Book Description
The first novel that George Sand wrote without a collaborator, Indiana is not only a romance but also a powerful plea for change in the inequitable French marriage laws of the time, for better education for women, and for a new attitude to their position in society. Naomi Schor's introduction explores attitudes to Sand in her own time as well as more recent feminist responses, and it examines the powerful and complex patterns of imagery and relationships in the novel. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Not her best but still good
This is not my favorite of Sand's that I have read to date, I would suggest the Devil's Pool or the Black City first, they are both shorter and much stronger.Not to say this is a bad bit of writing.Considering this is her first solo publishing venture it is very impressive.She still shows flashes of great insight, there are wonderful very quotable lines throughout the work.There are some very stricking scenes, actually the last quarter of the book is pretty riveting.

Which is good because the rest of the book is alot ofvery careful build up and is sort of slow in places.The book is not filled with alot of dialogue, rather we have a third person omniscient narrator who lets us know what the main characters are thinking and feeling (even if they aren't quite sure of it themselves).

Indiana is a young bride to an old man who selfishlymarried her because he wanted someone to take care of him in his old age. She is wasting away from a lack of love, not that Delmare is any sort of ogre really, he seems to devolve slowly into a brute but one Sand never looses complete sympathy for.Sir Ralph is Indiana's cousin and protector, as he has nothing else in the world to live for.Noun is Indiana's Creole servant that essentially is like a sister to Indiana.

Noun though is sacraficed to passion as her lover moves onto another target, Indiana. Raymon has taken seducing women very seriously for his adult life, its essentially a game to him.He is very invested in the woman he loves while he loves her but he fully expects his love to end at some point.Which of course it does because he is a cad.

There are a few other characters but these are the core of the drama, it is a much smaller cast than in the other full length novel of Sand's that I have read "Horace".

I agree with one of the other reviewers that it is very interesting to see that the events of the book are indeed shaped by the events that are happening in France as well.It takes place when there is still a king in power, but the revolution is stirring very vigorously by the end of the novel and informs the actions of a few of the characters.

I'm not sure what I thought about the conclusion, it was a little odd as it is told by an unnamed first person character--seemed a little weird, almost as if Sand was trying to make her story have a sort of mythic or legendary tone to it.

A good read and not too hard to get into or to follow, possibly good for someone who likes Dickens or Eliot.

One of the largely forgotten great novels
George Sand's Indiana dramatizes and explores a wide variety of concerns in the nineteenth century with a brilliance one rarely finds in a first novel: Arranged marriages, what it means to be a Creole, colonialism and plantation profiteering, slavery, the beginnings of the deterioration of Old Europe, and the rise of the businessman.In terms of narrative style, this may be one of the most unique novels I have read.The use of narrator to facilitate multiple endings is ingenious as well as baffling.Once you get to the end and discover who the narrator is or could be, you will likely want to re-read the novel, and voila!It's like experiencing the novel for the first time.It is a very rare talent indeed to create one novel for a first reading and a second novel for a second reading.It's a mystery to me how Sand has lost much of her notoriety.This novel is far superior than most you will find anywhere and in any language.

maybe 3.5 stars
My first experience with Gerge Sand was her Fadette in Japanese translation.The translation was poor, but the story was quite interesting and what she was trying to get at was very fresh and different.I enjoyed it very much.
This one, Indiana, however, was a real sentimental melodrama.Or, perhaps Danielle Steele 19th century edition.The hero and the heroine are bathed in ill-fortunes from their births, pounded by miseries and heartbreaks, starving for love, but exhibit great courage and virtue under the grip of uncontrollable fate.In the end, the heaven will smile at them.
The characters are rather flat, very predictable and uninteresting.I had a very difficult time sympathizing any of the characters.The narrator pities them too much and doesn't give you room to sympathyze them.
Speaking of the narrator, I thought for sure it was a woman, because of the way Indiana's sufferings were narrated, but in the end I found out that it was a young man!Perhaps young men back in those days were as melodramatic and emotional as this narrator.I don't know.

Yet, there was something to this story.Sand seemed to have a lot to tell, she had a point of views, some messages to tell.And there was enough depths and intellect to what she was trying to deliver.And that's what kept me going, and that's what kept this story from falling vulgar and becoming Harlequinn romance.

I contemplated on selling this book after reading it, but I'm having a second thought.Maybe I'll keep it after all.

Shifting reputation
Remembered mostly as the lover of Chopin and other celebrities of the nineteenth-century art world, Sand seems to be little-read these days.Yet in her day, she was the most respected woman writer in the world.

This was her first solo effort.She collaborated on a previous novel, but referred to Indiana as her first.Some of the dialogue is decidedly overheated; real Harlequin Romance, bodice-ripper stuff.The story however, is very strong, with constant surprising twists, right to the end.As usual in melodrama, the villains are more interesting than the heroes, who at times make you want to shake some sense into them.

The theme has obvious parallels with Flaubert's "Madame Bovary" and Kate Chopin's "The Awakening".Ironically, the latter author, sharing the name of Sand's most famous lover, is more widely read today.

The novel has many references to French social and political life, and more than a few pages which are pure polemic.We learn more about Sand's views on French society than about Indiana's.Some readers will welcome these as fascinating historical insights; others will regard them as annoying distractions.The timeline of the story includes the revolution of 1830 and although this action provides a background rather than taking center stage, it neatly meshes with the mental turmoil of the heroine.

The Signet Classic edition has an excellent introduction by Marylon Yalom.

Doll house
George Sand (nee Amantine-Aurore-Lucile Dupin) is the kind of name I've seen in the novels of more famous writers and in the footnotes of those novels, but her own suffer from a lack of visibility on the shelves of libraries and bookstores nowadays.Reading her early novel "Indiana," I see why she was so popular and influential in her era (admirers included George Eliot and Henry James); although she is not the equal of her contemporaries Hugo and Flaubert, her writing has plenty of momentum and is pervaded by an unprecedented psychological awareness that seems well ahead of its time.

On the surface, "Indiana" is about loveless marriage, illicit romance, and the violence that results; but the characters are much more compelling and the narrative is more surprising than such a description might imply.Sand's titular heroine, whose unusual name refers not to Hoosier enthusiasm but to her birthplace of a French colonial island in the Indian Ocean, is the nineteen-year-old wife of the wealthy industrialist Colonel Delmare, a crusty, callous retired soldier old enough to be her father, who has a nice country house in Brie.The marriage was arranged, of course, and Indiana is miserable practically to the point of physical illness.That her dog is named Ophelia seems to emphasize the general despair the novel has for the feminine state.

There are two other important men in Indiana's life.One is her cousin Sir Ralph, an English baronet, who, trying to overcome a past filled with heartbreak, is protective of her but makes a valiant effort to remain friendly with her imperious husband.The other man is an impetuous Lothario named Raymon de Ramiere who infiltrates the Delmare household by seducing Indiana's beautiful Creole maid Noun and then Indiana herself.Charismatic, accustomed to adoration, Raymon is one of the most histrionic lovers in literature ("If only I could wash away with my blood the shame that I have left on this bed!"), almost comical in the intensity of his passions.

Given this woman and the three men who love her, it is clear that jealousy will be the strongest factor in driving the story; but the plot develops in unexpected ways, almost to the extent of a romantic fantasy that defies Sand's supposedly "realist" intentions.However, it is interesting that she allows the various political upheavals of France at the time, coinciding with the burgeoning Industrial Revolution reflected by references to Delmare's factory, to fuel the characters' motivations; they are not just acting in a vacuum that obliviously seals itself from the outside world.

Despite its aesthetic qualities, "Indiana" would have problems attracting a modern readership.Sylvia Raphael's English translation, as rich and garish as the icing on a decorated cake, seems naturally to evoke the novel's peculiar tone, that of the kind of antiquated melodrama that a parodist of period romances might try to achieve.And yet, assuming that the novel's style is largely defined by the mores and tastes of the French society of the 1830s, I can't help but commend Sand's intellect and craftsmanship in exploring the different meanings of love.

... Read more

Book Description
A novel of musical life set in the 18th century.The story of Consuelo, a Gypsy singer, and her adventures in Venice, Austria and Bohemia, narrated by the most eminent of French female writers.

Sand was a prolific (nearly 60 novels)writer who shocked Paris with her own sexual escapades, but in her writing dealt with the serious issues of her time and was identified with the Romantic literary movement. Sand's strong, independent women characters would win her both the adoration of many other writers (mostly women) and the wrath of many reviewers (mostly men). She and her characters are enthusiastic, outspoken, sententious, with a bold manifesto of women's independence and a legitimate claim to emotional and sexual fulfillment. She was unique in her approach as a woman who refused to trivialize her craft because of her gender. Sand became known more for her eccentric lifestyle and love affairs with famous contemporaries, such as Alfred de Musset and Frederic Chopin, than her career as a writer. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

It is the greatest book I ever read!
As you open the book, you immidiatly got cought up in the world of Consuelo, you begin to worry for her, be happy for her, and cry when she is sad. George Sand wrote a book of a music genious, a perfect girl Consuelo, and she really succeded. It was also a great book to use in the School Certificate inNew Zealand, 'cause it is very ditailed, and the characters are well diveloped. As I read it I wished the story would never end!

Perfect mix of romance, art, and history.
Do you like music, romance, history and adventure? If you answer yes, then Consuelo is definitely a book for you. This novel is an inspiration story about essence and purpose of true art, and a life call of true artist. This is a stirring story of talented yang singer life, whose character is filled with love for freedom, sincerity, musical genius and true generosity of the heart. The story unfolds in the midst of factual historical events that take place in real places with actual historical individuals. Due to such historic setting the reader can see the full picture of life in XVIII century Europe and the art development of that time. The novel is a beautiful mix of historic and cultural facts with life and romance of a yang woman, who step by step discovers herself through true purpose of art. It is a trully amazing book! Once you start to read it you can't put it down! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Storyline ....
This is a biography of a woman writer who's real name was Aurore Dupin, who lived in Paris in the 19th century -- Since Amazon didn't provide an editorial review, here's the description from the back of the book to help you decide if this book is for you: "Hailed in her lifetime as the first female genius of any country or age -- even while condemned as the pipe-smoking, pants-wearing mistress of Frederic Chopin, Alfred de Musset, and numerous others -- George Sand, born Aurore Dupin, both captivated and scandalized nineteenth-century Paris. Foreshadowing the women's movement by more than a century, she shook the foundations of European literature and culture with her consuming desire to discover her identity through her art. A provacative, daring and truly gifted writer, George Sand emerges as large as life in this splendidly realized, lusty biography -- an insightful narrative as romantic, as intense, as meomentous as the life that inspired it." ... Read more

Book Description

   In her sixties, George Sand delighted in spinning tales that entertained and educated her two adored granddaughters, Aurore and Gabrielle. Fortunately, she also published thirteen of them for the rest of us to enjoy. The Castle of Pictures presents four of these stories, three of which have never before been translated into English.

Customer Reviews (1)

unexpected surprise
This book surprised me. It was nothing like what I expected it to be. It was a good book and I enjoyed reading it wich was not something i expected to be able to say. The stories wereinteresting and intreaging. Goerge Sand is nothing less then a literary genuis, her stories reminded me of when I was younger.In her Story "What Flowers Say" I could definitly identify with the young girl since when I was that age I too wondered what the flowers talked about when I wasn't there. I would recomend this book to people of all ages it is simply a great book, writen by a truly awesome writer. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

not a masterpiece
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 amasterpiece of literature. But maybe it's better in French. If you want toknow 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. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (5)

Really good.
It took me a few chapters to get into this book (possibly because I was reading it as I was falling asleep) However, once I was in the midst of it, I just sat down and finished it off.The characters are really appealing and interesting, and also very human.With a very few descriptive words I know these people that Sand has created, I can see them very clearly and imagine every detail that she doesn't give us.
It isn't a very long story, though it takes place over a couple of years, and the cast of characters is very small.Sept-Epees is our hero and Tonine the heroine, they are a very interesting and powerfully drawn pair.Sept-Epees at first has a burning ambition to prove there are better things in life for him and invests all of his time and money in a money-pit of a factory (What it produces we never find out,but it is ultimately not importatnt)This ambition drives him further and further away from what everyone else (including the reader) know as his real happiness, Tonine.

The complexity of the plot that Sand manages to created with relatively few characters or incidences is amazing and very tantalizing.I would reccomend this book to anyone who was looking for something along the lines of Dickens but with a little more sunshine.

French literature at its best
If you like Victor Hugo, Emile Zola, or Gustave Flaubert, you will love George Sand.Many people have heard her name but much of her work has never been translated into English, so she is largely unread in the United States.Do yourself a favor and buy this book.The story seems fairly simple on the surface, but it has layers of meaning and truth that will strike you.The love story is very real and beautifully crafted, and the book's hero and heroine would not be out of place in the twenty-first century.I enjoyed every page of this book.You will, too!It's a must-own!

On love, life, business, and the Industrial Revolution
This short, fast paced novel, artfully translated by Kover, is as much a social commentary on life during the Industrial Revolution as it is a story of true love. The plot is engaging, the characters are convincing, and the story culminates in an inspiring twist. A pleasure to read, The Black City will surely strike a familiar chord with every entrepreneur, aspiring business owner, or anyone who has ever yearned for something more in life. I highly recommend reading it!

This is a good read.
I really liked it.It's a good story that everyone can relate to in some way.This book made me want to read more by George Sand.It's the perfect book to curl up with on a rainy afternoon!

Absolutely Great Book
This is one of the best translations I've ever read, and it is so nice to have another of George Sand's works available in English.The story is surprisingly modern, very readable, with really appealing, human, simple characters.If you've heard of Sand but never read anything of hers, start with this book! ... Read more

Book Description
M. Flobaire, You must be a truly dirty oaf to have taken my name and written a letter with it to a lady who had some favors for me which you doubtless received in my place and inherited my hat in place of which I have received yours which you left there. It is the lowness of that lady's conduct and of yours that make me think that she lacks education entirely and all those sentiments which she ought to understand.Download Description
M. Flobaire, You must be a truly dirty oaf to have taken my name and written a letter with it to a lady who had some favors for me which you doubtless received in my place and inherited my hat in place of which I have received yours which you left there. It is the lowness of that lady's conduct and of yours that make me think that she lacks education entirely and all those sentiments which she ought to understand. ... Read more

Book Description
CONSUELO: A Romance of Venice (1842-1843) by George Sand is a glorious story of true love, a paean to music and the creative power of art, and a personal crossroads of choices.

Consuelo, a plain young woman with a divine operatic voice and a heart of sterling integrity, rises from her lowly zingarella (gypsy) beginnings to become a prima donna in Venice and in several courts of Europe, bewitching all with her uncompromising artistic excellence and her profound interpretation of music. At the same time romantic choices are laid before her in the shape of a beautiful but frivolous comrade of childhood, a loyal friend and fellow adventurer, a mysterious holy madman who may also be a saint and her one true love, and finally, a king.

And yet, every artist must choose the nature of their personal fulfillment, and Consuelo's life path appears to be ever-dissonant with ecstasy and sorrow, duty and joie de vivre, love and sacrifice. What will the pure-hearted zingarella choose?

Great historical composers and other personages make delightful and surprising appearances all throughout this emotionally intense and exalted novel, often verging on the realm of the supernatural, and considered by many to be George Sand's masterpiece. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Very Gripping Love Novel!!
I read the novel in Russian. Never read in English, but looking forward to it. I think it is one of the best George Sand's novels. It is full of mysterious and exciting moments. I hope the book in English is as fabulous as in Russian. ... Read more

Book Description
The first English-language edition of a major work by George Sand. Translated by the winner of the 1994 BOMC-PEN Translation Award. "A courageous work, nowadays unjustly neglected". -- Renee Winegarten "Sand develops her most advanced political, social and sexual views in this classic work". -- Feminist Bookstore News ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Not light fare, but well worth it
This is the first George Sand book I have read. I was curious about her after watching the movie "Impromptu". It was a bit of a quest to get my hands on one of her books--possibly this would not have been my first choice. Either way, I found it very interesting.

It is hard to grasp the revolutionary nature of some of the ideas she has in this book--i.e. equality of women from a modern view point. Of course much of what she is saying and observing is still quite relevant in many ways. And she has a marvelous way of saying what she does. It makes me wish I could read French well enough to read it in the original.

It was a great example of first person narrative, and Horace certainly is a character unlike any other I have encountered in a book. Eugenie is a marvelous woman as well.

One of George Sand's best books...
This is a truly fantastic book. It is written in George Sand's fourth period of creativity and emphasizes on what it means to be a man. G. Sand stresses on the qualities of human nature, but she does not criticize themon the surface. She shows what would happen if people accept them.

It isworth reading for anyone who feels they do not know what they want to dowith their lives! ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description
Acclaimed literary biographer Benita Eisler sheds new light on the many roles, triumphs, and losses that together constituted George Sand's overwhelming presence. The first woman in Europe to become a best-selling novelist, Sand was the author of nearly ninety novels, twenty thousand letters, and thousands of pages of autobiographical writings and political commentary. Her fame is inseparable from her notoriety. There was the scandal of leaving her husband and children, setting up in Paris with an eighteen-year-old lover, as well as her many liaisons and friendships with men of talent and even genius: de Musset, Chopin, Balzac, and Flaubert. As Eisler reveals, hers seems like several lives--literary, political, amorous, and domestic. Naked in the Marketplace captures Sand's essence--the outsized public persona and the inner woman, along with the unique and irreplaceable role she played in the history of her times. ... Read more

Book Description
The Master Pipers (1852) is a love story set in the contrasting landscapes of the Berry and Bourbonnais regions in central France. Sand's brilliant exploration of the developing relationships of two sets of lovers underlines her belief that women should be treated as equals to their partners
in marriage.
Written in the aftermath of the failed revolution of 1848, the novel's political and social message, though underplayed, is clear: only by combining what is best in French peasant stock with a code of non-violence will there be any possibility of the profound social change for which Sand yearned.
This new translation captures the freshness and variety of Sand's style, while the notes and maps give clear guidance on the historical, geographical, and biographical background to the novel. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

'you give yourself too much work.....
.... and in order to live well, you don't live at all.'

In the same pastoral environment as 'The Devil's Pool' George Sand weaves a marvellous rural tale. It reflects on the power of music, but also on how vulnerable it can make people. When the baby Charlie was introduced more than half way through the novel, I was nonplussed and uncomfortable with the secrecy surrounding the child. Why did the narrator keep back from us the reasons for the secrecy? Of course, the secret was being kept from the narrator so it reflected his knowledge at the time, if not at the time he told the story. Maybe the story was a bit contrived, but the reason for the secret is quite reasonable.

The dramatic resolution of the story is not only contrived, but it is also melodramatic. And the final outcome for one of the characters is gloomy - the man left out. I did enjoy the novel - Sand is a wonderful story teller and she recreated (represented?) a world I can never experience except through words of the time.

other recommendations:

'Indiana'- George Sand
'The Devil's Pool' - George Sand

feminist, socialist, romantic
George Sand, a feminist before it became fashionable, writes of young love, class conflict, and the artist who nobody can understand.While she does often present a romanticized and idealized version of love, her socialcritiques are poignant.She was a socialist and while this is not her mostsocialist of novels, it does make its point.Besides the social issues, itis a wonderful love story.For those interested in the Romantic Period,peasant or pastoral novels, or feminism (even though the official feministmovement did come until the end of the 19th century) George Sand is anauthor that should not be passed over, and this is one of her best books. ... Read more

Book Description
Uncle Ethan had a theory that a man's character could be told by the way he sat in a wagon seat."A mean man sets right plumb in the middle o' the seat, as much as to say, 'Walk, gol darn yeh, who cares?' But a man that sets in one corner o' the seat, much as to say, 'Jump in-cheaper t' ride 'n to walk,' you can jest tie to."Uncle Ripley was prejudiced in favor of the stranger, therefore, before he came opposite the potato patch, where the old man was "bugging his vines."Download Description
Yes, my son, said she, "this is the Devil's Pool. It is an evil spot, and you must not approach it without throwing in three stones with your left hand, while you cross yourself with the right. That drives away the spirits. Otherwise trouble comes to those who go around it." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

One Of The Best Short Stories Ever Written
Previously my favorite short story or novella was Tolstoy's Master and Man. But this present work comes close to that. I found it on a list of great literature that Bloom has created. It is from Bloom's Democratic Period, 1832-1900. Among the French writers, Bloom selects this work as the best from George Sand.

It is a three part story about a ploughman, Germain. He is a French farmer and he owns his own farm, so he is a man of substance. He is a good looking man in excellent health with three small children, but his wife has died. The story revolves around a trip that he makes to meet a new wife. A trip was arranged by his now deceased wife's inlaws, who are worried about Germain and the children, and then the subsequent marriage that follows on later. Sand manages to communicate a lot of the charm of rural French life to the reader while she tells the story.

There are many twists and turns. The tale seems quite improbable at first, but then it becomes much more compelling as one reads on - more than might possibly imagine. It is a book that kept me up late until it was done. It is not a complicated story and there are few dramatic moments. Rather it is a simple but interesting story about a trip and a romance in rural France. The start and finishing parts are good, but it is a bit slow in the middle with the dialogue bewteem the hemp-beater and the grave-digger.

This is a great novella that I highly recommend.

As a side note it is available free on the Gutenberg Project website.

A seemingly uninteresting subject, and a beautiful story...
George Sand (1804-1876) was an excellent writer, and this book allows the reader to be certain of that. How? Well, in this book Sand takes a seemingly uninteresting subject and tells us a beautiful story about him.

"The devil's pool" (1846) is short, and it is likely to seem even shorter due to the fact that you will be caught up in the pastoral world that the author describes so well. The plot is simple, but effective, and revolves around a planned marriage, and love. However, I am certain you will also enjoy her beautiful metaphors, that for example make you wish you were able to watch a particular sunset.

All in all, I think that the lesson here is that there is poetry and beauty in everything, we just need to be capable of seeing it, as Sand did.Recommended!

Belen Alcat

What would I think of myself ....
..... if I couldn't fight off my sad thoughts? (p 48)
I had a vague knowledge of George Sand before I read Belinda Jack's biography of her. In learning more about Sand I grew to admire the determined individual that she was. But I never really felt any liking for her - unlike, say, what I feel for Emma Goldman or Mary Shelley. Sand's novel 'Indiana' did excite me despite some of its melodramatic aspects. 'Mauprat' on the other hand, wasn't to my liking much at all. 'The Devil's Pool', however, is such a short novel - a novella really - that I was willing to give it a try. And I am so glad I did.

This is a simple pastoral novel, but Victoria Glendinning's Foreword mislead me. I thought I was about to enter the rural world of W H Hudson ('A Shepherd's Life' or 'Idle Days in Patagonia'), which was not a bad prospect for me as I enjoy Hudson's writing a lot. But Sand is different altogether - this rural environment is gripping and tinged with horror and despair.

Here's another quote:
'..... everyone has a story (and everyone would be able to rouse interest in the novel of their own life, if they had really understood it.....)(p 15)

Other recommended reading:
'George Sand': Belinda Jack
'Indiana':George Sand
'Living my Life': Emma Goldman (she must have really understood it!)
'A Crystal Age': W H Hudson (for a different type of pastoral world, but just as challenging)

... Read more

Book Description

George Sand recounts the story of her 1838 winter in Majorca, a winter she passed in the company of Frederick Chopin. She describes the natural beauties of Majorca as well as the rumblings of approaching war.

Customer Reviews (2)

A Classic of Its Kind:A Season in Hell
Sand's chronicle of a wretched season spent on the Balearic island of Mallorca is the archetype for the "bad-trip" school of travel writing.Caustic, spiteful and utterly devoid of sentimentality or remorse, Sand (who was visiting with her beastly young daughter, Solange, and an ailing Frederic Chopin) trashes everything Mallorcan, from the olive oil, to the weather, to the landscape, to the moral character of the islanders.(If only the British and German package tourists who have colonized and defaced Mallorca in the 20th century had read Sand beforehand!)

An added pleasure in this edition is the sniping and meticulous footnoting by Mallorcan expat Robert Graves.He gainsays and qualifies nearly every contentious little gripe of Sand's, providing the reader with an interesting cross-generational literary (and personal) cat/dog-fight.

My guess is, if you enjoy the withering observations of Paul Theroux and his disciples, you will enjoy Sand's nasty little book.If, however, you like your travel books in soft-focus and heavy on the ambience and schmaltz, look elsewhere.

Disappointing
I found this book disappointing, because I expected it to be about the relationship between George Sand and Frederic Chopin while in Majorca.However, this book has absolutely nothing to do with either Sand or Chopin. This book is entirely made up of George Sand describing the scenery,people, and foods of Majorca, and just complaining about how she hated itthere.And to make it worse, there are footnotes on every page saying thatSand was totally wrong about everything she was saying.I would notrecommend this book to anyone, unless they wanted to read up on whatMajorca was like during the 1800's. ... Read more

Book Description
WHILE WORKING IN a small geological museum, Alexis Hartz meets his cousin Laura, who has discovered a way to enter a geode. Travelling through a vast and glittering landscape of brilliant crystals, Alexis passionately falls in love with Laura but, when they return to the ordinary world, only friendship remains. He yearns for the perfect world of the crystals, and returning there becomes a perilous obsession. But is the crystal world as real as it seems or is his mind playing tricks on him? ... Read more