¡§A Little Princess¡¨
Frances Hodgson Burnett 192 pages ISBN: 0-87923-784-8
Review by Haze WANG
Frances Hodgson Burnett's "A Little Princess" tells an interesting and emotive story about little Sara, which encourages millions of people who are under pressure. Notwithstanding having read this book in Chinese before, reading again in English still very much reaches into my heart.
The story begins when the Indian-born little Sara going to the "Select Seminary for Young Ladies" in London for further education. She is the only daughter of the young, widowed, and exceedingly rich Ralph Crewe-the Captain of India. After Sara meets the coordinator of the seminary, Miss Minchin, she needs to say goodbye to her father, who has left almost every prized possession to his "little princess". Sara does good work in every aspect. She has many friends: her last doll Emily, the dull but kind-hearted Ermengarde, the spoiled but lovable Lotte, and the underfed kitchen maid, Becky.
Everything seems brilliant to her. Till one day she hears that her dear father is dead from the "Indian fever". Suddenly everything has changed; Sara becomes nothing more than a beggar who has to work for Miss Minchin. However, she does not feel lonely because of her friends. Anyway, Sara is very lucky when a friend of her father's finds her and presents to her all her father's fortune. Sara becomes a real princess in the end, having a wonderful and happy life.
I like Sara mainly because of her graceful manners. Every word coming out of her mouth is full of pleasure and politeness. Every thing she does is intended to make others feel happy and comfortable. When she meets the poor maid Becky, she has no ill will but the conscious intention of helping her escape from hard work. I am deeply touched by it.
Another typical characteristic of her is her unbounded imagination. She has such talent to make up stories from daily life and make them vivid for her audience. I remember those wonderful stories about Emily, Lotte's mamma, the diamond mines, and the large rat family which she called them "the Melchisedec's". The stories often stimulate me to image another magic world which is yet to be discovered. The images are always colourful and vibrant. Sara always tries her best to be a princess no matter when and where she is.
I definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for hope and help. Even when little Sara loses her comfortable sitting-room, silk gauze and lace petticoats, maid, and envy of others, she never loses hope. As Sonal Panse-a famous writer in America has said, "We close the book with a glow of happiness-for once it¡¦s not necessary to look at the world through rose-colored glasses, it actually is of a rosy hue!"
10/11/2005
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