Story of My Life: The Autobiography of George Sand (Suny Series, Women Writers in Translation) [Paperback]

George Sand (Author), Thelma Jurgrau (Editor), Walter D. Gray (Introduction)

Book Description

Series: Suny Series, Women Writers in Translation | Publication Date: July 1991

This book is more than the autobiography of an extraordinary woman. It is also the story of a century of French history as lived through the experiences and fates of three generations, the tumultuous history of the birth of modern France and the transformation of a society. "

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 1184 pages
• Publisher: State University of New York Press (July 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0791405818
• ISBN-13: 978-0791405819
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 2.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #377,577 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars "Perhaps a bit too much information...", December 24, 2008

By 

John P. Jones III (Albuquerque, NM, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Story of My Life: The Autobiography of George Sand (Suny Series, Women Writers in Translation) (Paperback)

... as well as not enough. When I told a friend that I had read George Sand's 1100 page autobiography, he replied with the subject quote. And I would certainly agree. How many other autobiographies are this long? And stop in mid-life? There is a "Doppler shift" to her story, consider that the first 375 pages cover her ancestors before she is born in 1804, and the story ends around 1840, with another 36 years of her life uncovered. The first part of the book is far too many letters, printed in their entirety, of her ancestors.

Her father was of "noble" birth, had been with Napoleon at Marengo, and tragically died in a horse riding accident in 1808. She had an unhappy relationship with her mother, of more common birth, and was eventually placed in a convent, whose time she remembers fondly. She married - a conventional "escape", but a loveless choice - in 1822, and had two children, Maurice and Solange.

She was one of the true "giants" of the 19th Century, a woman who was famous for defying (some) social conventions, notoriously dressing as a man for the freedom. She was a prolific writer, with numerous novels and plays to her credit. She loved her "home country" of Nohant, in the Berry. And she dazzled, perhaps not so much by her physical beauty, which has been questioned, but by her intellect. She was lovers with at least Alfred de Musset and Chopin, and for the later she wrote a novel about her winter in Majorca with him. She also developed at least friendships with Franz Listz, Eugene Delacroix, Ivan Turgenev, Balzac, Flaubert, and Stendhal. She also had here detractors, a contemporary, Charles Baudiere, and much later, Simone de Beauvoir was quite critical. Her novel "Francois Le Champi" was placed in Proust's "Swan's Way."

It is indeed a very long slog to reach the end, but there are nuggets of insight along the way. For example, on page 794 she comments on the prohibitions against suicide but reflects on the actions of "martyrs" who essential hasten their own death. On 1010, there is: "But it is also true that the wish--nay, divine law--of Providence is transgressed every time a man and woman join their lips without uniting their hearts and minds." Despite these, my central criticism is that her story lacked introspection - what were her true feelings, particularly concerning the galaxy of "stars" that she knew? No doubt she was conforming with some of the conventions of her age by being reticent in expressing them, but we are all the poorer for it. Her "style" approaches far too many Christmas letters I receive: we went there, did that, but no personal thoughts or transformations.

I've been fortunate to visit her home in Nohant on a couple occasions. In the very heart of France, in her modest chateau, it is possible to imagine her life there in the 19th Century. The pine trees, one for each child, which she planted upon their birth, still grow in the garden. They have the table set for dinner, with name tags for the famous visitors. And there is the small theater within the house for performances. And her grave is nearby. Overall, reading "Indiana," and visiting her home might give you a better feel for her life than these 1100 pages.

5.0 out of 5 stars Story of an extraordinary woman and the birth of modern France, November 4, 2011

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BYF - See all my reviews

This review is from: Story of My Life: The Autobiography of George Sand (Suny Series, Women Writers in Translation) (Paperback)

This book is more than the autobiography of an extraordinary woman. It is also the story of a century of French history as lived through the experiences and fates of three generations, the tumultuous history of the birth of modern France and the transformation of a society.

24 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars not a masterpiece, April 11, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Story of My Life: The Autobiography of George Sand (Suny Series, Women Writers in Translation) (Paperback)

Ever since having watched Impromptu with Hugh Grant, I have wanted to read this book. I read Indiana, which I didn't like a lot, but Sand's autobiography is a great story that one enjoys reading. Swings of her mood, her independence, her love for men. It's great, although it's not a masterpiece of literature. But maybe it's better in French. If you want to know about her life, read the book, but don't expect Hugh Grant in there. As far as I've read, the movie is much more interesting.