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About this book

What if the law gives your husband power over your life, but your heart refuses to obey?

In a quiet country house east of Paris, Indiana Delmare longs for love and freedom. Her much older husband, Colonel Delmare, believes a wife must obey. When Raymon de Ramière enters their household, his charm offers this young Creole woman the promise of a life beyond her marriage.

But Raymon seeks passion while guarding his place in society. Nearby stands Sir Ralph Brown, Indiana’s reserved English cousin, who asks for nothing. In Indiana, George Sand turns a love story into a fierce question about power: how can a woman choose her own life when law, money and custom hold her back?

What you’ll discover

  • A wife who longs Meet a proud young woman whose hunger for love cannot fit within her marriage.
  • Charm with something to protect Watch Raymon’s promise of passion meet his need to preserve his standing in society.
  • The quiet cousin nearby Discover Ralph’s reserved presence beside Indiana, a contrast to Raymon’s eloquence and charm.
  • Power behind closed doors See how marriage, class and money shape the choices that seem most deeply personal.
  • Feeling given room Enter a Romantic narrative that pauses for long reflections on desire, dependence and freedom.

Who will love it

This book suits readers who like nineteenth century French fiction, stories about marriage and independence, and the roots of feminist writing.

What’s inside

The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary

  1. A young wife in a cold house
  2. A Parisian charmer enters the household
  3. Indiana stakes everything on love
  4. Ralph, the silent friend at her side
  5. Marriage, class and who holds power
  6. How Sand tells the tale

Who’s who

  • Indiana DelmareA young Creole wife from Île Bourbon, intense and proud, who longs to be loved and to live as a free person.
  • Colonel DelmareIndiana's much older husband, a retired soldier of Napoleon's army, hot tempered and sure that a husband rules his wife.
  • Raymon de RamièreA handsome young Parisian nobleman, eloquent and conservative, who seeks passion but guards his place in society.
  • NounIndiana's foster sister and maid, also from the island, devoted to her mistress and vulnerable to the men around her.
  • Sir Ralph BrownIndiana's English cousin, calm and reserved, who stays near her through every trouble and asks for nothing.

Read the first key idea free

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The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
Audiobook
11 h 27 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.

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Classic & Literary

Indiana

by George Sand· 1832

What if the law gives your husband power over your life, but your heart refuses to obey?

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Indiana by George Sand, the cover

From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 6

A young wife in a cold house

The story opens in a country house in the Brie region, east of Paris. Three people sit by the fire in a gloomy silence. They are Colonel Delmare, his young wife Indiana, and her cousin, Sir Ralph Brown. The scene tells you much before anyone speaks of feelings. The Colonel is a retired officer of Napoleon's army, proud, hot tempered and used to command.

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What is Indiana by George Sand about?

It follows Indiana, a young Creole woman unhappily married to an older, domineering colonel. She is drawn to a charming Parisian nobleman while her quiet cousin Ralph stays loyal. The novel examines marriage, class and women's lack of freedom.

When was Indiana written and is it a true story?

Indiana was published in 1832, in France under the Restoration's aftermath and just after the 1830 revolution. It is fiction, but it draws on real laws and attitudes that denied married women independence in Sand's day.

Who is Raymon de Ramière in Indiana?

Raymon is a young Parisian nobleman of conservative views, charming and eloquent. He pursues both Noun and Indiana. Sand uses him to show how a man's words and his actions can differ.

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).

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