A Little Princess

"Never did she find anything so difficult as to keep herselffrom 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." -A Little Princess (p 55)

Most people know the story of the young Sara Crewe from A Little Princess thanks to Disney; she is a rich young lady sent to a school in London and given anything her heart desires from a father that dotes on her. Suddenly her father dies and she is left with nothing. Made to work as a house servant she tries to make the best of her life through her powerful imagination.

I fell in love with the tale as a child but left it behind as I grew up. Now that I have been given the chance to revisit the story through the original work, I find myself once more in love with young Sara and her kind soul. Through everything she manages to act like she believes a true princess would in the face of adversity; something I wish more adults could manage. She has a kinder heart than I see in most people I see. But then she is a small fictional child from another time.

I of course love the writing of Frances Hodgson Burnett, owning and cherishing the novel A Secret Garden since many years back. This is just another wonderful work produced by the author, one that I believe everyone should read and enjoy. I look forward to being able to read this to Jareth soon and Livia in the future. And I hope they take from it a desire to be as kind hearted as Sara, just as I have.