7 h 28 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 7 h 28 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What is love worth in a world that puts a price on a woman?
In Paris, an auction draws a narrator into the life of Marguerite Gautier, a courtesan whose belongings must pay her debts. A book brings him to Armand Duval, the young man who loves her. As Armand tells his story, the woman behind the reputation begins to emerge.
Marguerite wants to be loved for herself. Armand has deep feelings but modest means, and he cannot bear to share her. In Alexandre Dumas fils's Camille (The Lady of the Camellias), their hope for a life together meets the pressure of money, illness and a family's good name.
What you’ll discover
- The woman behind the scandal Meet Marguerite beyond her rich admirers, through her longing to be loved for herself.
- Love with a cost Follow Armand as his devotion meets the limits of his income and his jealousy.
- A quieter life Leave Paris for a small house in Bougival, where Marguerite tries to live differently.
- A father's good name See how Monsieur Duval's concern for his son puts family reputation against private feeling.
- A question of worth Consider who gets to judge a woman: her admirers, respectable families, or her friends.
Who will love it
You will love this book if you enjoy romantic stories about devoted lovers, if Paris of the 1840s draws you, or if you like tales told by one person to another.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A Paris auction opens a dead woman's rooms
- Marguerite Gautier is beautiful, alone, and always wearing camellias
- A bought book brings a grieving lover to the door
- Armand falls for Marguerite and wins an invitation
- Jealousy nearly breaks the pair before it begins
- A house in the country becomes a summer of happiness
- Debts mount, sacrifices follow, and a father arrives
- Pity and redemption sit at the heart of the story
- Money and love cannot be pulled apart in this story
- Stories within stories shape how the tale is told
Who’s who
- Marguerite GautierA beautiful, sick Paris courtesan known as the Lady of the Camellias, who wants rest, a quiet life, and someone who loves her for herself.
- Armand DuvalA young law graduate from a respectable family who has loved Marguerite since first seeing her and wants her all to himself.
- The narratorA curious young writer who buys a book at Marguerite's sale, befriends Armand, and records the story as he hears it.
- Prudence DuvernoyA plump milliner and former kept woman who acts as go-between and gives practical, self-interested advice about money and men.
- The old dukeAn elderly, rich foreigner who sees his dead daughter in Marguerite and wants her company and respect, not only her beauty.
- NanineMarguerite's loyal maid, who guards her mistress and cares for her through her worst moments.
- M. DuvalArmand's father, a respected official who wants his son to leave Marguerite and protect the family name.
- Julie DupratA friend of Marguerite who holds her journal and stays near her when others drift away.
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Camille (La dama de las camelias)
by Alejandro Dumas · 1848
A Paris auction draws a stranger to bid a hundred francs for a book once owned by a dead courtesan.
Medium level2–5 hours to readEspañol
Aprende un idioma con clásicos de nivel mediumEspañolFrancésAlemánItalianoJaponésPortuguésInglésCómo medimos los niveles
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In short
A yellow poster on a Paris street announces the sale of a dead woman's furniture. A curious young man goes to see the rooms, and ends up bidding a hundred francs for a bound book worth ten or fifteen.
Camille (La dama de las camelias) de un vistazo
- Tiempo de lectura
- Unas 4 h 15 min3 h 20 min fast, 5 h 5 min slow
- Duración
- 60.600 palabras
- Nivel en la biblioteca
- Mediano longer sentences, everyday words
- Primera publicación
- 1848by Alejandro Dumas
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). Cuánto se tarda en leer los clásicos · Actualizado
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A Paris auction opens a dead woman's rooms
In March 1847 a young narrator sees a large yellow poster on the Rue Lafitte. It announces a sale of furniture at 9 Rue d'Antin, held because the owner has died. He loves curiosities, so he goes to look.
The rooms are crowded with society women in cashmere and velvet. They say they have come for the furniture. In truth they want to see the home of a kept woman, and death has made it safe to enter. In the dressing room the narrator sees gold and silver toilet objects, each with different initials and a different coronet. He thinks God has been merciful to the woman, letting her die in her beauty.
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Has visto
¿Qué edición es la adecuada para mí?
- 15-minute summary
- Las ideas clave de todo el libro en unos 14 minutos. Una buena introducción o un repaso.
Detalles
- First published
- 1848
- Language
- Español
- Reading time
- 4 h 50 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cita esta edición
Dumas, Alexandre, fils. Camille (The Lady of the Camellias). Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/camille-the-lady-of-the-camellias.
Dumas, A., fils. (2026). Camille (the lady of the camellias). Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/camille-the-lady-of-the-camellias (Original work published 1848)
Dumas, Alexandre, fils. Camille (The Lady of the Camellias). Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/camille-the-lady-of-the-camellias.
@book{dumas2026camille,
author = {Dumas, Alexandre, fils},
title = {Camille (The Lady of the Camellias)},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/camille-the-lady-of-the-camellias},
note = {First published 1848}
}
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What is Camille by Alexandre Dumas about?
It tells of Armand Duval and Marguerite Gautier, a Paris courtesan known as the Lady of the Camellias. A narrator hears their love story from Armand after her death. The tale covers passion, money, jealousy and sacrifice.
Why is Marguerite called the Lady of the Camellias?
She always carries a bouquet of camellias to the theater. For twenty-five days of the month they are white, and for five days red. People at Madame Barjon’s flower shop called her the Lady of the Camellias, and the nickname stuck.
Is Camille a true story?
Dumas wrote it as if it were true and had it published in 1848, and he says witnesses were living in Paris. It is generally seen as a novel drawn from real Parisian life of the 1840s, shaped by his own experience.
The author
Alexandre Dumas fils
1824–1895 · French novelist and playwright
Alexandre Dumas fils was a French novelist and playwright, born in Paris in 1824. He was the son of the writer Alexandre Dumas. He published the novel The Lady of the Camellias in 1848 and adapted it as a play in 1852. He died in Marly-le-Roi, France, in 1895.
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