The Lost Prince

Written by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Narrated by David Thorne

From the author of such children’s classics as The Secret Garden and A Little Princess comes this enchanting story of a young boy discovering his true destiny. Twelve-year-old Marco has spent his life traveling with his father in secrecy, forbidden to speak about their country of origin, Samavia, which has been fraught with war ever since the prince mysteriously disappeared 500 years ago. But now, there is hope that peace may come at last, as it has been rumored that a descendant of the lost prince may have been found.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Blackstone Audio
• Release date: Jan 1, 2006
• ISBN: 9780786145256

Frances Hodgson Burnett

Frances Hodgson Burnett (1849–1924) grew up in England, but she began writing what was to become The Secret Garden in 1909, when she was creating a garden for a new home in Long Island, New York. Frances was a born storyteller. Even as a young child, her greatest pleasure was making up stories and acting them out, using her dolls as characters. She wrote over forty books in her lifetime.

Reviews for The Lost Prince

[jjmcgaffey · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Nice. A little preachy in parts - but the preaching is not churchy, just good thoughts. I like both Marco and Rat, and their adventures are fantastic. I figured out the father's secret very early on...not sure, though, whether it was because I'd read it before (a long time before - I'd basically forgotten all the events) or just because it was obvious. Good story, good people, happy ending. An old favorite.

[mabith_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A quiet novel of royalty and adventure, originally published in 1915. It features a fictional eastern European country, Samavia, and follows three ex-patriots of the country (father, son, servant). The boy, Marco, is raised to blend in, to hide his Samavian roots, and to be highly observant and intelligent. He meets a street boy who becomes his friend and they play a game of preparing for the lost prince of Samavia and spreading the word for an uprising in the country before living out the game for real.It's a very pleasing children's book that will still greatly appeal to the young ones. It has undertones of Buddhism and deals with a physical disability relatively well (while there's the typical idea of overcoming the disability, it's done through the use of mobility aids rather than a cure). There was this hilarious bit talking about "well only the lost prince was born a king and these other people are so inferior because they weren't born kings." Oh, Burnett... The obsession with royalty is something most kids have at some point though.I admit I got rather wrapped up in the story and found myself booing the baddies, telling the heroes to run away, etc... Of course Marco is the lost prince, which was obvious in the beginning only then towards the middle Burnett throws you a bit of a loop so I was going "Wait, surely it's him, surely she wouldn't make it someone else..." Lovely book, certainly recommended.

[foggidawn · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book is set in an unspecified time, probably some time between 1880-1900. Marco Loristan, a penniless but noble boy, is living with his father, an exiled patriot, who works tirelessly for his beloved, war-torn country of Samavia. 500 years ago, the true prince of Samavia was overthrown and forced to leave the country, and since then, two warring factions have alternately controlled and oppressed the little land. It's rumored that the descendants of the prince have waited, while a secret resistance movement gathered strength. Now is the time for the rightful heir of Samavia to retake the throne, but first, the members of the resistance scattered across Europe must be given the sign. Young Marco and his friend, a crippled boy known as The Rat, volunteer, since they can travel unnoticed and pass on the message.The rest of what I have to say contains SPOILERS, so if you're intrigued, you may want to stop reading here.I can see a few reasons why this book may not have reached as wide an audience as Burnett's more popular works. First of all, it's almost immediately obvious that Marco and his father are the missing royalty -- a big deal is made of Stefan Loristan's innate nobility, that inspires strangers to treat him like a prince even though he is living like a pauper. The Divine Right of Kings is pretty much assumed, though it's plain that Stefan and Marco will be good and benevolent rulers because of their training as well as their inborn greatness. Imaginary Samavia is not given a precise location, but it's clearly Eastern European, leaving the modern reader to suspect that Marco is unlikely to ever assume the throne, considering the fact that the Balkan Wars, WWI, and the Bolshevik Revolution are scheduled to hit that area within his lifetime.Apart from that, I thought it was a moderately enjoyable read. I had trouble sticking with it; it never fully engaged my attention. Marco and Stefan were just a little too perfect for me. The Rat was a more interesting character, but he never seemed to get to share fully in the adventure -- Marco got all of the most dangerous bits. Which brings me to my final criticism: why on earth did Stefan Loristan let Marco and The Rat go wandering around Europe on their own at age 13? For one thing, what sort of father does that, and for another, what sort of king lets his only son and heir do that, knowing that there are lots of people out there who would like to end the royal line? I guess it makes a good adventure story, but it seemed a little off to me.

[judithproctor · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Very disappointing. Not nearly as good as the writer's other books.The lead character never spots the blindingly obvious fact that his father is the Lost Prince (this isn't a spoiler as the reader works it out in the first few pages).Quite a bit of heavy-handed pseudo-Buddhist philosophy as well.

[julesjones_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Please note: some spoilers.A boy's adventure story first published in 1915 -- while it's fiction, it's clearly inspired by real events and politics in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The book opens in London, where young Marco Loristan is living with his father in impoverished exile. Marco's father is a player in the politics of his war-torn homeland, the fictional country of Samavia, and has raised the boy to be a patriot even though Marco has never seen his homeland. They have travelled extensively in Europe, and the multi-lingual Marco has learnt to guard his father's secrets and pass as a local wherever he might be.By chance Marco meets The Rat, leader of a group of London street urchins. The Rat is a cripple, but has a brilliant mind and a fascination with politics and military tactics -- and a talent for creating detailed stories to entertain the group he leads. The two boys bond, in part because both Marco and his father recognise and take seriously The Rat's grasp of military tactics, and when The Rat's father dies he is taken into the Loristan household.Samavia is war-torn because for the last few centuries it has been squabbled over by two families of pretenders to the throne. The last true heir was lost when his father tried to kill him, but it is rumoured that he survived, and that his line still exists, waiting in exile until they hear the call to the return. When the time comes to send a message to the secret network of patriots that the lost prince has returned at last, the boys volunteer to be the messengers. As they point out, nobody will suspect two young begger lads, one of them a cripple. And so begins an adventure across Europe, as they take the signal to a variety of secret agents, avoiding traps and counter-agents along the way. The two boys are very different, but well-matched, and make an excellent team. Their travels and travails make for a cracking adventure story.It's obvious to the reader from the first few chapters that Marco's father is the lost prince, but has deliberately kept Marco unaware of this. Marco is intelligent enough, but The Rat is a much more imaginative and lateral-thinking boy, and this is shown well as they progress across Europe and The Rat begins to suspect from the reactions of their contacts that Marco is rather more than he knows.It's an interesting read from a current-day perspective. There's a clear assumption that the lost prince and his descendents are the Right Ruler because they're the legal heirs, and that Monarchy Is Good; but layered over that there are clear indications that Marco is a good person who will make a good king in future years because he has been brought up to be a good person and taught how to be an effective leader, rather than being so simply because of who his ancestors are. There's also a strong strand of Buddhist philosophy in the book, and it's made clear that part of what makes Marco's father an effective leader of the exiles is his encounter with and willingness to learn from a Buddhist guru. While he's willing to fight when necessary, he has learnt self-mastery and a willingness *not* to fight, and taught that to Marco. While the book's often rather predictable (in a way that is perfectly reasonable in a children's adventure book), it's rather more than formulaic. And of course there are now additional layers to the connections with real history, because Samavia is rather obviously set in what later became called Yugoslavia.I enjoyed this a lot. If you've liked some of Burnett's other work, it's well worth downloading a copy of this one from Project Gutenberg and giving it a try.It's available as a free download from Project Gutenberg and other public domain book sites, but because it's now out of copyright you can also buy it in a whole slew of POD print editions at Amazon UK and Amazon US. Personally, if I wanted a paper copy I'd look for a cheap second-hand copy of one of the old editions rather than one of the new expensive POD editions.

[scoutmomskf · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is one of my all-time favorite children's books, even though I didn't discover it until I was an adult. There is something immensely appealing about a story where even a twelve-year-old boy can significantly affect the world around him. Early on, we learn that Marco, his father, Stefan, and their servant Lazarus are Samavian nationals in exile from their beloved country. They travel from country to country, are very poor, and there is some mystery to their lifestyle. Marco and his father are very close. Marco's love for his father is evident in everything he does. Stefan's love for Marco is equally apparent, as is a different sort of protectiveness than is seen in most families. I loved the trust that Stefan showed Marco and the respectful interest he showed in the things that Marco told him.Marco learned from a very young age how to be quiet about their lives. Though well-traveled, when living in a country, he appears to be from that country. If they return to a city after time away, they live in a new area and do not visit old neighborhoods. Marco has learned to entertain himself and knows the pleasures of free libraries and free days at museums. Once in a while, he makes a friend during their time in a city. Here, Marco has just moved to London and has gone exploring to learn about his new neighborhood and refresh his memories of the city. He stumbles on a group of boys known as "The Squad," led by a disabled boy known as The Rat.Jem Ratcliffe is the son of a former schoolmaster who has fallen on hard times and taken to drinking. The Rat is fascinated by military and war-related things and has trained his "men" in drilling and maneuvers. His first encounter with Marco begins with him throwing a rock at Marco and ends with an unexpected friendship. Marco and The Rat bond over their love of Samavia, though The Rat only knows about it from what is in the newspapers. The Rat has an amazingly vivid and complex imagination and creates a game that involves two boys who spread the word of a Lost Prince found and a throne to take back.Meanwhile, Stefan and Lazarus are seen to be involved in something highly secretive. As the news of Samavia becomes more dire, their fears for their homeland grow. There is also a glimmer of hope that a descendant of their Lost Prince could be found and restored to the throne. Stefan is interested in hearing about his son's new friend and is intrigued by The Game they play, even making the occasional suggestion.When The Rat's father dies, he goes to Marco and Stefan for help. I loved the kindness and compassion that Stefan showed the boy and its effect on him. The Rat's reaction was perhaps a little excessive, but Stefan often had that effect on people. He was stunned when Stefan invited him to join their family. As things go from bad to worse in Samavia, we see an increase in Stefan's secret activities, and that Marco also plays a part. With The Rat's arrival, he, too, is included.The tension of the book picks up when Stefan turns The Game into the real thing. Still under the guise of make-believe, he gives the boys tasks to learn and carry out, all in the spirit of pretend. Both boys sense that it has moved beyond that and are proved right when Stefan asks them to become the Bearers of the Sign. The powers-that-be believe that two boys can do things that would be suspicious in grown men. Even after reading the book many times, I am always glued to the pages as Marco and The Rat make their way across Europe, delivering their message. From the poor to the powerful, each recipient has their place. I love the descriptions of where they go and what they have to do each time. There are challenges to overcome, and no small amount of danger. The last stop is an emotional one and adds another piece to the reader's puzzle, and while The Rat suspects the truth, Marco is strangely oblivious. Quest completed, they return to London, only to find that Stefan is not there. I loved the building tension as they wait for word from him. I loved the conclusion and Marco's joy at being reunited with Stefan.Written in 1915, it is easy to see the influences of the time on the story. Class differences are evident. Marco and Stefan are obviously of the upper class despite their impoverished circumstances. Stefan's commanding presence is made much of, as is Marco's demeanor. While The Rat isn't quite on the level they are because his father "used to be a gentleman," he is seen as a bit above his "Squad" members. Current events of the day appear to have influenced the setting, and the names have a definite Slavic influence. There are some hints of mysticism, also a big deal during that time.