3 h 51 minAudiobook6 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 3 h 51 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if a princess and a shepherd’s daughter need the same cure for getting their own way?
In George MacDonald’s A Double Story, Rosamond grows up at the centre of a king’s household. Agnes lives far from the palace, in a shepherd’s home. Their lives look different, but both girls receive too much praise and too little correction. Each is sure of her own importance.
Then the Wise Woman takes charge. Mysterious, patient and often funny, she offers something harder than flattery: firm kindness. No magic spell can do the girls’ work for them. They must learn through plain tasks and face the results of their actions, with their pride standing in the way.
What you’ll discover
- Two lives, one fault See how selfishness takes root in a palace and a humble shepherd’s home alike.
- A guide with resolve Meet the Wise Woman, whose patience leaves room for neither flattery nor easy excuses.
- Lessons learned by doing Follow the girls as hard work challenges habits that praise has helped them build.
- Warmth with a sharp edge Enjoy a friendly narrator who speaks directly to you, teasing and inviting thought.
- Love beyond being served Explore the difference between getting your own way and learning what care asks of you.
Who will love it
For readers who love fairy tales with a moral heart, parents and teachers seeking stories about character, and fans of C. S. Lewis, who admired MacDonald.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A princess who expects the world
- A shepherd's daughter with the same fault
- The Wise Woman takes charge
- Change comes through plain, hard work
- What the story says about selfishness
- How the tale is told
Who’s who
- RosamondA king's daughter, used to getting her own way, who must learn that being served is not the same as being loved.
- AgnesA shepherd's daughter, admired at home and sure of her own importance, who shares the princess's fault in humbler form.
- The Wise WomanA mysterious, patient guide who takes the girls in hand and works to cure their pride with firm kindness.
- The KingRosamond's father, a ruler whose household has helped to spoil his daughter.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
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- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 3 h 51 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 6 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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25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Une double histoire 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.
Une double histoire
by George MacDonald · 1875
A mysterious Wise Woman takes a spoiled princess and a shepherd's daughter in hand to cure their pride.
Medium level2–5 hours to read25 languages
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In short
A Double Story is a fairy tale by the Scottish writer George MacDonald, published in 1875. Later editions often carry the title The Wise Woman.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A princess who expects the world
The story opens with Rosamond, a king's daughter. Everyone around her treats her as the centre of the world. She has servants, comforts and a great deal of praise. What she does not have is anyone who tells her no.
MacDonald shows how this goes wrong without any cruelty at all. Nobody means to harm her. They simply give in to her, because it is easier and because she is a princess. As a result she grows fretful, bossy and sure that every wish ought to be met at once.
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What is A Double Story by George MacDonald about?
It is a fairy tale about two spoiled girls, a princess and a shepherd's daughter. A mysterious Wise Woman works to cure their pride and selfishness, and the story shows how slowly and hard that change comes.
Is A Double Story the same as The Wise Woman?
Yes. George MacDonald first published the tale as A Double Story in 1875, and later editions often use the title The Wise Woman. It is the same fairy tale under another name.
Who is the Wise Woman in the story?
She is the guide who takes each girl in hand. She is patient, firm and a little mysterious, and she cares enough about the girls to correct them, which is why many readers see her as a wise teacher.
The author
George MacDonald
1824–1905 · Scottish fantasy novelist and minister
George MacDonald (1824–1905) was a Scottish writer and Christian minister. Born in Huntly, Scotland, he later lived in England and Italy. He wrote novels, fairy tales, poetry and sermons. His books include Phantastes (1858), At the Back of the North Wind (1871), The Princess and the Goblin (1872) and Lilith (1895).
More by George MacDonald
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