Becoming George Sand: A novel - Hardcover

Brackenbury, Rosalind

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0385666195 ISBN 13: 9780385666190

Publisher: Doubleday Canada, 2009

Synopsis

Maria Jameson, an Edinburgh academic, is passionately involved with a younger man and married to a steady, reliable husband with whom she has two children. She wonders: Is it possible to love two men at the same time? And must she feel guilty?

For answers she reaches across the centuries to the life story of George Sand, the maverick French novelist whose many lovers included the composer Frederic Chopin. While researching a book about Sand — and enduring bitter disappointment — she moves toward understanding how best to live her life.

This is a richly detailed novel that explores past and present, the personal and the historic, and sensuality, responsibility and the mystery of love. Sharply insightful, it is a deeply engaging examination of two women's minds, hearts and homes.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

What is the price of falling in love?

“Read Becoming George Sand for the beauty of the prose, for the intertwined and compelling stories of two brave and piercingly alive women. Read it most of all, though, for its honesty. This is not so much a story about having a love affair as it is a study of the nature of love itself. I was absolutely knocked out by it.”—Elizabeth Berg

“This is a beautiful, wise novel. The intertwining of past and present, of France and Scotland, of genius and analysis is done with an ease that disguises the consummate skill of the writing. A lovely book.”—Edmund White

“An elegant novel which offers sensitive and witty reflections upon an astonishingly wide range of topics, Becoming George Sand is a great read and its characters are enchanting company.”—Valerie Martin

“A wonderful book—filled with wisdom, poetry, and imagery so brilliant I wish I could steal it. This is a treasure!”—Annie Dillard

From the Inside Flap:

Maria Jameson is having an affair — a passionate, lifechanging entanglement with a younger man. Does this new romance mean an end to the life she has built for herself ? Does it mean an end to being in love with her husband?

 

For answers, she reaches across the centuries to the life and love stories of George Sand, the maverick French novelist who took many lovers, including Frederic Chopin. Immersing herself in the life of this revolutionary woman, Maria struggles with the choices women make and the limitations placed on their lives, then and now. Might women in the nineteenth century have been more free, in some ways, than their twentyfirst-century counterparts?

 

A beautiful portrait of the ways in which women are connected across history, Becoming George Sand asks how we can make our lives feel vibrant while still acknowledging the gifts of our pasts, and challenges our understanding of love in all its forms.

About this edition

• Publisher: Doubleday Canada
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0385666195
• ISBN 13: 9780385666190
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 304