To preserve his memory of the Little Prince, Saint-Exupery
has made some forty watercolors, whimsical, gravely meticulous in detail. Each is an almost essential part of the
story.
There are a few stories which in some way, in some degree,
change the world forever for their readers.
This is one.
MY REVIEW
4 out of 5 *Stars*
I have to say, this book took me by surprise. It’s iconic… a classic. I had heard so many good things about it, but
once I started reading it, I didn’t understand all the hype. It was slow and confusing, and I didn’t get
it. Then, all of the sudden something
clicked. It started to pull me in, and
finally after finishing it, I’m in awe.
I heard at one point that this is a book that needs to be
read more than once in a lifetime. Where
you are in your life at the time signifies how the story will be perceived. I couldn’t agree more. It took me a week to read this book when it
should have only taken me a day. I would
read, then stop because my kids needed me, I had to get something done, or I
had to go to the store. Whatever it was, I was too busy to give the book any
time. I took me deciding to dye my hair
and having 40 minutes of down time to sit and give it the time it
deserved. Let me tell you, I got a real
eye opener once I did. It was successful
in teaching the “grown-up” Rebekah an important lesson.
Toward the beginning of the book, Saint-Exupéry talks about
how he doesn’t like grown-ups because they never could see outside the box. As I was reading, I was giddy, thinking that
I have a creative mind and I can think outside the box, so he would like
me. I would be the exception! Then, it started discussing how misguided a grown-ups
sense of importance can be, and I knew that I was sunk.
Throughout the book, there’s one saying that pops up quite a
few times, “Matters of consequence.” The little prince traveled to different
planets before landing on Earth, and at each planet was a grown-up that he got
to speak with. All of them would talk
about matters of consequence, whether it be ruling over the stars, owning the
stars, fixing something… all the stuff that grown-ups perceived as important. None of them had time to be a friend because
they were all too busy. Kind of like I
couldn’t give the book time because I was too busy with my “matters of consequence”.
I liked how the book was written as if an autobiography. It makes the reader go back with him into his
own memory when he himself met the little prince. I’ve read too many books to count that were
in first person, but nothing that made me forget that it was just a story. This one did.
It was as if the little prince was real and was someone that I would
most want to find. It’s almost
depressing that he’s fictional. Or is he…..
Overall, this was a wonderful book that I recommend to
everyone. Yes, it’s slow moving, but
there are so many hidden messages for people in the text that it makes one
curious to see what another person will get out of it. This was the lesson I learned… Yes,
groceries, soccer practices, PTA, and house cleaning are important, but one cannot
forget to stop and recognize the other things that are just as important, but not
as noticeable like having conversations with your family, laughing, helping
another person, doing something that makes you smile… or sitting down and
taking time to read a good book. Till
next time…
20 books down, 32 to go!
Happy Reading, Everyone!!
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