7 h 53 minAudiobook4 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
In a world where manners rule, what happens when an old love refuses to stay in the past?
Lucile, known in society as the Countess de Nevers, has wit, charm, and a past she keeps private. Her life is tied to Lord Alfred Vargrave by an old attachment and lingering hurt. Around them, fashionable society in France and England makes its claims, and a careless word can do lasting harm.
Robert Bulwer-Lytton tells this romance in rhymed couplets, carrying you through drawing rooms and country houses with a lively, rolling rhythm. Matilda Darcy brings an open nature to this worldly company, while the proud Duke de Luvois and socially ambitious Lord Walter Vargrave add pressure. Love and loyalty meet pride, mistaken judgment, and the demands of rank.
What you’ll discover
- A woman with depth Meet Lucile, whose intelligence and generosity sit beside memories she does not readily share.
- The pull of old love Follow an attachment that binds Lucile and Alfred through old hurt and society’s claims.
- Drawing rooms under pressure Enter a polished social world where manners matter and careless words leave lasting wounds.
- A story carried by rhyme Let the rolling couplets draw you through a romance shaped like a novel.
- Room to pause Spend time with a long poem that pauses to comment on the world it portrays.
Who will love it
For readers who love Victorian poetry, social romance and stories of old loves meeting again, with witty heroines, drawing-room society and choices shaped by pride and loyalty.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A society of drawing rooms and diplomats
- Lucile carries a past she does not share
- Alfred Vargrave and the pull of the past
- Verse as the way of telling
Who’s who
- LucileA witty, experienced woman of society, also called the Countess de Nevers, who carries a private past and gives generously to others.
- Lord Alfred VargraveAn English gentleman of rank whose life is tied to Lucile by an old attachment and to the claims of society.
- Matilda DarcyA young woman of good family whose simple, open nature contrasts with the worldly people around her.
- Duke de LuvoisA French nobleman of ambition and pride who plays a part in the lives of those around Lucile.
- Lord Walter VargraveAlfred's cousin, a figure of social ambition whose actions add pressure to the story.
Formats and delivery
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- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 7 h 53 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 4 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
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Lucile
by Edward Robert Bulwer-Lytton, 1. Earl of Lytton · 1860
A witty woman carries a hidden past into drawing-room society, where old love and pride shape each choice.
Medium level5–10 hours to read25 languages
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In short
Lucile is a story told in verse, published in 1860 by Robert Bulwer-Lytton, who wrote under the pen name Owen Meredith. He was the son of the novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton and later served as a diplomat and as Viceroy of India.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A society of drawing rooms and diplomats
The poem opens in a world of fashion, where manners matter and a careless word can do lasting harm. The author knew this world well from his own life among diplomats and the English upper class. He writes about it with a smile, and he also sees how cold it can be beneath the polish.
The settings move between Paris, the French countryside and England. Guests meet at dinners and at country houses, and the chatter of society shapes the lives of the main figures. Marriage in this world is a matter of family, rank and property as much as of feeling.
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What is Lucile by Owen Meredith about?
It is a Victorian verse novel about love, pride and honor among fashionable people in France and England. Its heroine, Lucile, carries a hidden past that shapes her friendships and her place in society.
Who was Owen Meredith?
Owen Meredith was the pen name of Robert Bulwer-Lytton, later the first Earl of Lytton. He was a poet and diplomat, and the son of the novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton.
When was Lucile written?
Lucile was published in 1860. It is a work of fiction in verse, not a true story, though it draws on the manners and settings of the real society the author knew.
The author
Robert Bulwer-Lytton
1831–1891 · British poet and diplomat
Edward Robert Bulwer-Lytton (1831–1891) was a British author and diplomat who wrote under the name Owen Meredith. He was born in London and died in Paris. His verse novel Lucile appeared in 1860. He served as Viceroy of India from 1876 to 1880 and later as British ambassador to France.
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