Audiobook · read by volunteers
À Little Princess
Frances Hodgson Burnett (1849–1924)
Read by Kara Shallenberg (1969-2023) · 19 chapters · 7 h 35
About the book
Sara Crewe arrives at Miss Minchin’s boarding school in London as the richest, best-dressed pupil in the house. Her father, a captain serving in India, has seen to it that she wants for nothing, and the headmistress is all smiles. Sara is kind, imaginative and a wonderful storyteller, and she treats everyone, from princesses of the schoolroom to the lowliest servant, as if they mattered. Then comes a piece of news that changes everything, and Miss Minchin’s smiles vanish. Frances Hodgson Burnett’s A Little Princess is a story about pride, hardship and the strength of an inner life. It is warm, romantic and at times quite moving, with a touch of magic that arrives when it is least expected. Nineteen chapters, about seven and a half hours, read throughout by a single narrator.
Introduction
Frances Hodgson Burnett (1849–1924) was born in England and spent much of her life in the United States. She became famous with Little Lord Fauntleroy in the 1880s and later wrote The Secret Garden. A Little Princess, published in 1905, grew out of an earlier shorter tale and is among her best-loved works for young readers, though it speaks to adults too. Burnett was also a skilled storyteller for the ear, and her scenes of garret life and schoolroom tension are written with a sense of drama that suits a spoken performance.
The story tells of Sara Crewe, a wealthy young girl sent to an oppressive London boarding school while her father is on duty in India. Treated as a little princess because of his money, she is thrown into very different circumstances when word comes of his death. The greedy headmistress, Miss Minchin, puts the now penniless Sara to work for her room and board. Helped by two loyal friends, her own resolve and a stroke of astonishing luck, Sara sees her fortunes turn once more. Burnett’s theme is dignity under pressure. Sara’s greatest resource is her imagination, which allows her to remain a princess in spirit even when she has nothing. The novel balances darker passages with moments of delight, and it has been adapted many times for stage and screen.
The recording has 19 chapters and lasts about seven and a half hours. It is read in full by one LibriVox volunteer.
It is a good story to share with children and to revisit as an adult, and it carries real emotional weight.
Public domain
Frances Hodgson Burnett died in 1924: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text