4 h 16 minAudiobook8 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 road to a sensible marriage leads into a foggy forest—and toward a different kind of love?
Germain works hard, cares for his three children and still grieves for his wife. His father-in-law, Père Maurice, urges him to marry again. In George Sand’s The Devil’s Pool, a journey to meet a possible bride puts family duty beside a quieter question: what does Germain himself want?
Marie, a poor young girl travelling to work as a shepherdess, joins him on the road. So does his affectionate son, Petit-Pierre. As daylight fades and fog gathers in the forest, their journey becomes a tender story of companionship. Around them, Sand brings the fields, customs and old beliefs of Berry into view.
What you’ll discover
- A father’s divided heart Follow Germain as he weighs his children’s needs against grief and the pressure to remarry.
- Kindness on the road Meet Marie, whose good nature accompanies her hope of helping her struggling family.
- A forest in fog Enter the gathering darkness with three travellers whose simple journey takes an uncertain turn.
- Life close to the fields Discover Berry through its farm work, local customs, songs, sayings and old beliefs.
- What makes a marriage Consider whether land and practical sense are enough to build a life together.
Is it for you?
This book suits readers who like gentle, character-driven stories, country settings and the French nineteenth century. It also rewards anyone curious about Sand herself. If you want fast plots or strong suspense, its calm pace may feel slow.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Sand begins with a ploughman
- A young widower is told to remarry
- A girl and a child join the road
- Lost in the fog at the Devil's Pool
- What the story says about love and duty
- How Sand tells a country story
Who’s who
- GermainA hardworking young farmer and widower, father of three, who wants to do right by his children and his late wife.
- MarieA poor, kind sixteen-year-old girl travelling to work as a shepherdess, who hopes to help her struggling family.
- Petit-PierreGermain's young son, about seven, shy and affectionate, who insists on going with his father on the journey.
- Père MauriceGermain's wise old father-in-law, who loves him like a son and urges him to marry again.
- The widowA woman of some property in a distant village, proposed as Germain's new wife by his family.
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 16 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 8 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.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works · 60-day guarantee
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, for the whole household.
- We remind you first. We email you 7 days before your first payment. Then your first year is 50% off: 0,14 USD a day, then 0,27 USD a day, never raised. Or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
60-day money-back guarantee. If the library is not for you, ask within 60 days of your first payment and we refund it in full.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear La charca del diablo in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Read it side by side
La charca del diablo
by George Sand· 1846
A widowed farmer's journey unsettles his plans for marriage.
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- The whole household
Starts right away, on any device
Read free60-day money-back guaranteeRenews every yearCancel anytimeHow it works
Language: Español
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 6
Sand begins with a ploughman
The book opens not with the plot but with Sand herself, looking at an engraving by Hans Holbein. It shows a poor ploughman at work while Death walks beside him and urges on his horses. Sand finds the picture sad and a little cruel. The farmer's labour is hard, and the only comfort the picture offers is the grave.
Then she looks out at a real field in Berry. A man is ploughing there with a team of oxen, and the scene feels very different to her. The land is rich, the autumn light is soft, and the man works with strength and care. She sees dignity in his labour, and some happiness too, since his work is tied to a place he knows and loves.
Renews every year · Cancel anytime
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).
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, for the whole household. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - The whole householdUp to 5 readers
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
More like this
Free
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
Questions about La charca del diablo
Can I read it free?
Yes. The beginning, from the first page to the end of chapter 1, and the first 5 minutes of the audiobook are free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 90 days, with the eBook to keep. After that, your first year is 50% off. You also get 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
Can my family read too?
Yes. The whole household reads and listens: up to 5 readers, each with their own shelf and their own place in every book.
What if it is not for me?
Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. If you have paid and the library is not for you, ask within 60 days of your first payment and we refund it in full.
What is The Devil's Pool about?
It tells of Germain, a widowed farmer in rural France, who rides to meet a possible new wife with his small son and a young shepherdess. They get lost in a forest at night, and the journey changes his life.
Is The Devil's Pool a true story?
No, it is fiction. George Sand published it in 1846, but it is based on the real countryside of Berry, where she lived, and on the farm work and customs she saw there, including a scene she describes in the preface.
What is the Devil's Pool in the book?
It is a dark, still pond in a forest clearing, said by local people to be dangerous and haunted. The travellers come upon it when they lose their way, and the night they spend nearby is the book's central scene.
Popular in romance
See all
Free
Free
Free
Free
Free
Free
Free
Free
