Customer Reviews

The Tale of the Rose: The Love Story Behind The Little Prince

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Great men often leave great pain in their wake. So it seems from Consuelo de St. Exupery's writings about her relationship with her husband Antoine de St. Exupery.

The book covers the time from when the couple met in Buenos Aires and the way Antoine (or Tonio as Consuelo called him) completely took over her life until he left Consuelo in the United States to return to France in during WWII.

For those who question the authorship, this was most certainly written by a woman who lovingly supported by her husband's endeavors. Her pain can be felt through the words relating her feelings on his inattention, negligence and infidelities. The marriage endured despite situations that most independent women today would consider intolerable.

In light of the situations Consuelo experiences; she comes across as strong, intelligent, enterprising woman. She dealt with conditions during WWII in France that were common at the time, but today would leave many people unable continue with any sense of dignity.

The question arises as why Consuelo did not leave Tonio. There are some passages that allude to the possibility of ending the marriage. It seems that Tonio would show up and create a situation where she would no longer have legal grounds to divorce.

For those who love the book The Little Prince by Antoine de St. Exupery, the Tale of the Rose gives interesting insight as to why the Little Prince was having trouble with his Rose.

As American Idol judge Randy Jackson would say: "You want me to keep this real, don't you?" Well, the reality is that anyone coming to Consuelo de Saint Exupery's THE TALE OF THE ROSE is arriving by way of THE LITTLE PRINCE, and any interest there is in what this woman has to say is directly related to her role as her husband's muse and as his inspiration for the Rose in his classic tale. Sadly, the reality is also that THE LITTLE PRINCE is mentioned here exactly once, on page 293 (hardcover edition), a betrayal of the promise implied by the book's subtitle, THE PASSION THAT INSPIRED THE LITTLE PRINCE.

The remaining 307 pages are the disjointed ramblings of a meritless opportunist. It's hard to know where to lay the blame in matters of style and tone (awful and awfuler) in a translated work such as this, but blame for the excruciatingly dull content can safely be laid at the author's feet. This is a long slog through the tedious facts of a dysfunctional relationship with no insight whatsoever into her own or her husband's actions. She is self-centered and self-serving. More disheartening, however, is the depiction of Antoine de Saint Exupery. I think it is natural while reading THE LITTLE PRINCE to equate the author with the Pilot and therefore to romanticize him. How disappointing to discover he is a deceitful lout.

Of course this is only one side of the story, and at some point in the future I will seek out an objective biography of Antoine. Sadly, this memoir has done nothing to enhance my appreciation of his great work. In fact just the opposite is true, and so for now the Little Prince's star is shining a little less brightly.

I have pretty mixed feelings about this whole book. The book itself is a super-fast paced read. I couldn't put it down and read the whole thing in a day. The writing stays interesting, maybe because it's like a 60-year old tabloid story involving Antoine de St. Exupery... I mean, come on, what's not to like?

But all the reviews talk about Consuelo as some kind of great woman who was incredibly strong, and even with her self-aggrandizing way of writing, I can't buy that.

In my opinion she was a 1930's Paris Hilton, living off the celebrity of the people around her and never doing anything constructive herself. She even had a little Pekinese dog! But Antoine, or as she calls him, Tonio, hardly gives her any attention throughout their 13 year marriage, and when he does, it's just to lie to her so that she won't leave. He continuously "breaks her heart" until she faints or cries or "something breaks inside her", which just makes me wonder, how often can the same person do the same thing to you before everyone around you stops feeling sorry for you and tells you to get over it and leave?

She knows he has mistresses, she knows he doesn't love her, and she follows him around and complains about how miserable he makes her. But, anyway, maybe that's just me being middle-class and I don't understand how the rich and their relationships work... I guess providing her with the last name de St. Exupery and making sure she never had to work is what real love is about...

Anyway, but regardless of how I feel about her, the book itself is a great read and will really make you feel differently about The Little Prince. It's a different side of Mr. Antoine de St. Exupery that you never knew about. So, check it out.

This is a pretty frank memoir of a dysfunctional marriage - but not one without tender moments and passion.

Was Ex a Saint? No. Does that change the fact that The Little Prince spoke to questions we all feel in our hearts but are taught not to question as adults? No. The guy was tremendously flawed...but he knew it. And somewhere, in his restlessness, he loved his wife in his own way. Not the love people dream of, but affection nonetheless.

Is her book angry at times? Is her depiction of her husband dark at times? Yes. And it is a real reaction to his life with her but also to his final bomb....his death. You sense she is illogically angry at him for being dead. And she had to of loved him to write this decades later.

It is a sad but sincere tale and provides insight into a key character in The Little Prince - NOT the author's thoughts on his tale or insights into what things mean. BUT, if you read this you will understand his love for his rose.

Life isn't always black and white. And just because people aren't perfect, that doesn't mean that they wish they were and that the world would be better as well.

One final thought...people here post on what an opportunist she was....she didn't even publish the book. It was found in a drawer ages after her death. It was likely a cathartic experience for her and she can't be faulted. The woman could have made money off the book while she was alive if she wanted. Where was she an opportunist? Writing, to a person like her, would have been very cleansing.

Just my thoughts.

Cheers

I cringed several times while reading the introduction because it is so poorly written. When I found out that the person who wrote the introduction was the translator, I abandoned the book. It badly needs an editor.

Consuelo de Saint-Exupery writes with a unique voice and offers a glimpse into the life of her husband, Antoine, and her own life in his shadow. It is not an autobiography of Antoine de Saint-Exupery, nor should one expect the presence of the Little Prince throughout the entirety of her account. There is a build-up and a myriad of experiences behind the "love story" and Consuelo does a fantastic job of documenting the significant events.

It was very interesting to read her account of the time she spent alone, both during the time she was stationed in the desert and World War Two.

This a very interesting book. However, it's authorship is not without dispute. It is my understanding that the family of Saint Exupéry believe that Denis de Rougement is the actual writer of the manuscript. However, even if this so, it may have well been dictated by Consuelo so I don't see an easy answer to that debate. At least one finds out Madame X's identify in the preface.

I have read "Kingdom of the Rocks" by Consuelo and cannot state that I believe the authorship to be one way or the other; although if this is Consuelo's work, very heavy editing is obvious. The Antoine de Saint Exupéry presented in this book is definitely not the one shown in any other book I have read by, or about him and until a third party arises to confirm the circumstances and authorship of this book I would say "reader beware".

This book was taken from a public library and resold on Amazon. It still has the card slot glued in the back, the library labeling and a clear plastic cover that the library put on it to protect it! NOT COOL!

Saint-Exupery is one of my favorite authors of all time. This book was beautifully written from the pov of his wife and tells about his inspiration for The Little Prince. I would highly suggest reading this book if you love the French author as much as I do.

many people see this story as a piece of mind from the point of view of a woman who some call "paris hilton of the 1930s". we must never forget, "machismo" is something Mr. Exupery had, although, as many other french men didn't like to show it at every moment. like any other relationship, everything starts smooth, with a loving couple deeply into one another, but as always is the fame and richness that get through his eyes and , of course trhough the eyes of the women after him; specially E., who is the woman who destroys the relationship. Something many don't understand is the humble origin of Consuelo. I would love to hear or read from someone else if they have EVER visited this small, tormented, yet beautiful country, where her volcanoes and forests are standing against the waves of time. Believe it or not, her origins are everything but fancy and reproachible, like many people of other origins such america, and most wuropenas of the era. It would be wrong for anyne to give her credit for everything, sonce one may argue that she was weak, like the time she fainted at the theater. Something we can never blame her for, is not loving our pilot, because that was the only thing she did until the day she died, even when he tretaed her like a disposible plate. she was taken from her homeland, her tropical sun, dense forests and fertile soil, to a cold, deserted and hateful country: France, where even there, she was able to find some types of love among the people. Mayb the country was not all that in full, but the one she called husband might as well caused the sadness in Consuelo's heart.

We should all respect her since without her, Antoine would've been incompleted. Anyone who is willing to do what she did for her partner under the same conditions, raise your hand, and see if you can make it.