7 h 10 minAudiobook8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 7 h 10 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if the girl a village fears is the one who sees its people most clearly?
In the Berry countryside, twin brothers Landry and Sylvinet Barbeau face a painful separation. Landry goes to work at a neighboring farm, while Sylvinet stays closer to home. Their deep bond comes under strain as Landry learns to stand on his own and Sylvinet struggles with jealousy. Around them, farm work and village gossip shape daily life.
Then Landry loses his way near the river Cosson in darkness and mist. Fadette, a poor girl the neighbors call ugly and suspect of witchcraft, knows the paths and water. In Little Fadette, George Sand brings these lives into a gentle romance that asks how love can grow where pride, class, and prejudice stand in its way.
What you’ll discover
- A heroine who resists labels Meet sharp-tongued Fadette, who sees through people and wants respect on her own terms.
- The strain of twinship Follow Landry and Sylvinet as separation turns brotherly closeness into a source of pain.
- A river in the mist Step into the darkness where Fadette's knowledge helps Landry find his way.
- Beyond the village verdict Look beneath gossip to explore how prejudice survives even when the evidence challenges it.
- The warmth of country storytelling Enjoy Sand's humor among farm families, hemp fields, and tales told on winter evenings.
Who will love it
You will love this book if you enjoy village stories, country customs, tender first love, family bonds, folk beliefs about sprites and healers, and warm storytelling.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Two identical boys are born with a warning
- The first parting sends Landry to work
- Sylvinet's grief turns into jealousy and fear
- A storm, a promise, and a cricket's clue
- The night fire on the water and seven dances
- In the quarry Landry learns who Fadette is
- A changed girl, a secret love, and her leaving
- Twin love as comfort and as a trap
- Reputation, ugliness and the worth of the outcast
- A rustic tale told by a neighbor
Who’s who
- Landry BarbeauThe stronger, steadier twin, who works at a neighboring farm and wants to do his duty while keeping his brother's love.
- Sylvinet BarbeauThe gentler twin, so attached to his brother that every separation brings fever and jealousy, and he longs to be loved without doubt.
- Little FadetteA small, sharp-witted girl called the cricket, who knows herbs and cares for her crippled brother, and wants to prove her worth.
- Pere BarbeauThe fair, careful father of the twins, who wants his sons to grow strong and his family to keep its good name.
- Mere BarbeauThe twins' tender mother, who can always tell them apart and fears for the weaker son.
- MadelonA pretty, proud niece of Pere Caillaud, who enjoys her suitors and cannot forgive being slighted.
- JeanetFadette's small crippled brother, called the grasshopper, who is badly treated and clings to his sister.
- Cadet CaillaudA friendly young man of La Priche, honest and fair, who becomes Landry's trusted friend.
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La piccola Fadette
by George Sand · 1849
A girl nicknamed the cricket secures a promise from an upset twin, then helps him find his brother by a stormy river.
Medium level5–10 hours to readItaliano
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In short
What happens to a boy who cannot bear to be apart from his twin, and to a girl everyone calls a witch? George Sand's novel Little Fadette begins with that question in the French countryside of the Berry, where she lived.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Two identical boys are born with a warning
In the village of La Cosse, the farmer Pere Barbeau has two sons at once, so alike that the neighbors call them bessons, which means twins. The midwife, Mere Sagette, scratches a small cross on the elder boy's arm. He is soon called Sylvinet, and the younger one is named Landry.
Sagette warns the parents that twins cling to each other, and that one may waste away with grief if they are parted. So they should dress the boys differently and never punish both at once. The parents promise, but the priest calls her a silly old woman, and the promises fade. The tailor cuts both boys' breeches from the same cloth.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 8 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1849
- Language
- Italiano
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Sand, George. Little Fadette. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/little-fadette.
Sand, G. (2026). Little Fadette. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/little-fadette (Original work published 1849)
Sand, George. Little Fadette. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/little-fadette.
@book{sand2026little,
author = {Sand, George},
title = {Little Fadette},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/little-fadette},
note = {First published 1849}
}
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What is Little Fadette about?
It follows the twin brothers Landry and Sylvinet Barbeau in a French village. Their bond is tested by separation and jealousy, until a poor, clever girl named Fanchon Fadet changes how they and their neighbors see the world.
Why is Fadette called the cricket?
Fanchon Fadet is small, dark and quick, and the village children compare her to a field cricket. The name also echoes fadet, a local word for a mischievous sprite, which is why some call her a little witch.
When was Little Fadette written and is it a true story?
George Sand wrote it in 1848 and signed its notice in December 1851. It is a work of fiction set in the Berry countryside, built from local customs, folk beliefs and the landscape she knew.
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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