17 h 39 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 17 h 39 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if your first taste of high society exposes everything you do not know—and everything others refuse to see?
Evelina Anville is seventeen, shy, clever, and almost entirely new to the world. Raised in the country by Reverend Arthur Villars, she enters London society with little money and no acknowledged place in her father's family. Balls, theatres, and pleasure gardens promise delight, but every encounter brings rules she has yet to learn.
In Fanny Burney's novel of letters, Evelina tells her guardian what she scarcely knows how to judge. Lord Orville offers kindness and respect; Sir Clement Willoughby's attention feels less reassuring. Around her, embarrassing relatives and cruel jokers turn polite gatherings into painful tests. How can she win acceptance where rank and appearances matter more than good sense?
What you’ll discover
- A voice close beside you Evelina's honest, nervous letters bring you close to her hopes, mistakes, and wounded feelings.
- London beyond the ballroom Visit theatres and pleasure gardens where fashionable company offers both delight and real danger.
- Kindness against bold pursuit Meet two gentlemen whose treatment of Evelina makes courtesy and unwelcome attention sharply distinct.
- Comedy with a sting Vain relatives and rough practical jokes reveal how quickly social laughter can become cruelty.
- The struggle for respect Follow a young woman whose intelligence counts for too little beside a recognised family name.
Who will love it
This book will delight readers who love comic novels of manners, sharp portraits of fops, and a young heroine finding her own voice. It also suits anyone who enjoys a romance built on misunderstandings.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A girl without a name leaves home
- Evelina's first ball goes wrong
- A small lie brings Sir Clement near
- Relatives and rivals crowd her days
- The Captain plays cruel jokes at Howard Grove
- A month in Holborn teaches her compassion
- Lord Orville's visit and the painful letter
- Innocence needs guidance and honest speech
- Rank, money and manners divide the characters
- Letters, comedy and voices make the book live
Who’s who
- Evelina AnvilleA seventeen-year-old orphan raised in the country, she wants to find her place and her real name while keeping her honest heart.
- Mr. VillarsThe kind clergyman who raised her, he wants to shield her from the world while preparing her to meet it.
- Lord OrvilleA noble, courteous gentleman who treats Evelina with respect and wants to protect her from those who would take advantage.
- Sir Clement WilloughbyA charming, forward baronet who pursues Evelina with flattery and schemes, and wants her on his own terms.
- Madame DuvalEvelina's vain, loud grandmother, long resident in France, who wants to claim her granddaughter and polish her in Paris.
- Captain MirvanA gruff sea captain who hates the French and wants sport at the expense of anyone he finds foolish.
- Mrs. MirvanA gentle, sensible lady who takes Evelina under her wing and tries to heal the damage her husband causes.
- Mrs. SelwynA witty, sharp-tongued neighbor who takes Evelina to Bristol and wants to see her treated justly.
Formats and delivery
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- The same book in bigger, clearer type, once the book texts are online.
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- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
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- The key ideas in about 14 minutes, to read today.
- 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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Evelina
by Fanny Burney · 1778
A seventeen-year-old country girl enters London's ballrooms and blunders her first dance with a lord.
Medium level10–20 hours to readfrançais
Excellent
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In short
What does a girl of seventeen do when she walks into her first London ballroom and does not know the rules? Evelina Anville refuses one dancer, accepts another, and learns too late that she has broken a law of manners.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A girl without a name leaves home
The story opens with a problem about a name. Evelina is the daughter of Lady Belmont, who died on the day her child was born, and of Sir John Belmont, who burned the marriage certificate and denied the wedding. She grows up in Dorsetshire under the care of Villars, who calls her Anville to hide her story.
Her grandmother, Madame Duval, writes from France to claim the child. Villars refuses, because Madame Duval is coarse and vain. Then Lady Howard and her daughter Mrs. Mirvan offer a kinder visit, and a spring trip to London. Villars fears that a beautiful girl with little money will be hurt. Still, he knows that experience must take the place of lessons, and he lets her go.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1778
- Language
- français
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Burney, Fanny. Evelina. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/evelina.
Burney, F. (2026). Evelina. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/evelina (Original work published 1778)
Burney, Fanny. Evelina. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/evelina.
@book{burney2026evelina,
author = {Burney, Fanny},
title = {Evelina},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/evelina},
note = {First published 1778}
}
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What is Evelina about?
It follows Evelina, a country-raised girl of seventeen, through her first months in London and Bristol. She faces comic blunders, unwanted suitors and awkward relatives while hoping to win her father's name and the regard of Lord Orville.
Why is Evelina written as letters?
Burney uses letters so we hear Evelina describe events as they happen, with her confusion and feelings still fresh. The form also lets other voices, such as Mr. Villars and Mrs. Selwyn, appear in their own style.
Who is Lord Orville?
Lord Orville is a well-bred nobleman whom Evelina meets at her first ball. He is kind, intelligent and fair, and he becomes her protector and friend. His good conduct is set against the rudeness of other men of rank.
The author
Fanny Burney
1752–1840 · English novelist and diarist
Fanny Burney (1752–1840) was an English novelist, diarist and playwright. She was born in King’s Lynn and died in London. She wrote Evelina (1778), Cecilia (1782), Camilla (1796) and The Wanderer (1814). She married Alexandre d’Arblay in 1793 and lived in France from 1802 to 1812.
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