Marianne [Paperback]

George Sand (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 26, 1998

Sand takes the timeless theme of a younger woman in love with an older man to create a romance with a feminist twist. Her vivacious heroine is both the author's ideal of female emancipation and a subtle attack on the other Marianne, the French Republic's convention-bound Muse.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Published in the U.S. for the first time, this novella by Sand was written in 1876, the year of her death. Marianne Chevreuse, the 25-year-old heroine of this romantic tale set in 1825, is a character who embodies many of the ideas for which Sand is known. Marianne is independent yet intensely female, and she breaks many conventions of society while living by her own deeply held moral beliefs. Pierre Andre is an older man who has known her since her childhood. When asked to introduce her to a prospective suitor, he discovers his own love for Marianne. The plot twists and turns until the unsuitable Philippe Gaucherwho is indeed gaucheis sent packing and Pierre and Marianne are betrothed. While very much a period piece, this last scrap of Sand's tremendous oeuvre is a charming bit of entertainment. Miles has fleshed out the book with an illuminating introduction that functions as a brief biography of la Bonne Dame de Nohant, complete with many letters from the Sand-Flaubert correspondence. Sand's enormous influence on writers from Balzac to Dostoevsky to Turgenev is legend. This little story offers an exciting opportunity for one last glimpse of that genius.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

The corpus of Sand's works is enormous, and parts of it remain inaccessible even today. A republican and socialist, she was also an ardent feminist, and her work is now being re-evaluated in light of her written contributions to the cause. This novel was written during the last year of her life, and its protagonist epitomizes the ideal woman: she is independent (owning her property), simple in her lifestyle, wary of the seduction of words, and willing to entertain marriage only as a joint partnership. Miles's translation is not the very best: the narration and dialogues are too modern, ignoring Sand's intentionally bucolic style. But the introduction (a biography and selected letters) provides helpful insights into the work of this prolific writer. Danielle Mihram, New York Univ. Lib.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Carroll & Graf; 2nd edition (February 26, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786705388
• ISBN-13: 978-0786705382
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #648,037 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Marianne as a liberated Cinderella, March 25, 2000

By 

Carly Rivers (Vancouver, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Marianne (Paperback)

Marianne is a heroine that is not beloved for her typical beauty, and is not a slave to the expected behavior of young wealthy women. This is somewhat of a faery tale romance, without seeming unreal or contrived. Sand presents the two main characters as real, intellegent, and passionate about nature. It is nice to read a book about a strong woman without the author feeling she needed to sway to much in the women's lib direction. George Sand's life is an inspiration, as is this romance where two kindred souls overcome the standard ideas of age, meekness, and the expected behavior of the classes. I read this at the same time as Dumas' Camille, and in only two days. I couldn't wait to see what happened to the characters in these books.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars don't be fooled...., April 29, 2006

By 

Slade Allenbury (Placerville, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Marianne (Paperback)

This is a novella not a novel. Don't be fooled by the page length. More than half of the book is given over to ancillary material. Sand's story runs only about 80 pages. Still, it's worth buying and reading. The story is rather slight. It's a romance that unfolds over the course of only a couple of days. But Sand sketches her characters memorably and creates genuine suspense over the outcome of the heroine's choice. Not a masterpiece, but a great way to introduce yourself to one of the world's great writers.