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

Book Review by Jane
As the wife of a famous aviator and author, Consuelo de Saint-Exupéry was sent on a heart wrenching adventure that she couldn’t possibly have foreseen when she married Antoine.  While she was subjected to the then commonplace treatment of women; not being included in decision-making or knowing the state of the financial situation, it is obvious living with Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was often painful for her, having to tolerate his affairs and poor treatment of her.  Although divorce was threatened several times, their marriage, as well as their love affair, endured until the end, until the death of Antoine. It seems their love affair was rare and exotic, in that they saw in each other the fulfillment of themselves. 

This book serves as a biography of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, as well as Consuelo’s history with him. Antoine’s career is well documented in this text. He was an author of the famous book, The Little Prince as well as others. He was an aviator when aviation was an extremely dangerous occupation. He survived two crashes. Consuelo worried about him endlessly, but also encouraged him in both of his career choices. He was lost while flying in WWII over France. He was never found.

Antoine, from France and Consuelo, from El Salvador added to their great strengths as a couple and negatively effected Consuelo’s acceptance with the many friends that Antoine kept. Parties were always in full swing when Antoine was around. Consuelo believed that Antoine considered her as the rose character in The Little Prince. After reading both books, one can see why she thought that she was the rose.  The rose is a character who needs lots of care and the little prince travels the universe looking for what is most important in life. The rose is special because of the care she receives from the prince.The tumultuous love affair that they had can easily be reflected in this story. The Little Prince makes a good accompaniment to this book, as a person gains a clearer understanding of Antoine and Consuelo and their love for each other.

Consuelo lived until 1979. She left her writings in a trunk, to be found by a biographer seeking information about Antoine.

Jane.

 

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