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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Lucile 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.
Lucile
by Edward Robert Bulwer-Lytton, conde de 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
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
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.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. 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 - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Lucile
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 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.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
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.
More like this
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
