7 h 5 minAudiobook11 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A valet trusts fine clothes and polished manners—until his new master refuses to supply a title or a destination.
In Lyon, Comtois writes to his wife, Céleste, with news: he has left the difficult Count de Milly and found another employer. M. d’Argères matches his previous wage, dresses beautifully, and speaks with kindness. Yet Comtois knows almost nothing about him, and his new position soon becomes an exercise in guessing.
A steamboat journey brings them to Tournon, where d’Argères keeps his plans to himself. At Mauzères, the welcome from Baron de West, an author, offers Comtois some reassurance. Through letters, a journal, and narration, George Sand draws you into a world where rank shapes trust and courtesy does not guarantee understanding.
What you’ll discover
- A watchful, fallible guide Follow Comtois as he weighs every gesture and mistakes quietness for a lack of intelligence.
- The comedy of rank His attempts to give d’Argères a noble title expose how much social standing matters.
- An uncertain road ahead Travel beside a master whose destination remains unclear, even to the servant carrying his concerns.
- Kindness beneath the questions A toothache brings a simple invitation to rest, complicating Comtois’s doubts about his employer.
- Room for quiet feeling Enter a patient romance shaped by art, private wishes, and the pressure of social expectations.
Who will love it
Readers who love romantic novels with a moral centre, musical settings, French provincial life, and stories where love is tested by money, class and grief. It also suits anyone curious about George Sand's ideas on art and devotion.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A valet who cannot read his master
- A song heard from the hill
- Toinette tells a widow's story
- Music as a way into a closed heart
- A declaration, and a refusal
- The singer writes his true name
- Pursuit to Larnac and the marquise
- Mauzères, money and a friend's letter
- What the story is about, and how it is told
Who’s who
- Adriani (d'Argères)A gifted singer and composer who travels under his family name and falls in love with a grieving widow, hoping to draw her back to life.
- Laure de MonteluzA young widow of twenty-three who has withdrawn from the world after her husband's death, and who fears she cannot love again.
- Toinette MuironLaure's devoted, talkative old maid, who arranges meetings and tries to steer her mistress toward happiness, often clumsily.
- ComtoisThe vain, nosy valet who keeps a journal and misjudges his master at every turn while slowly growing fond of him.
- The Marquise de MonteluzLaure's rigid mother-in-law, who lives by rank, religion and propriety and cannot accept a daughter-in-law who loves a performer.
- Baron de WestA kind but vain nobleman and poet in money trouble, who dreams of fame and wants Adriani to set his verses.
- DescombesAdriani's old friend, a painter turned speculator, who offers to invest Adriani's money and ruins them both.
Formats and delivery
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- Large-print eBook
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- Audiobook
- 7 h 5 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 11 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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Adriani
by George Sand · 1854
A singer in disguise hears a grieving widow's song at dusk and follows it to a house the villagers call La Désolade.
Medium level5–10 hours to read25 languages
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In short
Adriani is a novel by George Sand, written in 1853 and dedicated to the actress Madame Albert Bignon. In her dedication, Sand says what she wants to prove: that great love belongs to strong, active, fully grown people, and not only to dreamers, loners and the weak.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A valet who cannot read his master
The story opens with letters and journal pages from Comtois, a valet who has lately left a count's service. He has been hired by a handsome gentleman who calls himself only M. d'Argères. The man pays well, speaks softly and gives no hint of his business or his title.
Comtois is the kind of servant who judges everyone by rank. When his master has no title, he is uneasy. When the man says little, Comtois decides he has few ideas. When the man sings an Italian tune beautifully at bedtime, Comtois concludes he is simple.
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What is Adriani by George Sand about?
It follows a singer who hides his fame, meets a young widow shut away in a ruined house, and tries to bring her back to life through music and love. Money, family pride and a friend's ruin test them both.
Who is Adriani in the novel?
Adriani is the stage name of d'Argères, a gifted Italian-born singer and composer. He travels under his family name, and the valet Comtois only slowly learns that his master is a celebrated artist.
Who is Laure de Monteluz?
Laure is a young widow who lost her husband Octave after six months of marriage. Her grief has left her withdrawn and dreamlike, and Adriani's music is the first thing to reach her.
The author
George Sand
1804–1876 · French novelist and memoirist
George Sand was the pen name of Aurore Dupin, a French novelist and memoirist. She was born in Paris in 1804 and died at Nohant in 1876. She lived in Paris and Nohant. Her novels include Indiana (1832), Mauprat (1837), The Devil’s Pool (1846), and Little Fadette (1849).
More by George Sand
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