Book Description
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Napoleon in exile declared that were he again on the throne he should make a point of spending two hours a day in conversation with women, from whom there was much to be learnt. He had, no doubt, several types of women in mind, but it is more than probable that the banishment of Madame de Stael rose before him as one of the mistakes in his career. It was not that he showed lack of judgment merely by the persecution of a rare talent, but by failing to see that the rare talent was pointing out truths very valuable to his own safety. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

For many years, my favorite book
Now, as any deposed true queen would do, it lives happily in exile knowing thatit was pushed aside by such books as The Count of Montecristo,Don Quijote, On the Beach and so on, but, trust me, even thou in exile, this books lives in a palace, with all the servants and courtesans it deserves.

Bernard and Edmee - the cousins
This is the second Sand novel that I have read. Sadly it didn't measure up to the first, 'Indiana', for me. It is too long and the mannered society of the characters is too formal and stilted for me. And there is so much scene setting - it goes on and on and on. In fact I put the novel down for quite a while before I picked it up and read to the finish. And the ending does have more momentum than a lot that went before, but - perhaps a reflection of the time - I am perplexed at how an individual can be charged with murder when no-one has died and, indeed, even be sentenced to execution and, in the end, an execution does take place - still in the absence of a death.

But Bernard - brought up badly by the bad side of the family - is rescued and nurtured by the good side where he falls in love with his second cousin Edmee. And for seven years Edmee resists him - for two of those years he actually flees to America (and yes, I couldn't blame him). Of course, had he been raised in a supportive and caring environment perhaps he could have withstood Edmee's 'indifference' (initially she is betrothed to another, but she is released from that), but with the terrible upbringing he endured Bernard is torn apart by this apparent rejection in the heart of the part of the family that has adopted him.

So why does Edmee keep Bernard at arms length? It is not at all clear to me unless - as is indicated at times - she sees Bernard as mentally unstable (perhaps schizophrenic) and cannot take on the burden of caring for him, physically or in her heart. But she does not send him away either! There is one other possibility that Sand does not explore and that is that Edmee has an unseen physical disability that distracts and torments her in the face Bernard's love. But this is just making excuses for inexplicable behaviour.

Strangely for me, the sanest words in the novel come from the 'murderer' who comes upon Bernard and Edmee 'lost' in the woods. He says that the conversation he overheard nearly made him scream with laughter - Bernard with his childish pleas, Edmee with her haughty indifference. And that is exactly how I saw these two and in the end I really didn't need to spend as much time with them as George Sand has put me through.

It is an interesting novel but for me tedious in its extent and at times laboured in its prose. With unlikeable key characters, I find it hard to recommend.

Mauprat - The Best George Sand Book Ever!
Mauprat is a novel about uncultured Bernard who rescues the beautiful Edmee de Mauprat. Bernard falls in love with Edmee, and Edmee's father thinks of Bernard as his son. He wants Bernard and Edmee to be together,but because Edmee feels superior to Bernard, she cannot allow herself tolove him. She tries to educate Bernard and teach him manners. Once that isdone, Edmee begins to love Bernard. This book has a very interesting themeof a women's superiority to a man. I highly recommend it!It was one ofmy favorite George Sand novels, and it is interesting because it is told mythe perspective of eldery Bernard looking back on his life. Read this book! ... 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

Book Description
A translation of Madame Sand's Journal.

THIS TITLE IS CITED AND RECOMMENDED BY:Books for College Libraries. ... Read more

Book Description
An account of the Chopin-George Sand idyll on the isle of Majorca, its consequences for both. ILLUS. ... Read more

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