Storytime for Grownups

Host: Faith Moore
Episode: A Little Princess: Chapters 13-14
Date: December 8, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode of Storytime for Grownups, Faith Moore continues her cozy, annotated reading of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s A Little Princess, covering chapters 13 and 14. The episode highlights the deepening hardships faced by Sara Crewe, the strengthening of her inner character, and the mounting hope of a fairy-tale reversal—all set against the dreary backdrop of a London winter. As always, Faith intersperses the reading with thoughtful literary commentary, moral insights, and listener questions that illuminate themes of resilience, hope, and the enduring power of self-perception.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Recap and Literary Framing (00:48–08:00)

• Faith recaps the previous chapters, focusing on the revelation that the “Indian gentleman” next door is Mr. Carrisford, who has been searching for Sara to restore her lost fortune.
• The narrative now shifts to a “Cinderella” arc, emphasizing Sara’s journey from wealth to poverty, and hinting at an impending reversal of fortune.

Notable Insight:

• “We're not in a book about rich little girls at boarding school... We are in a Cinderella story, essentially.”
  (Faith Moore, 10:36)

2. Listener Questions and Moral Reflections (08:00–16:00)

Faith addresses two listener letters:

• Karen Lee reflects on how A Little Princess shaped her character as a child:
  • Sara’s response to adversity with “strength, resolve and kindness rather than self pity and anger” serves as a moral blueprint.
  • Notably, Sara’s ability to respond with self-control, even after being mistreated by Miss Minchin, stood out to Karen.
    • “I especially appreciated the self control that Sara exhibited in the way she responded to Ms. Minchin after she balked Sara's ears. Honestly, I'm not sure I would have responded so well.” (Karen Lee, read at 09:18)
• Kelly anticipates a coming reversal:
  • Wonders if the “sick man” (Carrisford) will be linked to restoring Sara’s fortune.

Faith’s Commentary:

• Faith connects listener reactions to broader fairy tale themes, underscoring that the real lesson of Cinderella isn’t riches, but the triumph of inner integrity.
• “If I am a princess in rags and tatters, I can be a princess inside. It would be easy to be a princess if I were dressed in cloth of gold. But it is a great deal more of a triumph to be one all the time when no one knows it.” (Faith, quoting the novel, 15:25)

3. “Princessness” During Hardship: Sara as Cinderella (16:00–19:50)

• Faith elaborates on the Cinderella motif, exploring how Sara’s “princessness”—her dignity, resilience, and kindness—endure even in poverty.
• Listeners are urged to think about how fairy tales teach us to let inner virtues shine regardless of outward circumstance.
  • “The whole concept...of the princess who becomes a drudge but is still a princess on the inside and then is transformed via magic into a princess again—it's all about being a fairy tale princess, about being a princess on the inside, no matter what.” (17:52)

4. On Ram Dass and the Indian Gentleman (19:00–19:50)

• Ram Dass, the Indian servant, is highlighted as a perceptive, compassionate character who, like Sara, exists between two worlds—subservient yet insightful.

• He recognizes Sara’s “princessness” regardless of her social status:

  • “He spoke to her as if he were speaking to the little daughter of a raja and pretended that he observed nothing [of her poverty].” (18:46)

• The “Indian gentleman” (Carrisford) is portrayed with new sympathy—as a man broken by guilt over Sara’s fate, now resolved to find and help her.

Chapters 13 & 14: Reading + Commentary

The Depth of Sara’s Hardship and Her Imagination (19:50–29:43)

Sara’s Winter Torment

• London is bleak; Sara’s life as a servant grows ever harder, with hunger, exhaustion, and the emotional chill of isolation.
• Despite misery, Sara’s vivid imagination and “pretending” are central to her survival:
  • “What you have to do with your mind when your body is miserable is to make it think of something else...When things are horrible, just horrible, I think as hard as ever I can of being a princess.” (Sara, 22:48)

The Test of Princessness: The Buns for the Beggar Child (24:35–31:35)

• Sara, deprived of food and money, finds a fourpenny piece and contemplates buying hot buns.
• Encountering a starving “populace” child, Sara chooses to share nearly all her newfound food:
  • “If I’m a princess...when they were poor and driven from their thrones, they always shared with the populace.” (Sara, 29:54)
• Sara gives five of the six buns to the child, keeping only one for herself, embodying true empathy and self-sacrifice.
• The baker woman, deeply moved, reflects:
  • “Left just one for herself…and she could have eaten the whole six. I saw it in her eyes...I’d give something to know what she did it for.” (Baker woman, 36:44)
• Sara’s kind act has a ripple effect, as the baker invites the beggar child in for warmth and offers bread in future.

Glimpses Across Social Boundaries (38:00–40:30)

• A bittersweet moment as Sara witnesses the warmth and abundance of the “large family” next door, contrasting with her own loneliness.
• The family’s father departs on a journey—hinted to be linked to finding Sara.
  • “If you find the little girl, give her our love!” (Guy Clarence, 39:28)
• The children notice Sara in the street, commenting on her threadbare dignity and mysterious air.

Chapter 14: The Magic in the Attic (40:30–51:17)

The Secret Visitors and Plans Unfold

• While Sara is away, Ram Dass and the Indian gentleman’s secretary enter her garret through the skylight, quietly inventorying her dire living conditions.

  • “The secretary took a pencil and a tablet...‘What a bed for a child to sleep in. And in a house which calls itself respectable, there has not been a fire in that grate for many a day.’” (Secretary, 46:53)

• Ram Dass’s devotion to Sara is revealed; he describes watching over her, recognizing her kindness and fortitude:

  • “She is not as other children...she is treated like a pariah, but she has the bearing of a child who is of the blood of kings.” (Ram Dass, 44:18)

• Their secret mission: to transform Sara’s attic into a magical, comfortable space, inspired by stories she has told in her loneliness.

  • “If the other bearers pass to me the things through the window, I can do all and she will not stir. When she awakens, she will think a magician has been here.” (Ram Dass, 48:06)

• The scene closes with Ram Dass and the secretary vanishing just as quietly as they arrived, while Melchisedec the rat breathes a sigh of relief.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• On Sara’s moral fortitude:
  “If I am a princess in rags and tatters, I can be a princess inside. It would be easy to be a princess if I were dressed in cloth of gold. But it is a great deal more of a triumph to be one all the time when no one knows it.”
  (Faith quoting Burnett, 15:25)

• Acts of kindness:
  “She is hungrier than I am. She's starving. But her hand trembled when she put down the fourth bun. 'I'm not starving,' she said, and she put down the fifth.”
  (Sara giving her food away, 34:36)

• Ram Dass’s observation:
  “The child is the little friend of all things, Sahib...She has the bearing of a child who is of the blood of kings.”
  (44:18)

• On hope and the arc of the story:
  “We've got at least a sort of hope that there might be a rescue at the end of all of this...But the question is, will the Indian Gentleman be able to give Sara more than money? Or will she have to look somewhere else for the love that she craves?”
  (Faith, 18:30)

Important Timestamps

• Recap and Listener Letters: 00:48–16:00
• Cinderella Motif & Princessness: 16:00–19:50
• Chapter 13 Reading & Bun Episode: 19:50–38:00
• Sara Observes the Large Family: 38:00–40:30
• Chapter 14 Reading & Magic in the Attic: 40:30–51:17

Tone & Style

The episode maintains Faith’s signature warm, conversational, and gently insightful tone. Her annotations and asides are inviting and full of encouragement, drawing distinct lines between the classic text and the modern listener’s life. Classic fairy tale motifs are explored with enthusiasm and personal reflection, creating an engaging “book club” atmosphere.

Summary

This episode brings listeners deeper into the world of A Little Princess, exploring the protagonist’s resilience through the harshest trials yet—chronic hunger, isolation, and the daily grind of servitude. Sara’s triumph in maintaining her inner “princessness” shines through her acts of kindness, especially in the moving “hot buns” scene. Listeners are left on the cusp of magical transformation, as secret plans brew to change Sara’s fate—reminding us that dignity, hope, and kindness can conjure their own magic, even in the bleakest circumstances.

To Be Continued…