Sunday 20 July 2014

Review: The Little Prince



Title: The Little Prince (Le Petit Prince)
Author: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Translator: Irene Testot-Ferry
Genre: Children's literature
Year: 1944
Pages: 109


A pilot's plane crashes in the Sahara Desert. Here he meets the Little Prince, who is essentially an alien from a tiny asteroid. Throughout the story, we learn about the Prince's adventures, which teach us valuable life lessons.

I had to read this book for French when I was about 17, obviously in the original language. Although I remember liking it, I did not at all remember the story, mostly because I did not understand it very well. When I saw this edition at a book market, I knew I had to buy it and reread it.

This week, I finally got around to reading it - and I liked it a lot, although not as much as I expected to. The story is absolutely adorable, but I was not intrigued by the writing style. Of course, it is children's literature, so I did not expect it to be beautifully written, but it did disappoint me. Now, I don't know to whom I am to attribute this, it could be the author's writing style, but it could also be the translator's input.
This really is the only point of critique I have though. It's definitely a story everyone should read, and if you have the ability, please do read it in the original language.

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