What’s it About?
The life–and loves!– of George Sand
What was the inspiration?
One day, while reading The Writer’s Almanac, I came across some very intriguing facts about the life of Aurore Dudevant, who took the pen name George Sand when she began publishing novels. Given that her life seemed to be so interesting, so dramatic, I wanted to read a novel about her–I prefer reading novels to biographies, because fiction allows for a more colorful presentation of a character; it allows scenes and dialogue and speculation about motivation. To my surprise, I found that there wasn’t a single novel about George Sand. So, in the way that writers write what they want to read, I wrote a novel about this most extraordinary woman, who was a study in contradiction.
Excerpt
“At random moments, I find myself in sudden need of an intense privacy. Then I excuse myself from my own table, from the trilling conversation in the bookshop, from the darkened theater or the street market, with its bins of fish and chard. I stand somewhere alone to calm myself, to draw breaths past the knot in my chest. I lose focus of my surroundings in order to accommodate a more compelling vision in which I undress my life, searching for the vital place, the beating heart of what I most truly was and am.”
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Featuring exclusive content from me, download this book club kit for more information about George Sand, French recipes, and tips on hosting your own Parisian-themed book club salon!