Blurb:
Moral allegory and spiritual autobiography, The Little Prince is the most translated book in the French language. With a timeless charm it tells the story of a little boy who leaves the safety of his own tiny planet to travel the universe, learning the vagaries of adult behaviour through a series of extraordinary encounters. His personal odyssey culminates in a voyage to Earth and further adventures.
My Review:
This novel is not really a children’s storybook as the cover may reflect. It is better understood and appreciated by older readers. Although it is not inappropriate for children.
The narrator’s plane accidentally lands in a desert. There he meets The Little Prince. This prince has come from another planet (or you can say an asteroid).
The Prince is travelling from planet to planet (asteroid to asteroid) to gain knowledge and ends up reaching Earth because he has been told, “It has a good reputation.”
Their conversation reveals how a child is always inquisitive about everything. It tells us about the human psychology. Human tends to become a more complex character as they grow up.
There are a lot of things that we start to accept as it is, as we grow up. We stop questioning. We assume that there is nothing to learn. But it is not true. Sometimes some questions asked by kids make us ponder about it. But as grown-ups, we ignore their questions and hence their curiosity.
The author supports his thinking with some beautiful quotes. These words will make you believe in what the author has to convey.
GROWN-UPS LOVE FIGURES… WHEN YOU TELL THEM YOU’VE MADE A NEW FRIEND THEY NEVER ASK YOU “WHAT DOES HIS VOICE SOUND LIKE? WHAT GAMES DOES HE LOVE BEST? DOES HE COLLECT BUTTERFLIES? ” INSTEAD THEY DEMAND “HOW OLD IS HE? HOW MUCH DOES HE WEIGH? HOW MUCH MONEY DOES HIS FATHER MAKE? ” ONLY FROM THESE FIGURES DO THEY THINK THEY HAVE LEARNED ANYTHING ABOUT HIM.
―Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince
The author mocks the adult for being interested in quantitative details only. They would not believe something until some figures are attached to it.
If you were to say to the grown-ups: “I saw a beautiful house made of rosy brick, with geraniums in the windows and doves on the roof,” they would not be able to get an idea of that house at all. You would have to say to them: “I saw a house that cost $20,000.” Then they would exclaim: “Oh, what a pretty house that is!”
IT IS THE TIME YOU HAVE WASTED FOR YOUR ROSE THAT MAKES YOUR ROSE SO IMPORTANT.
―Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince
It is the time that you spend on a thing/ person/ task which makes it important for you. You don’t want to let it go away from your life. A huge rose garden is not as meaningful as the rose you took care of.
This simple yet adorable novel is one which will leave its mark on you forever.