4 h 1 minAudiobook7 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
What if the trouble you keep finding begins with your own bright ideas?
In a French country house, Sophie de Réan has a quick mind, a strong will, and little patience for rules. About four years old when the story opens, she follows each tempting impulse. A treasured wax doll, forbidden experiments, and careless pranks bring consequences she cannot simply wish away.
In Sophie's Misfortunes, Comtesse de Ségur brings a sharp, funny eye to childhood and family life. Madame de Réan meets her daughter's mischief with love and firm correction. Nearby, Camille and Madeleine de Fleurville show Sophie another way to behave. Through short, self-contained episodes, the story explores how a child learns kindness and responsibility.
What you’ll discover
- A willful little heroine Meet a curious child whose quick impulses turn ordinary moments into difficult lessons.
- The treasured wax doll Follow one of Sophie's best-known mishaps, where a cherished gift becomes a hard lesson.
- Friends who show kindness Discover how Camille and Madeleine offer a gentle contrast to Sophie's restless mischief.
- Country life close up Step into French family life, where games, household rules, and small choices shape each day.
- Small chapters, clear lessons Enjoy brief episodes that pair a comic view of childhood with plain lessons about choices.
Who will love it
For parents and grandparents who enjoy stories to share aloud, and adults who love nineteenth-century French children's literature, childhood mischief and gentle moral lessons set in the countryside.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Meet a willful girl in the country
- A wax doll teaches a hard lesson
- Mischief grows with each new temptation
- Good friends show another way to behave
- The real misfortunes come from her own choices
- A comic voice, short chapters and a child's eye
Who’s who
- Sophie de RéanA lively, curious little girl who acts on every impulse and slowly learns that her choices have results.
- Madame de RéanSophie's mother, who loves her daughter deeply and corrects her with firmness, fairness and patience.
- Monsieur de RéanSophie's father, who shares in the care of the household and in guiding his daughter's growth.
- Camille de FleurvilleA kind and well-behaved girl who becomes Sophie's friend and shows her a gentler way to live.
- Madeleine de FleurvilleCamille's sister, gentle and helpful, whose goodness stands in quiet contrast to Sophie's wild ways.
- PaulSophie's lively cousin, a spirited boy who shares her games and sees her faults clearly.
- Madame de FleurvilleThe calm mother of Camille and Madeleine, who keeps a well-ordered home and treats children with respect.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 4 h 1 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 7 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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Sophies Missgeschicke
by Comtesse de Ségur · 1858
Sophie follows every bright impulse, but a wax doll and a string of pranks teach her that choices have consequences.
Easy read2–5 hours to read25 languages
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In short
Sophie's Misfortunes is a children's novel by the Comtesse de Ségur, first published in France in 1858 under the title Les Malheurs de Sophie. The author was born in Russia and began writing only when she was in her fifties.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Meet a willful girl in the country
The story opens in the French countryside, in the home of Sophie and her parents, Monsieur and Madame de Réan. Sophie is a small girl with a quick mind and a strong will. She is not wicked, and the author makes that plain from the start. She is simply a child who wants what she wants, right now, and who does not stop to think about what comes next.
The countess tells the story in a warm, amused voice. She describes Sophie's habits the way a grandmother might, with affection and a raised eyebrow. Sophie is curious about everything in the house and garden. She wants to touch, taste, pull apart and test things, and she is often bored and restless between one adventure and the next.
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What is Sophie's Misfortunes about?
It follows Sophie, a willful little girl in the French countryside, through a series of mischievous episodes. Each one ends in a mishap that teaches her about honesty, obedience and kindness, under the guidance of her loving but firm mother.
Who wrote Sophie's Misfortunes and when?
The Comtesse de Ségur wrote it, and it first appeared in France in 1858 as Les Malheurs de Sophie. She wrote it for her grandchildren and was in her fifties when she began publishing.
Is Sophie's Misfortunes a true story?
It is a work of fiction, though the countess drew on the habits of real children and on her own family life. The setting reflects how well-off French families lived in the countryside in the nineteenth century.
The author
Comtesse de Ségur
1799–1874 · Russian-born French children's writer
The Comtesse de Ségur was born Sophie Rostopchine in Russia in 1799. She moved to France in 1817 and lived there until her death in Paris in 1874. She wrote children’s books in French, including Old French Fairy Tales, published in 1856, and Sophie’s Misfortunes, published in 1858.
More by Comtesse de Ségur
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