Book Review // The Little Prince (Le Petit Prince) by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Just as a note, before I really get into my review, I would like to point out that the original book was written in French by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. Many of you may not speak French, but if you do I would strongly encourage you to read it in its original french context because it is an amazing revelation to read.

Anyway, The Little Prince, though originally intended to be more of a children's book, is a great read for all ages. Saint-Exuperty combines his beautiful way of molding words with his thought-provoking philosophies.

The narrator is a "big person" who is stranded in the middle of the desert when his airplane breaks down. The situation looks hopeless because he is in the middle of nowhere with only enough water to last 8 days and it is a thousand miles in any direction to the nearest people. Thus, imagine his surprise when the next morning he is awoken by the laughter of a small voice.

This, as he finds out, is the Little Prince, who hails from a far off asteroid. For 8 days, the Little Prince shares his experiences and adventures with the narrator (and the reader), showing that the "big people" always take things to seriously and they never know what is truly important in life.

As for his philosophies, Saint-Exupery livens up his book with such assertions as:

"That is the hardest thing of all. It is much harder to judge yourself than to judge others. If you succeed in judging yourself, it's because you're truly a wise man."

"Language is the source of misunderstandings."

"One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes."

"Men have forgotten this truth," said the fox. "But you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed."

"What makes the desert beautiful," says the little prince, "is that somewhere it hides a well."

As I've said before, this is a great read for any age. A lot can be learned from it and the message, and the storyline as well, are so beautiful that they bear reading over and over again. I would highly recommend all lovers of books to read this masterpiece.