I just finished “_A Little Princess_”:http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1402714548/octothorppres-20, a lesser-known book by the author of _The Secret Garden_, and I can’t stop thinking about its inspiring story.
Sara Crewe is a rich, well-mannered girl sent away from her widowed father in India to a prestigious boarding school in London. All of the students are impressed by her wealth, but her most striking feature is her kindness, especially to the less-fortunate girls around her. She seems to understand the power she has as a wealthy and intelligent girl and considers it her responsibility to “act like a princess” — which means being kind and generous to whomever needs such attentions.
When Sara receives some tragic news that changes her family and financial situation entirely, her privileged status disintegrates. Now living as a servant in the school, she is determined not to let go of her “inner princess” — not by wishing she was being catered to or longing for her fur coats, but by retaining her polite manners (even when insulted by the cook), cultivating her imagination, devoting herself to her education, and showing kindness to all who are in need. In one chapter, a very hungry Sara happens upon a fourpence and is about to purchase some bread for her dinner, when she meets an even hungrier child:
bq. “If I’m a princess,” she was saying — “if I’m a princess — when they were poor and driven from their thrones — they always shared — with the populace — if they met one poorer and hungrier than themselves. They always shared. Buns are a penny each. If it had been sixpence I could have eaten six. It won’t be enough for either of us. But it will be better than nothing” (124).
The story does have some delightfully magical twists in it, but what really impresses me is Sara’s inner strength in the face of adversity. She very rarely feels sorry for herself, despite the truly abominable treatment she receives. The headmistress, who wields power over her and continually tries to break Sara’s spirit, does not intimidate her “inner princess” in the least. And although she does express grief and rage, Sara is always able to release her emotions and then return to her core belief that, as a privileged person, she is called to be a blessing to others
And while this story is nice, it gets even better in real life — because in the kingdom of God, we all are princes and princesses, called to be a blessing to others with all the spiritual riches we could imagine at our disposal. _That_ is the best kind of story — the true kind.
Considered in this review: Frances Hodgson Burnett, “_A Little Princess_”:http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1402714548/octothorppres-20 (1905; reprint, Unabridged Classics series, New York: Sterling Publishing, 2004).
Ann,
Have you seen the movie? I was so touched by it when I was a little girl, that I went to see it in the theatre 3 nights in a row!!!
Hey Ann – I love this book – I’ve read it several times. First as a child and many times since!
I loved this book when I was a kid. It’s a wonderful story.
My kids loved this book, too. There are actually a few good movies, and I think we got all of them from Sulzer. Of course, these types of books always inspired my kids to spend weeks “playing orphans.” And it always bothered me that they had so much fun doing that!
This was in the theater back when I worked there in high school. It has the most amazing cinematography (sp). I highly recommend watching it. I loved it.