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A Splendid Gift
A richly imagined story of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, French pilot and author of The Little Prince, from the author of The Lost Wife and The Garden of Letters.
March, 1942: Declared medically unfit to fly while France is beseiged by war, Saint-Exupéry languishes in homesick frustration, unable to aid his country—and unable to write. While his publisher tries in vain to ease the author’s mind, Saint-Exupéry meets the enchanting Silvia Hamilton at a cocktail party. Though they do not share a language, they are nonetheless drawn to each other, and where words fail them they find other forms of communication.
In the proceeding months, Silvia’s warmth and grace give Saint-Exupéry the peace of mind he so desperately needs. And as their love affair flourishes, he finds himself inspired to tell a tale of such simplicity and beauty that a person of any age could find joy and comfort in it. With Silvia as his muse, he works furiously to compose his petite prince.
March, 1942: Declared medically unfit to fly while France is beseiged by war, Saint-Exupéry languishes in homesick frustration, unable to aid his country—and unable to write. While his publisher tries in vain to ease the author’s mind, Saint-Exupéry meets the enchanting Silvia Hamilton at a cocktail party. Though they do not share a language, they are nonetheless drawn to each other, and where words fail them they find other forms of communication.
In the proceeding months, Silvia’s warmth and grace give Saint-Exupéry the peace of mind he so desperately needs. And as their love affair flourishes, he finds himself inspired to tell a tale of such simplicity and beauty that a person of any age could find joy and comfort in it. With Silvia as his muse, he works furiously to compose his petite prince.
54 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 17, 2015
66 people are currently reading
612 people want to read
About the author
Alyson Richman
19 books2,053 followersAlyson Richman is the USA Today bestselling and #1 international bestselling author of several historical novels including The Velvet Hours, The Garden of Letters, and The Lost Wife, which is currently in development for a major motion picture. Alyson graduated from Wellesley College with a degree in art history and Japanese studies. She herself is an accomplished painter and her novels combine her deep love of art, historical research, and travel. Alyson's novels have been published in more than twenty-five languages and have reached the bestseller lists both in the United States and abroad. She lives on Long Island with her husband and two children, where she is currently at work on her next novel.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
January 9, 2019
I’ve never read anything -until now - by Alyson Richman.
I was curious about this story ( enough to pay $1.99), for one reason only:
I love the book, “The Little Prince.......
memories reading it with both our daughters being a treasure.
The author gives us a novella about Antoine de Saint-Exupery.
He wrote ‘The Little Prince’ shuttling between homes in New York City ( shared with his wife, *Consuelo*), and
Long Beach, New York in the spring and summer of 1942.
Antoine took secret trips to Manhattan to visit a woman- *Silvia* - who captured his heart and became the basis for the character of the wise fox in ‘The Little Prince’.
Silvia ( who has a young son, Stephen), didn’t know Antoine was married when she first met him. He told her his marriage was
“inexplicable”.
Consuelo found a house for Antoine, “The Bevin House”, (with privacy for Antoine’s writing) in a quiet inlet off the Long Island Sound.
But Consuelo was disrespectful and and disruptive to Antione’s privacy and work.
She often brought home ‘party friends’ and lovers in guise of her friends.
Antoine despised the chaos.
He yearned for simplicity- not only in prose, but in his personal life.
He escaped to Silvia’s house - where he felt calm,
loved and supported.
Silvia was genuinely interested in Antoine’ writings & drawings.
For only 54 pages - it was easy to visualize this story and the purity of the affair. ( his wife was having many of her own and much less pure)...
This tender short story about love and creative inspiration -
gives us a glimpse about the Frenchman who’s little ‘prince-of-a-book’, has been read by people all over the world.
Short & Sweet!
I was curious about this story ( enough to pay $1.99), for one reason only:
I love the book, “The Little Prince.......
memories reading it with both our daughters being a treasure.
The author gives us a novella about Antoine de Saint-Exupery.
He wrote ‘The Little Prince’ shuttling between homes in New York City ( shared with his wife, *Consuelo*), and
Long Beach, New York in the spring and summer of 1942.
Antoine took secret trips to Manhattan to visit a woman- *Silvia* - who captured his heart and became the basis for the character of the wise fox in ‘The Little Prince’.
Silvia ( who has a young son, Stephen), didn’t know Antoine was married when she first met him. He told her his marriage was
“inexplicable”.
Consuelo found a house for Antoine, “The Bevin House”, (with privacy for Antoine’s writing) in a quiet inlet off the Long Island Sound.
But Consuelo was disrespectful and and disruptive to Antione’s privacy and work.
She often brought home ‘party friends’ and lovers in guise of her friends.
Antoine despised the chaos.
He yearned for simplicity- not only in prose, but in his personal life.
He escaped to Silvia’s house - where he felt calm,
loved and supported.
Silvia was genuinely interested in Antoine’ writings & drawings.
For only 54 pages - it was easy to visualize this story and the purity of the affair. ( his wife was having many of her own and much less pure)...
This tender short story about love and creative inspiration -
gives us a glimpse about the Frenchman who’s little ‘prince-of-a-book’, has been read by people all over the world.
Short & Sweet!
October 23, 2016
This novella is infused with the writing magic that Alyson Richman brings to all her stories. The stage- New York City, 1942. A single mother,Silvia arrives at a party and meets French pilot and writer Antoine Saint Exupery. It's instant attraction for the pair and Richman writes of the brief love affair that occurs during the writing of the Frenchmen's classic " The Little Prince." A nice quick read for a rainy Sunday afternoon.
February 21, 2015
Find this and other reviews at: http://flashlightcommentary.blogspot....
I often question writing reviews for novellas. They are so short that I wonder if commentary has any value, but review is what I do and page count in not indicative of one's ability to write so exercising prejudice seems an unreasonable alternative. Take Alyson Richmond's A Splendid Gift. The piece is only fifty-four pages long and half of it is dedicated to an excerpt from The Garden of Letters, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable.
A biographic fiction, the short centers on the affair between Silvia Hamilton and Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, author of The Little Prince. It's a touching piece and illuminating in its way, but my favorite aspect of the story is how it showcases Richman's talent as a storyteller.
Like The Lost Wife, A Splendid Gift isn't about the destination, but the journey that led there. Richman emphasizes emotional experience and I appreciate how deftly she was able to capture hope, loneliness, and love in simple, but poignant prose. Her characters are distinctive and relatable, but flawed and while I'd have welcomed more time with both Sylvia and Antoine, I greatly enjoyed the insight Richmond's brief tale afforded their romance and the influence it had on his work.
I often question writing reviews for novellas. They are so short that I wonder if commentary has any value, but review is what I do and page count in not indicative of one's ability to write so exercising prejudice seems an unreasonable alternative. Take Alyson Richmond's A Splendid Gift. The piece is only fifty-four pages long and half of it is dedicated to an excerpt from The Garden of Letters, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable.
A biographic fiction, the short centers on the affair between Silvia Hamilton and Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, author of The Little Prince. It's a touching piece and illuminating in its way, but my favorite aspect of the story is how it showcases Richman's talent as a storyteller.
Like The Lost Wife, A Splendid Gift isn't about the destination, but the journey that led there. Richman emphasizes emotional experience and I appreciate how deftly she was able to capture hope, loneliness, and love in simple, but poignant prose. Her characters are distinctive and relatable, but flawed and while I'd have welcomed more time with both Sylvia and Antoine, I greatly enjoyed the insight Richmond's brief tale afforded their romance and the influence it had on his work.
August 15, 2018
As always, a beautifully crafted work of imaginative and romantic words.
July 22, 2023
¿alguna vez han escuchado que “el principito” está basado en una infidelidad? es totalmente cierto.
saint-exupery escribe “el principito” en una gran casa en long island, mientras le era infiel a su esposa, consuelo, con una estadounidense llamada silvia. todo esto sucedió a solo unos metros de la casa en la que alyson richman ha escrito todas sus novelas. al enterarse de esto, richman investiga esta historia y la reescribe en una breve novela llamada “un regalo espléndido”.
hermosa y melancólica, richman nunca falla en conmover a su lector. me pareció muy breve, pero aún así fantástica. una bella novelette que relata la emotiva historia detrás de “el principito”.
saint-exupery escribe “el principito” en una gran casa en long island, mientras le era infiel a su esposa, consuelo, con una estadounidense llamada silvia. todo esto sucedió a solo unos metros de la casa en la que alyson richman ha escrito todas sus novelas. al enterarse de esto, richman investiga esta historia y la reescribe en una breve novela llamada “un regalo espléndido”.
hermosa y melancólica, richman nunca falla en conmover a su lector. me pareció muy breve, pero aún así fantástica. una bella novelette que relata la emotiva historia detrás de “el principito”.
June 11, 2018
Historical Fiction + Le Petit Prince = Mais Oui, s'il vous plait!!
If only this was not just a novella, but a full novel... :)
If only this was not just a novella, but a full novel... :)
January 12, 2021
Seemed a bit brief. A quick read, but easily forgettable.
December 30, 2021
3.5 - 4 stars
A perfect rainy afternoon novella with all the trademarks on Alysin Richman's beautiful writing and storytelling skills.
A perfect rainy afternoon novella with all the trademarks on Alysin Richman's beautiful writing and storytelling skills.
January 19, 2025
A Splendid Gift
A charming story about the woman who was the inspiration for the fox in The Little Prince, a story i must read.
A charming story about the woman who was the inspiration for the fox in The Little Prince, a story i must read.
June 21, 2015
I first read The Little Prince in Mr. Marapodi's high school French class. At sixteen however, the story's message of life was largely lost on me. The assignment was simply a means to an end, a grade on my report card.
I'm grown up now and have read The Little Prince in English many times, loving it more each time. So when I read the blurb for A Splendid Gift, I was sure I wanted to read it. Alyson Richman chooses interesting and unusual story lines which also capture my attention.
Silvia Hamilton sets her sights on Saint Exupery at a party in New York City, setting their love affair in motion. Saint Exupery is struggling to write, to deal with his turbulent marriage and somehow win the war for France. Silvia is able to bring him a sense of calm if only for the little time they are able to spend together.
A Splendid Gift is a novella. For me, it was just not enough. This is a beautiful, intriguing story set with a backdrop of war. As a reader, I felt I was only seeing a very shallow view of the characters and their faults. I wanted more depth from this story and it ended far too soon. A Splendid Gift is written in a wonderful Richman style, but it left me wanting so much more from it.
I'm grown up now and have read The Little Prince in English many times, loving it more each time. So when I read the blurb for A Splendid Gift, I was sure I wanted to read it. Alyson Richman chooses interesting and unusual story lines which also capture my attention.
Silvia Hamilton sets her sights on Saint Exupery at a party in New York City, setting their love affair in motion. Saint Exupery is struggling to write, to deal with his turbulent marriage and somehow win the war for France. Silvia is able to bring him a sense of calm if only for the little time they are able to spend together.
A Splendid Gift is a novella. For me, it was just not enough. This is a beautiful, intriguing story set with a backdrop of war. As a reader, I felt I was only seeing a very shallow view of the characters and their faults. I wanted more depth from this story and it ended far too soon. A Splendid Gift is written in a wonderful Richman style, but it left me wanting so much more from it.
July 26, 2015
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
Alyson Richman, who is a tactile writer, writes this "splendid" novel capturing the passion of two smart, loving characters. Ms. Richman places Antoine de Saint-Exupery, a famous French pilot and author of The Little Prince, in a romantic encounter with a divorced, beautiful woman, Silvia Hamilton. Silvia is the “other woman,” usually quite patient, while Saint-Exupery continues his marriage with a shrew. She also helps her lover through the creative process of writing The Little Prince.
The fictional story, crafted with some plausible historical reference, becomes an old-fashioned love story, like a fairy tale. The beautiful Silvia is divorced with one child, who waits in her apartment on the odd chance her lover will choose that day to visit her. The trysts are passionate and resemble classic love stories. Silvia was an all-giving woman; she would do anything for her lover, even carting off her son to stay with her parents, to guarantee more privacy.
Silvia was an exquisite, smart woman who became the tolerant, other woman sacrificing her pride and possible future for this man. Feminists would not necessarily respect this character, and I didn’t either. Richman’s prose is beautiful and has clarity.
Alyson Richman, who is a tactile writer, writes this "splendid" novel capturing the passion of two smart, loving characters. Ms. Richman places Antoine de Saint-Exupery, a famous French pilot and author of The Little Prince, in a romantic encounter with a divorced, beautiful woman, Silvia Hamilton. Silvia is the “other woman,” usually quite patient, while Saint-Exupery continues his marriage with a shrew. She also helps her lover through the creative process of writing The Little Prince.
The fictional story, crafted with some plausible historical reference, becomes an old-fashioned love story, like a fairy tale. The beautiful Silvia is divorced with one child, who waits in her apartment on the odd chance her lover will choose that day to visit her. The trysts are passionate and resemble classic love stories. Silvia was an all-giving woman; she would do anything for her lover, even carting off her son to stay with her parents, to guarantee more privacy.
Silvia was an exquisite, smart woman who became the tolerant, other woman sacrificing her pride and possible future for this man. Feminists would not necessarily respect this character, and I didn’t either. Richman’s prose is beautiful and has clarity.
April 5, 2016
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's "The Little Prince" is a story I have read at various points throughout my life. It is a book for children written for grown-ups. I have read the book in English as well as French. It is a story I return to for its simplicity and its wisdom.
In "A Splendid Gift," Alyson Richman imagines what inspired Antoine de Saint-Exupéry to write his poetic tale. "Exiled" to New York in 1942, deemed medically unfit to fly for France during the War, Saint-Exupéry is so distraught and frustrated, he is unable to write. One evening, he meets the lovely Silvia and they embark on a love affair that transcends words and language.
“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
I enjoyed reading this novella immensely, and revisiting the poetry that is The Little Prince.
In "A Splendid Gift," Alyson Richman imagines what inspired Antoine de Saint-Exupéry to write his poetic tale. "Exiled" to New York in 1942, deemed medically unfit to fly for France during the War, Saint-Exupéry is so distraught and frustrated, he is unable to write. One evening, he meets the lovely Silvia and they embark on a love affair that transcends words and language.
“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
I enjoyed reading this novella immensely, and revisiting the poetry that is The Little Prince.
August 21, 2016
Currently one of my favorite authors, for both her beautiful stories and exquisite use of language, this wonderfully imagined short story from Alyson Richman is based on the life of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, famed author of THE LITTLE PRINCE.
The story goes that during the writing of THE LITTLE PRINCE, de Saint-Exupéry had a love affair with a woman who inspired the character of the wise fox. And it’s their relationship that Richman creates in this novella. The result is a beautifully written love story, full of acceptance, inspiration, and tenderness.
This is a very quick read. Maybe an hour or so. But I will remember both the characters and the writing for a very long time.
The story goes that during the writing of THE LITTLE PRINCE, de Saint-Exupéry had a love affair with a woman who inspired the character of the wise fox. And it’s their relationship that Richman creates in this novella. The result is a beautifully written love story, full of acceptance, inspiration, and tenderness.
This is a very quick read. Maybe an hour or so. But I will remember both the characters and the writing for a very long time.
March 18, 2015
Alyson Richman does for words and stories, what the Italians do for pasta.
She just gets it. She understands how to weave together intricacies and nuances that make a book into something so much more. I think it would be impossible for me to give her works anything less than 5 stars for the simple fact that I feel her heart through her words.
Off to re-read The Little Prince :-)
She just gets it. She understands how to weave together intricacies and nuances that make a book into something so much more. I think it would be impossible for me to give her works anything less than 5 stars for the simple fact that I feel her heart through her words.
Off to re-read The Little Prince :-)
February 27, 2015
This is a story novella, but independently published, about the French author who wrote The Little Prince and his New York City lover. It is historical fiction and something I knew absolutely nothing about so I found it interesting.
April 2, 2016
A prince of a novella
A beautifully written love story of an artist and his lover. It seemed more like an introduction to a book than a short story. Perhaps the author will expand upon her inspiration.
A beautifully written love story of an artist and his lover. It seemed more like an introduction to a book than a short story. Perhaps the author will expand upon her inspiration.
February 7, 2017
A Splendid Gift
I love the the way this author writes. As far as I'm concerned, everything I have read from her has been a delight. I just wish this story could have been longer. I. Will be following her.
I love the the way this author writes. As far as I'm concerned, everything I have read from her has been a delight. I just wish this story could have been longer. I. Will be following her.
February 17, 2015
Sweet short story about the fictionalized circumstances around the writing of The Little Prince. I really enjoyed it!
March 16, 2015
good
I liked reading a book that had parts taking place on Eaton's neck where I lived for a while. I'd like to know more about the Bevin house.
I liked reading a book that had parts taking place on Eaton's neck where I lived for a while. I'd like to know more about the Bevin house.
March 15, 2015
Maybe I would have enjoyed the story more if I were a fan of The Little Prince, rather than someone who always found it vaguely disturbing.
February 28, 2015
I didn't realise when I bought this ebook that it was a short story! And short it was, it was ok. I liked some of her other books way better though.
December 7, 2015
An interesting read about the famous author of the Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and how that story came about. Learned a bit more about his life and death.
May 10, 2016
This is a well-written very short book about the love between the main character and the author of The Little Prince. A beautiful read.
September 19, 2016
Heartbreaking you touching.
Sad, short tale about the man who wrote The Little Prince. Highly recommend it. Very good for a quick read.
Sad, short tale about the man who wrote The Little Prince. Highly recommend it. Very good for a quick read.
April 19, 2015
A brilliant and poignant novella that leaves you longing for more. Classic Alyson Richman.
February 27, 2015
I'm a huge fan of Alyson Richman and this short story did not disappoint. Beautiful read.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews