Comments on things mean a lot: A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Hi Megan - this is the right book, yes. I haven...

2011-08-04T21:01:04.489+01:00

Hi Megan - this is the right book, yes. I haven't watched the film yet, but I've been told it's a good but not very faithful adaptation - they changed the time and place where the story happens and just keep the bare bones of the plot. I'm sorry the book let you down! Expecting something different is always a bit of a disappointment. I guess this is one of those cases where it's good to think of book and movie as separate things.

After watching the film so often that I knew ALL o...

2011-08-04T19:18:34.626+01:00

After watching the film so often that I knew ALL of the words to it I decided to hunt down the book, found one and bought it only as I read it I did not enjoy it as much, the book I have tells the reader that saras father dies and left sara at a boarding school because of gold mines whereas the film shows because her dad goes to war and in the end sara and her dad reunite, now I'm wondering if any of you know whether. 'A little princess wrote by Frances Hodgson Burnett and published 06 August, 2009, has the film plot of the same book that I have already read? Please help as I really want to find the right book! :)

I've always loved this book. In fact, it is my...

2010-11-11T08:48:21.055Z

I've always loved this book. In fact, it is my favorite book. That in itself has some interesting consequences. Whenever someone asks me what my favorite book is, I sometimes feel the need to refrain from saying, "A Little Princess," because I don't want to hear, "What, are you a pedophile?" ever again. It's good to know others like it as well, and thanks for putting up a very nice analysis of the book, which gave me some new insights on it as well.

I've been trying to find a book similar to A Little Princess, but I've failed so far. What other book out there that is an innocent classic maybe for children, but adults can appreciate it on another level? By innocent, I mean no murders, romance, sci-fi, magic...it's what this book lacks that makes it good. And I don't mean true classics either because I have enough of those in literature class. :P

I had giggle when you said that picking books apar...

2010-09-03T05:25:35.488+01:00

I had giggle when you said that picking books apart was your idea of bookish fun. It's mine, too.

I've read this several times, but not recently. I think it might be time to return to it.

Nymeth that's a great point, thanks for expand...

2010-08-27T12:13:27.994+01:00

Nymeth that's a great point, thanks for expanding my thinking. I was thinking of her deliberately limiting her approach because of class prejudice, but it does seem more likely that she was so immersed in her culture she saw class structures as a natural aspect of the world.

ah, I guess what I meant is that modern authors do...

2010-08-26T18:32:07.525+01:00

ah, I guess what I meant is that modern authors do not feel they can write noble characters for fear of being accused of the inherent nobility idea.

Jeane: Thank you for the kind words! I wish I'...

2010-08-26T17:15:12.937+01:00

Jeane: Thank you for the kind words! I wish I'd read these as a child, but they were still such fun now.

Emily: Thank you! It's definitely still a good book, yes. More than a flaw, I saw this as interestingly contradictory and revealing of the social dynamics of the time period, if that makes sense.

Veronica: Sadly I missed out on both growing up, but it's never too late, right?

I remember loving this book when I was younger. An...

2010-08-26T06:59:29.870+01:00

I remember loving this book when I was younger. And not just the book, but the Shirley Temple movie, too. It's been a long time since I've read or seen either.

Love your analysis of the book! It's been a f...

2010-08-25T17:53:43.691+01:00

Love your analysis of the book! It's been a few years since I last read the book, but I can totally see what you mean about Sara's intrinsic nobility. It IS still a good book, though. I read it multiple times when I was younger.

Oh, this is so wonderful. i'm sorry I came to ...

2010-08-25T13:00:23.823+01:00

Oh, this is so wonderful. i'm sorry I came to the conversation late. I've loved The Little Princess and The Secret Garden since childhood, they even stand up to constant re-reads. I never really thought about the social implications of the story, and so I enjoyed reading how you picked it apart.

Fence: I love Cuáron, so I'm quite curious abo...

2010-08-24T09:02:38.053+01:00

Fence: I love Cuáron, so I'm quite curious about that version! And worry not, I don't think I'd hate it :P

Rhinoa: Well, it's at least a quick read, so if you hate it it won't be a huge waste of time :P

Emidy: It's actually less innocent and sugary than I'd imagined. Read it and find out :P

Emily: I'm glad to have allowed you to visit it! :) And hopefully we'll both enjoy her work for adults.

She: I haven't seen either of them, no, but I will one of these days :)

Lu: Do you mean the one by Alfonso Cuáron or the older one?

Elise: I wish I'd read it as a child! But fortunately I still got a lot out of it now.

Jenners: lol, I think we all have moments when we think that as kids :P

Jeanne: I'd love to hear what you think!

ds: Very true about Mary, though I did grow to like her in the end. But Sara just charmed me right away!

Amy: That sounds like such an interesting panel! That's definitely true of modern books, but up until the mid twentieth-century the idea of inherent nobility is quite prevalent - though I haven't read them yet, I keep hearing that the Tarzan books are a good example. I think A Little Princess is one of those transition books, stuck somewhere between one mindset and the other. And that's what makes it so interesting!

Boof: Yes you should!

Erato, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did :)

Fyrefly: lol, I can see my younger self thinking the same :P

Daphne: I do think you'd love it! And oh, I need to read Elizabeth and her German Garden - The Solitary Summer was such a delight. Edwardian literature really is wonderful <3

Stephanie: I agree!

Dominique: I remember that feeling so well! And Burnett evokes it wonderfully.

Naida: The book is always better ;) But that never movie has me curious as well.

Kathleen: I hope you enjoy the re-read!

Alice, I've no doubt that you'd enjoy this!

Kiirstin: That's an excellent point. Another thing I wonder about is why the books that do this successfully always seem to be older ones. I wonder if it's part the book, and part our own belief that perhaps that particular plot structure was never back then?

Just about your comment: "These are all charm...

2010-08-24T02:33:42.719+01:00

Just about your comment: "These are all charming stories, comforting exactly because of their identifiable patterns, and moving even if we can see their emotional climaxes coming from miles away."

One of the things that occurred to me as I read this is that I think writing this sort of story is harder than writing others with surprises and twists and confounded expectations and suitably realistic endings -- because if it is predictable, and not extremely well-written, then it's boring. Or worse, frustrating. I think it takes a special writer (Burnett being one of them) to pull off a really good happily-ever-after with a relatively predictable storyline. Otherwise the whole thing feels flat and tired.

Violet: It seems to be less well-known than The Se...

2010-08-23T19:23:53.010+01:00

Violet: It seems to be less well-known than The Secret Garden, which is a shame!

Jen: I think the Persephone reissue of The Making of a Marchioness got quite a few blog reviews. I look forward to your thoughts on this and the movie!

Simon: Thank you! The Shuttle does sound rather wonderful. I'll have to get myself one of FHB's books when I finally visit the Persephone bookshop.

Sandy: I completely understand why you let down! I couldn't resist looking up the differences between the ending of the movie and of the book, and you know, at first I was convinced the book was going to end *that* way too.

Claire: I haven't, but I'm quite curious about Alfonso Cuáron's, as I usually love his stuff. And adding Little Lord Fauntleroy to the wishlist!

Clare: I had no idea either!

Jodie: I suspect that if we could ask her, she'd maintain that she was taking it as far as it could go. It's easy to look back with our modern worldview and see the limitations of her attempts at subversion, but ideology tends to be invisible for those who are immersed with it, so I think she unconsciously thought that the things she didn't try to challenge were akin to forces of nature and could NOT be challenge. As many of us do now about countless other things, of course :P

Amy: Thank you! Even with its limitations (which are understandable) it's a rather lovely book, isn't it?

Meghan: I think you would too!

Jessica: I still do! And I must read What Katy Did one of these days.

Zibilee: So have I! But fortunately we can still catch up :P I feel bad that I missed out on all these books growing up, but at least I can still enjoy them now.

Amanda: You might like this one better, as it's slightly less syrupy, I think.

Kathy: Isn't that cover beautiful? And yes, Sara is adorable!

Jenny: Hilary McKay! I'm so glad to hear it's wonderful! I'll look for it for sure.

S. Krishna: It's never too late!

Marieke: It really is!

Mumsy: Eep, I think I'll stay clear of that adaptation! And that's lovely that you have such a clear memory of first reading it :)

Linda: You're most welcome!

Jill: I wonder why that is! I think that we have a bit of a tendency to, when we see any progress in any social justice issue, to assume that the problem is all fixed and therefore is not worth talking about anymore :\

Staci: Well, I suppose you could disagree with me there :P But I do think you'll like it a lot.

I have enjoyed The Secret Garden and it is in my t...

2010-08-22T15:26:17.937+01:00

I have enjoyed The Secret Garden and it is in my to-do to read this one as well. I haven't read Persephone or the others you've mentioned, though.

This is one I would definitely like to reread. It...

2010-08-22T05:02:14.817+01:00

This is one I would definitely like to reread. It has been so, so long since I've read this one or The Secret Garden.

I didnt realize this was a book, I used to love th...

2010-08-21T17:10:47.204+01:00

I didnt realize this was a book, I used to love the film version with Shirley Temple, then later on they re-made it and it was also really good.
I'm sure the book is better.
Great review!
http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/

Like many others have said, I loved the film adapt...

2010-08-21T02:15:11.384+01:00

Like many others have said, I loved the film adaptation when I was young and have always meant to read the book. Very interesting review, I loved reading your thoughts on the powerless, voiceless feelings of childhood.

I absolutely loved this book when I was a girl! Ev...

2010-08-21T02:11:40.690+01:00

I absolutely loved this book when I was a girl! Even better that The Secret Garden.

I just finished re-reading The Secret Garden which...

2010-08-20T20:12:47.323+01:00

I just finished re-reading The Secret Garden which is one of my absolute FAVORITES, so if you found this to be even more charming, I can only imagine how much I would love it. I was considering putting it on my little e-reader for an upcoming trip. I'm in the middle of Elizabeth and her German Garden, another charmer.

I love this era of children's novels SO MUCH. I will definitely have to check it out.

This was (is) one of my favorite books growing up ...

2010-08-20T16:17:58.219+01:00

This was (is) one of my favorite books growing up - definitely top three, if not number one. As a kid, I didn't really pick up on the nuances of social class that you've laid out so neatly here... if anything, I just remember thinking that Sara's so awesome that OF COURSE she deserves to be rich. :)

I'm reading it. So I've just skimed your a...

2010-08-20T14:25:56.170+01:00

I'm reading it. So I've just skimed your article. I loved the animated cartoon, when I was young ^^

What a lovely review! I have this book on my shelf...

2010-08-20T10:46:43.896+01:00

What a lovely review! I have this book on my shelf but still haven't got round to reading it - your review has just persuaded me that maybe it's time I should get round to it.

I found this bit: " A Little Princess seems t...

2010-08-20T09:27:07.618+01:00

I found this bit: " A Little Princess seems to suggest that Sara possesses some sort of born nobility that makes her more worthy of privilege than anyone else – or rather, worthy of a more refined kind of privilege." really interesting. One of the panels I attended at Comic-Con talked about how writers actually feel they must tell stories with everyman sort of characters because the idea of nobility also being super heroes or doing good might suggest class superiority. Very interesting!

I LOVE this book!!! And I also found it better tha...

2010-08-20T03:47:58.805+01:00

I LOVE this book!!! And I also found it better than The Secret Garden (Mary is so unsympathetic in the beginning, it's tough to warm up to her). The power of stories and imagination to comfort triumphs again.

This is a book I read and reread over and over aga...

2010-08-20T03:05:11.771+01:00

This is a book I read and reread over and over again as a child. Reading what you say about it makes me want to reread it yet again as an adult!