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reader_crystal's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Bullying
tlaynejones's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
This was my favourite book when I was 8 or 9, I read and reread it so many times. I loved this story so much.
It’s been over 40 years since I’ve even looked at it, and I thought it had mostly faded away from my mind. Yet once I started it this time, it all came back so clearly I almost felt like I had it memorised. I began this read with a sense of trepidation; I remembered enough to know that I would find racism and a deeply colonial pov, but I didn’t remember enough to know any details or to guess how this reading would leave me feeling.
What I found was a book that encapsulates the hypocrisy and neglect of white supremacy and christian ‘benevolence’. Some will say, oh it’s ok, it’s a book of its time, so the racism and classism, and all the other isms in this story, can be excused. But why? The child that I was, that desperately needed a fairy tale about being rescued, deserved to also have books that allowed a more complex world to exist. That didn’t create paradigms that center her potential for rescue based on her whiteness, her class, her politeness, her stoic ness, or her feminine ‘goodness’. A book that didn’t reinforce class amongst white people, and completely devalue and dehumanise all people of colour. Children deserve to have magical fairytales to escape in to, without the burden of white supremacist messaging. There are so many wonderful children’s and middle grade novels available now. For me, this one is best left in memory for what it was then.
It’s been over 40 years since I’ve even looked at it, and I thought it had mostly faded away from my mind. Yet once I started it this time, it all came back so clearly I almost felt like I had it memorised. I began this read with a sense of trepidation; I remembered enough to know that I would find racism and a deeply colonial pov, but I didn’t remember enough to know any details or to guess how this reading would leave me feeling.
What I found was a book that encapsulates the hypocrisy and neglect of white supremacy and christian ‘benevolence’. Some will say, oh it’s ok, it’s a book of its time, so the racism and classism, and all the other isms in this story, can be excused. But why? The child that I was, that desperately needed a fairy tale about being rescued, deserved to also have books that allowed a more complex world to exist. That didn’t create paradigms that center her potential for rescue based on her whiteness, her class, her politeness, her stoic ness, or her feminine ‘goodness’. A book that didn’t reinforce class amongst white people, and completely devalue and dehumanise all people of colour. Children deserve to have magical fairytales to escape in to, without the burden of white supremacist messaging. There are so many wonderful children’s and middle grade novels available now. For me, this one is best left in memory for what it was then.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Racism, Classism, Sexism, Bullying, Death of parent, Violence, Child abuse, Colonisation, and Emotional abuse
jstar1's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Abandonment, Fatphobia, Body shaming, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Grief, Bullying, Forced institutionalization, Torture, and Emotional abuse
luabinha's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, Classism, Death of parent, Bullying, Miscarriage, Cultural appropriation, Confinement, Child abuse, Slavery, and Emotional abuse
tabear's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death of parent, Bullying, and Grief
jfield351's review against another edition
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This was a good book. I’ve never read it before, only seen the movie and I think they changed some details in the movie. Sara was a beautiful character and the story was very lovely. I read this very fast on the 26th and 28th of feb 2022. It helped me to relax and therefore helps me complete the dymocks reading challenge for ‘a book that helps you relax’.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Child abuse
Moderate: Bullying and Slavery
Minor: Colonisation, Death of parent, War, Body shaming, Racism, Xenophobia, and Chronic illness
genny's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This was pure comfort to me. I didn't read this as a child so it shouldn't feel nostalgic, but listening to the audiobook (narrated by Elizabeth Klett, who does a wonderful job) made me feel just that. I feel so maternal towards Sara 😅 I love that her kindness is a conscious thing; she becomes angry and hopeless but chooses to be kind anyway. And I love her all the more for those rare moments when she let her composure slip! I understand that the racist and classist undertones were a product of the times, but they were still jarring, so just be aware before going in. All that talk about Indian servants and slaves and the diamond mines... And then there's Becky. She gets nothing but a share of dinner while Sara is drowning in gifts (when they both suffered from child labor!), and then stays a servant at the end despite Sara inheriting more money than she could ever use.... Haha. Well.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, and Fatphobia
Minor: Death of parent and Racial slurs
littlecat's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
The racism is the biggest ugh of it for me, followed by the classism.
I like Sara as a character, she is genuin kind, but also a little weird in the way of a child that grew up without peers of equal footing, and I like how it shows that kindness is something you have to chose and that sometimes its hard. I do not like the way everyone else is made to be lesser so she can shine, I cried for the other girls, and Saras story is sad, but it has this, this is wrong cause it happens to her a rich person, the happy end literally has Becky becoming her servent instead.
I like Sara as a character, she is genuin kind, but also a little weird in the way of a child that grew up without peers of equal footing, and I like how it shows that kindness is something you have to chose and that sometimes its hard. I do not like the way everyone else is made to be lesser so she can shine, I cried for the other girls, and Saras story is sad, but it has this, this is wrong cause it happens to her a rich person, the happy end literally has Becky becoming her servent instead.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Confinement, and Bullying
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, and Racism
ok7a's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Bullying, Grief, and Colonisation
Minor: Death of parent, Animal cruelty, and Mental illness
calli_the_flower's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is one of my all time favorite books that I've reread a dozen times since I was ten. In my opinion, it tells the Cinderella story that girls should know - about hope, family, perseverance and the power of kindness. It doesn't end with marriage, the "evil stepmother" is just a head mistress jealous of Sara's knowledge of French and gentle likeability, and the "fairy godmother" trope we've come to be familiar with is actually just an old Indian gentleman with a soft heart.
Some argue that this book has older themes, but while that's true, it also features moments unable to be timestamped. The turning point in this book, where Sara is starving and trying to survive by making up a world where she's safe and comfortable and then finds a fourpenny - she has a choice, and she makes the choice of a giver, a choice that weighs more on her than keeping the wealth would. The next chapters however, directly following after the event, seem to reinforce that doing good will result in good - and that is how the most magical chapter is reinforced. It's not just Sara's disbelief that makes it magical, but we've seen multiple times that she's consistently done good and she deserves warmth, food, and security. The idea and the reminder that good will be rewarded not only is a trope I love, but an important thing to remember even when we are facing challenges just like Sara.
This story has stayed with me since I was a little girl, and each time I read it, I relive some of its magic. No matter how old I become, Sara Crewe has always inspired me and I will reach for this book a thousand times more.
Some argue that this book has older themes, but while that's true, it also features moments unable to be timestamped. The turning point in this book, where Sara is starving and trying to survive by making up a world where she's safe and comfortable and then finds a fourpenny - she has a choice, and she makes the choice of a giver, a choice that weighs more on her than keeping the wealth would. The next chapters however, directly following after the event, seem to reinforce that doing good will result in good - and that is how the most magical chapter is reinforced. It's not just Sara's disbelief that makes it magical, but we've seen multiple times that she's consistently done good and she deserves warmth, food, and security. The idea and the reminder that good will be rewarded not only is a trope I love, but an important thing to remember even when we are facing challenges just like Sara.
This story has stayed with me since I was a little girl, and each time I read it, I relive some of its magic. No matter how old I become, Sara Crewe has always inspired me and I will reach for this book a thousand times more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Bullying