4 h 1 minAudiobook6 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
What if the trouble you keep finding begins with your own bright ideas?
In a French country house, Sophie de Réan has a quick mind, a strong will, and little patience for rules. About four years old when the story opens, she follows each tempting impulse. A treasured wax doll, forbidden experiments, and careless pranks bring consequences she cannot simply wish away.
In Sophie's Misfortunes, Comtesse de Ségur brings a sharp, funny eye to childhood and family life. Madame de Réan meets her daughter's mischief with love and firm correction. Nearby, Camille and Madeleine de Fleurville show Sophie another way to behave. Through short, self-contained episodes, the story explores how a child learns kindness and responsibility.
What you’ll discover
- A willful little heroine Meet a curious child whose quick impulses turn ordinary moments into difficult lessons.
- The treasured wax doll Follow one of Sophie's best-known mishaps, where a cherished gift becomes a hard lesson.
- Friends who show kindness Discover how Camille and Madeleine offer a gentle contrast to Sophie's restless mischief.
- Country life close up Step into French family life, where games, household rules, and small choices shape each day.
- Small chapters, clear lessons Enjoy brief episodes that pair a comic view of childhood with plain lessons about choices.
Who will love it
Readers who enjoy lively tales of childhood pranks, family scenes, and country life in France will find plenty here. The short episodes also suit readers who love sharing stories with children at bedtime.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A new doll meets Sophie's bright ideas
- Disobedience brings its own punishment
- Cruelty to animals is shown for what it is
- Greed and sly lies lead to trouble
- Paul is the friend who shows what goodness looks like
- Wanting something badly leads to bad choices
- A mother who teaches with patience and humor
Who’s who
- SophieA lively, quick-tempered little girl who turns four during the stories and learns by her mistakes.
- Madame de RéanSophie's mother, warm and watchful, who corrects her daughter with firm rules, kindness, and a good sense of humor.
- LucieSophie's nurse, who loves her but spoils her by slipping her forbidden treats.
- Camille and Madeleine de FleurvilleSophie's gentle friends, who join her games and try to make peace in quarrels.
- Madame d'AubertPaul's mother and Madame de Réan's sister, who shares in the children's upbringing.
- LambertA servant who helps the family.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
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- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 4 h 1 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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Read and hear Le disgrazie di Sophie 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.
Le disgrazie di Sophie
by Contessa de Ségur · 1858
A little girl puts her new wax doll in the sun, and Sophie's troubles begin.
Easy read2–5 hours to read25 languages
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In short
What happens when a little girl puts her new wax doll in the sun to warm it up? Sophie's Misfortunes, by the Countess de Ségur, follows a headstrong little girl through twenty-two short episodes of mischief, from dolls and fish to donkeys.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A new doll meets Sophie's bright ideas
The book opens with a wax doll sent from Paris by Sophie's father. Sophie loves it at once, but she has a gift for ideas that go wrong. She wants to warm the doll in the sun, and her mother warns her that wax will soften.
The eyes fall loose inside the head. Madame de Réan acts as a doctor, picks the fallen eyes up with tweezers, sets them in fresh wax, and sews the head back on. Sophie promises to listen next time. Then she washes away the doll's color, burns off its hair with a hot iron, breaks its arm in an acrobatic trick, and melts its feet in a footbath.
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What is Sophie's Misfortunes about?
It tells of a little French girl named Sophie, and her many mishaps from disobedience, greed, anger, and lying. Many short chapters connect her mistakes with their consequences, while others follow the children's games and family life. Her cousin Paul often joins her.
Who is Paul in Sophie's Misfortunes?
Paul is Sophie's cousin, a year or two older. He is kind, honest, and brave, forgives her quickly, and often saves her from worse trouble, although he is also a great teaser.
Who wrote Sophie's Misfortunes and who is it for?
The Countess de Ségur wrote it for her granddaughter and for children in general. Its short chapters, funny scenes, and clear lessons make it easy to read aloud and enjoy together.
The author
Comtesse de Ségur
1799–1874 · Russian-born French children's writer
The Comtesse de Ségur was born Sophie Rostopchine in Russia in 1799. She moved to France in 1817 and lived there until her death in Paris in 1874. She wrote children’s books in French, including Old French Fairy Tales, published in 1856, and Sophie’s Misfortunes, published in 1858.
More by Contessa de Ségur
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