11 h 45 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
In a Paris studio full of laughter, a musician’s strange power casts a shadow over first love.
In George du Maurier’s Trilby, three young painters share a studio in the Latin Quarter. Their circle opens to Trilby O’Ferrall, a kind, outspoken model and laundress who wants honest love. The shy painter Little Billee falls for her goodness, humor, and courage. But his family sees her work and way of life as threats to his future.
Then there is Svengali: a gifted musician who believes he can bend others to his will. When Trilby suffers sharp nerve pain, he offers help. His strange power brings a darker tension into this warm world of friendship and art. Alongside the lovers’ struggle with class and family, the novel asks what it means to hold power over another person.
What you’ll discover
- A studio full of life Enter a Paris of paint, pipe smoke, laughter, and loyal friendships among young artists.
- A woman worth knowing Meet Trilby, whose frank speech and generous heart win over the painters around her.
- Love under pressure Follow Little Billee as deep affection meets the weight of family expectations and class.
- The shadow of Svengali Encounter a musician whose gifts sit uneasily beside his hunger to control other people.
- A warm storytelling voice Enjoy a chatty narrator who makes room for jokes, digressions, and moments of sadness.
Who will love it
For readers who love stories of young artists, tender romance and sinister villains, or anyone curious about where the word Svengali comes from.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Three painters share a Paris studio
- Trilby arrives and wins everyone over
- Svengali, the musician with a strange power
- A cure for pain and a hold on her mind
- Little Billee falls in love with Trilby
- Class and family pull the lovers apart
- Years pass and a woman disappears
- What the book is really about
- How du Maurier tells the story
Who’s who
- SvengaliA gifted, dirty and arrogant musician who wants fame and who believes he can bend other people to his will.
- Little BilleeWilliam Bagot, a gentle and talented young English painter, who is shy, deeply feeling and falls in love with Trilby.
- The LairdSandy McAllister, a cheerful Scottish painter who shares the studio and stands by his friends in good times and bad.
- Mrs BagotLittle Billee's widowed mother, a strict and conventional Englishwoman who wants to protect her son's name and future.
- GeckoA violinist and devoted friend of Svengali, who admires the master's gifts and follows him closely.
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
- 11 h 45 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.
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 Trilby 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.
Trilby
by George Du Maurier · 1894
In a Paris studio, Trilby's friendship with young painters draws her into the reach of Svengali's controlling mind.
Medium level10–20 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
Imagine a laughing studio in Paris, full of paint and pipe smoke, and a shadow slowly gathering at its door. Trilby, published in 1894, is George du Maurier's tale of young artists, drawn from his own student years in the 1850s.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Three painters share a Paris studio
The novel opens in the Latin Quarter of Paris in the 1850s. Three friends share a studio. Taffy is a huge, strong Yorkshireman. The Laird is a cheerful Scot who is loyal to his friends. Little Billee is a slight, delicate Englishman whose talent is plainly the greatest of the three.
The narrator sounds like an older man looking back, half laughing at his youth and half aching for it.
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 Trilby
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 Trilby about?
Trilby follows three young painters in 1850s Paris and the kind, outspoken model Trilby O'Ferrall. Little Billee loves her, while the musician Svengali uses hypnosis to gain a terrible hold over her. It mixes romance, comedy and tragedy.
Where does the word Svengali come from?
It comes from the villain of this novel. Svengali is a musician who controls Trilby's mind. Because of the book's huge success, the word came to mean a person who manipulates and dominates another, often for selfish ends.
Is Trilby based on a true story?
The story is set in Paris. George du Maurier published it in 1894 and drew on his own student years in the Paris art world of the 1850s for the studio scenes.
The author
George Du Maurier
1834–1896 · British cartoonist and novelist
George du Maurier (1834–1896) was a French-British cartoonist and novelist. He was born in Paris and later lived in London, where he worked for Punch magazine. He wrote Peter Ibbetson (1891) and Trilby (1894). His novel The Martian appeared after his death, in 1897. He died in London.
More by George Du Maurier
All 2 booksMore 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
