Poetic and Evocative, 13 Jul 2006
George Sand has, regrettably, been forgotten by the majority of the reading public. In the 1980's, most of her books were republished by Oxford Classics, but many of these are now out of print, and lie gathering dust on the shelves of second-hand bookshops. The writer's life often overshadowed her work, due to her affairs with some of the luminaries of salon life in the nineteenth century, the composer Chopin prime among them. However, it is for her literary works that we should remember her.

The Devil's Pool is a short novel, reminiscent in some respects of the novellas of Tolstoy. Germain, a young widowed farmer, lives with his in-laws and his children, working hard in the fields and honouring the memory of his beloved late wife. One day, his father-in-law suggests that it is time he found himself a new wife. Although not immediately enamoured of the idea, Germain recognises the benefits of remarrying, and sets out to a nearby farm to meet the woman his father-in-law has in mind. He travels with the teenage daughter of a local farmer's widow. Once there, however, he finds his intended besieged by suitors, and the prospect of marriage to this woman begins to pall.

The "Devil's Pool" itself is a small lake in the middle of the forest in which Germain and his travelling companion lose themselves on their journey. Local legend has it that, once lost, it is impossible to find one's way out until daylight.

The novel is richly evocative and full of poetic imagery, at times reading more like a prose-poem than a traditional novel. The setting is one that was well-known to Sand, being the area where she grew-up, and the sense of place is palpable throughout this work. Character is, in many respects, less important than how the locale affects the people.

Beautiful, evocative and poetic - this is a perfect introduction to a great writer who should be much better known.


A seemingly uninteresting subject, and a beautiful story... , 07 May 2006
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

Poetic and Evocative, 13 Jul 2006
George Sand has, regrettably, been forgotten by the majority of the reading public. In the 1980's, most of her books were republished by Oxford Classics, but many of these are now out of print, and lie gathering dust on the shelves of second-hand bookshops. The writer's life often overshadowed her work, due to her affairs with some of the luminaries of salon life in the nineteenth century, the composer Chopin prime among them. However, it is for her literary works that we should remember her.

The Devil's Pool is a short novel, reminiscent in some respects of the novellas of Tolstoy. Germain, a young widowed farmer, lives with his in-laws and his children, working hard in the fields and honouring the memory of his beloved late wife. One day, his father-in-law suggests that it is time he found himself a new wife. Although not immediately enamoured of the idea, Germain recognises the benefits of remarrying, and sets out to a nearby farm to meet the woman his father-in-law has in mind. He travels with the teenage daughter of a local farmer's widow. Once there, however, he finds his intended besieged by suitors, and the prospect of marriage to this woman begins to pall.

The "Devil's Pool" itself is a small lake in the middle of the forest in which Germain and his travelling companion lose themselves on their journey. Local legend has it that, once lost, it is impossible to find one's way out until daylight.

The novel is richly evocative and full of poetic imagery, at times reading more like a prose-poem than a traditional novel. The setting is one that was well-known to Sand, being the area where she grew-up, and the sense of place is palpable throughout this work. Character is, in many respects, less important than how the locale affects the people.

Beautiful, evocative and poetic - this is a perfect introduction to a great writer who should be much better known.


A seemingly uninteresting subject, and a beautiful story... , 07 May 2006
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

Poetic and Evocative, 13 Jul 2006
George Sand has, regrettably, been forgotten by the majority of the reading public. In the 1980's, most of her books were republished by Oxford Classics, but many of these are now out of print, and lie gathering dust on the shelves of second-hand bookshops. The writer's life often overshadowed her work, due to her affairs with some of the luminaries of salon life in the nineteenth century, the composer Chopin prime among them. However, it is for her literary works that we should remember her.

The Devil's Pool is a short novel, reminiscent in some respects of the novellas of Tolstoy. Germain, a young widowed farmer, lives with his in-laws and his children, working hard in the fields and honouring the memory of his beloved late wife. One day, his father-in-law suggests that it is time he found himself a new wife. Although not immediately enamoured of the idea, Germain recognises the benefits of remarrying, and sets out to a nearby farm to meet the woman his father-in-law has in mind. He travels with the teenage daughter of a local farmer's widow. Once there, however, he finds his intended besieged by suitors, and the prospect of marriage to this woman begins to pall.

The "Devil's Pool" itself is a small lake in the middle of the forest in which Germain and his travelling companion lose themselves on their journey. Local legend has it that, once lost, it is impossible to find one's way out until daylight.

The novel is richly evocative and full of poetic imagery, at times reading more like a prose-poem than a traditional novel. The setting is one that was well-known to Sand, being the area where she grew-up, and the sense of place is palpable throughout this work. Character is, in many respects, less important than how the locale affects the people.

Beautiful, evocative and poetic - this is a perfect introduction to a great writer who should be much better known.


A seemingly uninteresting subject, and a beautiful story... , 07 May 2006
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

Poetic and Evocative, 13 Jul 2006
George Sand has, regrettably, been forgotten by the majority of the reading public. In the 1980's, most of her books were republished by Oxford Classics, but many of these are now out of print, and lie gathering dust on the shelves of second-hand bookshops. The writer's life often overshadowed her work, due to her affairs with some of the luminaries of salon life in the nineteenth century, the composer Chopin prime among them. However, it is for her literary works that we should remember her.

The Devil's Pool is a short novel, reminiscent in some respects of the novellas of Tolstoy. Germain, a young widowed farmer, lives with his in-laws and his children, working hard in the fields and honouring the memory of his beloved late wife. One day, his father-in-law suggests that it is time he found himself a new wife. Although not immediately enamoured of the idea, Germain recognises the benefits of remarrying, and sets out to a nearby farm to meet the woman his father-in-law has in mind. He travels with the teenage daughter of a local farmer's widow. Once there, however, he finds his intended besieged by suitors, and the prospect of marriage to this woman begins to pall.

The "Devil's Pool" itself is a small lake in the middle of the forest in which Germain and his travelling companion lose themselves on their journey. Local legend has it that, once lost, it is impossible to find one's way out until daylight.

The novel is richly evocative and full of poetic imagery, at times reading more like a prose-poem than a traditional novel. The setting is one that was well-known to Sand, being the area where she grew-up, and the sense of place is palpable throughout this work. Character is, in many respects, less important than how the locale affects the people.

Beautiful, evocative and poetic - this is a perfect introduction to a great writer who should be much better known.


A seemingly uninteresting subject, and a beautiful story... , 07 May 2006
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

Poetic and Evocative, 13 Jul 2006
George Sand has, regrettably, been forgotten by the majority of the reading public. In the 1980's, most of her books were republished by Oxford Classics, but many of these are now out of print, and lie gathering dust on the shelves of second-hand bookshops. The writer's life often overshadowed her work, due to her affairs with some of the luminaries of salon life in the nineteenth century, the composer Chopin prime among them. However, it is for her literary works that we should remember her.

The Devil's Pool is a short novel, reminiscent in some respects of the novellas of Tolstoy. Germain, a young widowed farmer, lives with his in-laws and his children, working hard in the fields and honouring the memory of his beloved late wife. One day, his father-in-law suggests that it is time he found himself a new wife. Although not immediately enamoured of the idea, Germain recognises the benefits of remarrying, and sets out to a nearby farm to meet the woman his father-in-law has in mind. He travels with the teenage daughter of a local farmer's widow. Once there, however, he finds his intended besieged by suitors, and the prospect of marriage to this woman begins to pall.

The "Devil's Pool" itself is a small lake in the middle of the forest in which Germain and his travelling companion lose themselves on their journey. Local legend has it that, once lost, it is impossible to find one's way out until daylight.

The novel is richly evocative and full of poetic imagery, at times reading more like a prose-poem than a traditional novel. The setting is one that was well-known to Sand, being the area where she grew-up, and the sense of place is palpable throughout this work. Character is, in many respects, less important than how the locale affects the people.

Beautiful, evocative and poetic - this is a perfect introduction to a great writer who should be much better known.


A seemingly uninteresting subject, and a beautiful story... , 07 May 2006
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

Romantic story with interesting questions, 09 Oct 2007
Indiana is a young woman in the 1830s surrounded by men: her husband - an elderly retired colonel, her cousin, who practically raised her on Bourbon Island, and her lover - the ever eloquent Raymon. Indiana is also a woman in the 1830s surrounded by different views on women and their place in France, examplified by the men around her.

Indiana can be read as a nice little romantic story, but it can also be read as a socio-cultural essay. I read it leisurely, but the messages between the lines are so evident, that I had to think about them.

Life has changed quite a bit since the 1830s, but I find that the novel still has relevance today. Reading "Indiana" I thought of society's role in an individual's decision-making, i.e. Indiana's escape to Bourbon Island when her relationship with Raymon comes to an abrupt end or the question "what are our motivations for our actions?", i.e. Raymon's lust for the hunt of Indiana's love.

This is a little romantic story, deguising some very interesting questions.


Shifting reputation, 06 Apr 2005
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.

Poetic and Evocative, 13 Jul 2006
George Sand has, regrettably, been forgotten by the majority of the reading public. In the 1980's, most of her books were republished by Oxford Classics, but many of these are now out of print, and lie gathering dust on the shelves of second-hand bookshops. The writer's life often overshadowed her work, due to her affairs with some of the luminaries of salon life in the nineteenth century, the composer Chopin prime among them. However, it is for her literary works that we should remember her.

The Devil's Pool is a short novel, reminiscent in some respects of the novellas of Tolstoy. Germain, a young widowed farmer, lives with his in-laws and his children, working hard in the fields and honouring the memory of his beloved late wife. One day, his father-in-law suggests that it is time he found himself a new wife. Although not immediately enamoured of the idea, Germain recognises the benefits of remarrying, and sets out to a nearby farm to meet the woman his father-in-law has in mind. He travels with the teenage daughter of a local farmer's widow. Once there, however, he finds his intended besieged by suitors, and the prospect of marriage to this woman begins to pall.

The "Devil's Pool" itself is a small lake in the middle of the forest in which Germain and his travelling companion lose themselves on their journey. Local legend has it that, once lost, it is impossible to find one's way out until daylight.

The novel is richly evocative and full of poetic imagery, at times reading more like a prose-poem than a traditional novel. The setting is one that was well-known to Sand, being the area where she grew-up, and the sense of place is palpable throughout this work. Character is, in many respects, less important than how the locale affects the people.

Beautiful, evocative and poetic - this is a perfect introduction to a great writer who should be much better known.


A seemingly uninteresting subject, and a beautiful story... , 07 May 2006
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

Poetic and Evocative, 13 Jul 2006
George Sand has, regrettably, been forgotten by the majority of the reading public. In the 1980's, most of her books were republished by Oxford Classics, but many of these are now out of print, and lie gathering dust on the shelves of second-hand bookshops. The writer's life often overshadowed her work, due to her affairs with some of the luminaries of salon life in the nineteenth century, the composer Chopin prime among them. However, it is for her literary works that we should remember her.

The Devil's Pool is a short novel, reminiscent in some respects of the novellas of Tolstoy. Germain, a young widowed farmer, lives with his in-laws and his children, working hard in the fields and honouring the memory of his beloved late wife. One day, his father-in-law suggests that it is time he found himself a new wife. Although not immediately enamoured of the idea, Germain recognises the benefits of remarrying, and sets out to a nearby farm to meet the woman his father-in-law has in mind. He travels with the teenage daughter of a local farmer's widow. Once there, however, he finds his intended besieged by suitors, and the prospect of marriage to this woman begins to pall.

The "Devil's Pool" itself is a small lake in the middle of the forest in which Germain and his travelling companion lose themselves on their journey. Local legend has it that, once lost, it is impossible to find one's way out until daylight.

The novel is richly evocative and full of poetic imagery, at times reading more like a prose-poem than a traditional novel. The setting is one that was well-known to Sand, being the area where she grew-up, and the sense of place is palpable throughout this work. Character is, in many respects, less important than how the locale affects the people.

Beautiful, evocative and poetic - this is a perfect introduction to a great writer who should be much better known.


A seemingly uninteresting subject, and a beautiful story... , 07 May 2006
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

Romantic story with interesting questions, 09 Oct 2007
Indiana is a young woman in the 1830s surrounded by men: her husband - an elderly retired colonel, her cousin, who practically raised her on Bourbon Island, and her lover - the ever eloquent Raymon. Indiana is also a woman in the 1830s surrounded by different views on women and their place in France, examplified by the men around her.

Indiana can be read as a nice little romantic story, but it can also be read as a socio-cultural essay. I read it leisurely, but the messages between the lines are so evident, that I had to think about them.

Life has changed quite a bit since the 1830s, but I find that the novel still has relevance today. Reading "Indiana" I thought of society's role in an individual's decision-making, i.e. Indiana's escape to Bourbon Island when her relationship with Raymon comes to an abrupt end or the question "what are our motivations for our actions?", i.e. Raymon's lust for the hunt of Indiana's love.

This is a little romantic story, deguising some very interesting questions.


Shifting reputation, 06 Apr 2005
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.

Poetic and Evocative, 13 Jul 2006
George Sand has, regrettably, been forgotten by the majority of the reading public. In the 1980's, most of her books were republished by Oxford Classics, but many of these are now out of print, and lie gathering dust on the shelves of second-hand bookshops. The writer's life often overshadowed her work, due to her affairs with some of the luminaries of salon life in the nineteenth century, the composer Chopin prime among them. However, it is for her literary works that we should remember her.

The Devil's Pool is a short novel, reminiscent in some respects of the novellas of Tolstoy. Germain, a young widowed farmer, lives with his in-laws and his children, working hard in the fields and honouring the memory of his beloved late wife. One day, his father-in-law suggests that it is time he found himself a new wife. Although not immediately enamoured of the idea, Germain recognises the benefits of remarrying, and sets out to a nearby farm to meet the woman his father-in-law has in mind. He travels with the teenage daughter of a local farmer's widow. Once there, however, he finds his intended besieged by suitors, and the prospect of marriage to this woman begins to pall.

The "Devil's Pool" itself is a small lake in the middle of the forest in which Germain and his travelling companion lose themselves on their journey. Local legend has it that, once lost, it is impossible to find one's way out until daylight.

The novel is richly evocative and full of poetic imagery, at times reading more like a prose-poem than a traditional novel. The setting is one that was well-known to Sand, being the area where she grew-up, and the sense of place is palpable throughout this work. Character is, in many respects, less important than how the locale affects the people.

Beautiful, evocative and poetic - this is a perfect introduction to a great writer who should be much better known.


A seemingly uninteresting subject, and a beautiful story... , 07 May 2006
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