Le Petit Prince

Rating:
Summary: Surprising, Surpassing and Refreshing!
Review: At first I wasn't crazy about the book. I first read Le Petit Prince in my Grade 12 French class. I thought it was going to be a little silly story. Well, I learned 2 lessons--don't judge a book by its cover and don't judge a book until you have finished reading it! I found that this story, with its silly characters and planets, held a deep message that not even a highly philosophical book could express. The story is a refreshing change--one with characteristics of a children's story and yet one with a serious message for "les grandes personnes"! It really grew on me! So I encourage you, when reading the book to: sit back and relax, rediscover your imagination and learn a lesson or two!!!

Rating:
Summary: There are not impossible dreams
Review: "The Little Prince" is definitively a book more for adults than for children (and so contemporary nowadays as when it was written) bearing in mind that even as grown-ups "we are responsable for those we captivate" but still entitled to dream. "The Little Prince" is a book that reminds us that "what is essential is invisible to the eyes (it is only with the heart that one can see rightly) therefore lead us to think that, sometimes, we have to take time to come home to ourselfs and make a discovery about our true self, questioning our values and goals in this ephemeral world of ours. Well, but, above all, "The Little Prince", remind us that we must trust our instincts ... and follow our dreams !

Rating:
Summary: A book of true beauty.
Review: I do not read a lot of books. I have only read what was assigned to me throughout school and the occasional NY Times bestseller. A friend of mine gave me this book as a gift one day, she said I would enjoy it. She was right - I loved it. I didn't read it right away, but when I did I couldn't put it down. I am not an emotional person, or at least I never thought of myself as one, but this book made me look at myself and it broke my heart. I related with the character of the pilot and I felt as though the Little Prince was talking to me. The book helped me realize that I had forgotten a lot of things since childhood, like the meaning of friendship. The book also reminded me of what love really is. It made me realize what "grown-ups" really are, children who lost their innocence. The greatest thing about the book is that it is universal. It's message is simple: "love has no prejuducies, never dies and always forgives." It is a children's story but it is something all adults should read. There are few books that can do what this "children's story" can do. It will make you laugh, break your heart and make you think about what really is important in your life.

- Jeff

Rating:
Summary: Entertains and teaches
Review: I have the French copy of "Le Petit Prince" and have been using it to improve my vocabulary. I was disappointed to find out after receiving this audio tape that it is only 40 minutes long, and thus quite a bit of the text is cut out. Roughly the original text is 15,000 words and the transcription (included with the tape) is under 6,000 words. I understand that the use of different voices for different characters can replace some descriptive phrases, but entire dialogs are missing, and some are changed. For example, when the Prince first asks for the drawing of a sheep, the pilot draws a picture of an elephant inside a boa constrictor (which had baffled his parents when he was young) and the Prince immediately recognizes it. This was one of the funniest parts, but it is left out.

The voices are fine, sometimes a bit fast for a beginner, and the music is nice. If anyone knows of a full-length version where the French speaker is very clear and not too fast, I'd love to hear about it - [e-mail].

Rating:
Summary: Forever
Review: I read this book in its portuguese version when I was stil living in Brazil (my home land); french, when I started learning it as well as spanish . Despite all "nuances" of each language the book keeps its majesty. Everytime I read it I think it was not written for children. In Le Petit Prince, St. Exupery made life wonderful, beyond comprehension.

Rating:
Summary: ummm...i must be a moron
Review: Someone please shoot me in the face, am i the only one who didn't enjoy this book. i read it last year in my 4th year honors french class, now up until the semester when we read this book, i had been a fairly good french student, i have family who live in provence, i visit them often and i had never made a B in french until the semester of junior year when we read "le petit prince" needless to say i made a C that semester. this was the dumbest thing i've ever laid eyes on...well besides a few girls i know. but who gives a merde about some little kid going from planet to planet asking a bunch of dumb questions, and be in love with a rose. im (upset), cause this made me totally lose intrest in french, and now that im a senior and in AP french...im not trying at all, this book is awful, maybe i should read it in english.......nah. oh well, c'est la vie

Rating:
Summary: One of a Kind
Review: This book is not for everybody; only for those with a great heart, a natural smile and soul.

Rating:
Summary: Even better than in English -- sublime!
Review: This book was one of my favorites as a child...it is surreal, sweet, and teaches a valuable lesson on love. The story of lost and rediscovered love is one of the most pure and true things ever written.

In this, the French (original) language version, that purity seems even more clear. It was one of my first "real books" to translate as a young student of French, but it holds up to me as an adult, in both languages.

Illustrated with lovely and simple pictures of the Prince and his rose, this French language book is a must for Francophones of all ages. The English translation edition is a must for everyone else!

Rating:
Summary: One of My Favorites!
Review: When I first read this book when I was a senior in high school and read it for my French class, I wasn't sure if I'd enjoy this book. I'd heard so much about it. After reading it I can say that I love this book so much, no wonder Le Petit Prince is on some French currency! I've read this book in English and French, and I'd have to say that the French is sooo much better if you know French. It's not all that difficult to understand if you are at a beginning level. This is a great book and is worth every penny in both languages!

Rating:
Summary: One of My Favorites!
Review: When I was eight years old, my parents game this book saying it is a great book for children. I started reading it and quit after I had reached the third chapter. It was too boring for an eight-year old child. Well, now I'm 23 I decided to give the book one more chance and... I loved it! In spite of what most people say about 'Le Petit Prince' (including Saint-Exupery himself on the book's preface), this is not a book "pour les petits". It is too philosofical for children. The book is about growing older and how grown-ups loose their innocence during this process. It is about how clumsy adults do become. 'Le Petit Prince' depicts the nature of human behaviour by means of a worderful fable. A pilot with engine problems in his aircraft is forced to land in the middle of Sahara desert where he meets Le Petit Prince, a mysterious child who had just arrived from his tiny lonely planet in search of friends. During his trip to Earth, Le Petit Prince meets several unusual characters. Each of them reveals something about the nature of adults. The pilot (an adult himself) is much disconcerted in realising he has something to learn with the child-prince, who has a naïve look upon people the pilot had long lost.