8 h 35 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
How much can a trusted servant hide from the woman who depends on her every day?
In a small Paris apartment, Germinie Lacerteux serves Mademoiselle de Varandeuil, an elderly noblewoman who loves and trusts her. Steady work offers shelter and respect after a childhood marked by poverty and loss. Yet behind her faithful service, Germinie hides a life of passion, debt, drink, and shame.
Her hunger for love draws her to Jupillon, a vain young man who gives far less than she does. His mother sees the uses of Germinie's devotion. In this unsparing novel, Edmond and Jules de Goncourt bring working Paris into view, asking readers to give a poor woman's suffering the close attention usually reserved for the rich.
What you’ll discover
- Two lives under one roof See how trust and daily closeness can leave a person's deepest troubles unseen.
- Love at a cost Follow Germinie's devotion to Jupillon as her longing for affection demands painful sacrifices.
- The streets of working Paris Enter the homes and small shops that shape Germinie's world beyond her mistress's apartment.
- A poor woman's full humanity Discover a novel that gives an ordinary servant's desires and suffering its serious attention.
- A story told in fragments Experience short chapters that move through scenes and impressions rather than a smooth, continuous plot.
Who will love it
For readers who love realist fiction, nineteenth century Paris, and stories that look closely at ordinary lives. It also suits anyone curious about the roots of naturalism and the secret lives of working-class women.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A faithful maid in an old woman's house
- A childhood that teaches only fear
- Devotion by day, a secret life by night
- Jupillon, and love that becomes slavery
- What the novel says about class and pity
- A novel made of observation and fragments
Who’s who
- Germinie LacerteuxA poor country girl turned Paris maid, loyal to her mistress, yet driven by a hunger for love that she hides.
- Mademoiselle de VarandeuilAn elderly noblewoman, lonely and proud, who depends on her servant and does not see how she really lives.
- JupillonA vain, idle young man whom Germinie loves far more than he loves her, and for whom she sacrifices much.
- Madame JupillonThe shrewd keeper of a small dairy shop and Jupillon's mother, who sees how useful Germinie's devotion can be.
- Abbe MarinA priest who offers Germinie spiritual counsel and kindness, though his advice cannot settle her troubles.
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
- 8 h 35 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
- 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 Germinie Lacerteux 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.
Germinie Lacerteux
by Edmond de Goncourt; Jules de Goncourt · 1865
A trusted Paris maid hides a second life of passion, debt and drink behind years of loyal service.
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
Germinie Lacerteux is a French novel from 1865 by the brothers Edmond and Jules de Goncourt. Jules died in 1870 and Edmond lived until 1896.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A faithful maid in an old woman's house
The story centers on two women who share a small Paris apartment. One is Mademoiselle de Varandeuil, an elderly single woman of noble birth. Her family was scattered and ruined by the upheavals of the Revolution, and she has lived long enough to see most of her relatives vanish. She is proud, dry in manner and lonely, and she keeps to her routines.
The other is Germinie Lacerteux, her servant. Germinie has served her for years and is the one steady presence in her days. She cooks, cleans, nurses her mistress through illness and scolds her gently when she is careless. To the old lady, she seems an honest, devoted woman, almost a member of the family.
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 Germinie Lacerteux
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 Germinie Lacerteux about?
It follows a Paris maid who serves an old noblewoman faithfully while hiding a second life of passion, debt and secrecy. The novel traces her harsh youth, her devotion to her mistress and her ruinous love for a young man.
Is Germinie Lacerteux based on a true story?
Yes, in part. The Goncourt brothers drew on the life of their own maid, Rose Malingre, whose secret life they learned of only after she died. They treated the novel as a true study of a real kind of life.
When was Germinie Lacerteux written and published?
It was published in 1865 in Paris. The brothers wrote it together, and it was among the first French novels to make a working-class woman its main character and to treat her life with close realism.
The author
Edmond de Goncourt
1822–1896 · French novelist and critic
Edmond de Goncourt was a French writer and critic, born in Nancy in 1822. He lived in Paris and died in Champrosay in 1896. With his brother Jules, he wrote novels, including Germinie Lacerteux, published in 1865. The brothers also wrote about French art and history and kept a journal.
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
