4 h 16 minAudiobook9 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 4 h 16 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if the road to a sensible marriage leads into a foggy forest—and toward a different kind of love?
Germain works hard, cares for his three children and still grieves for his wife. His father-in-law, Père Maurice, urges him to marry again. In George Sand’s The Devil’s Pool, a journey to meet a possible bride puts family duty beside a quieter question: what does Germain himself want?
Marie, a poor young girl travelling to work as a shepherdess, joins him on the road. So does his affectionate son, Petit-Pierre. As daylight fades and fog gathers in the forest, their journey becomes a tender story of companionship. Around them, Sand brings the fields, customs and old beliefs of Berry into view.
What you’ll discover
- A father’s divided heart Follow Germain as he weighs his children’s needs against grief and the pressure to remarry.
- Kindness on the road Meet Marie, whose good nature accompanies her hope of helping her struggling family.
- A forest in fog Enter the gathering darkness with three travellers whose simple journey takes an uncertain turn.
- Life close to the fields Discover Berry through its farm work, local customs, songs, sayings and old beliefs.
- What makes a marriage Consider whether land and practical sense are enough to build a life together.
Who will love it
For readers who love country life and stories that prize kindness and honest work above wealth. It suits those who enjoy short, warm novels and gentle romance.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Sand answers Holbein's skeleton with a living furrow
- Father Maurice says a widower must marry again
- Little Marie and Petit-Pierre join the ride
- Fog, a runaway mare, and a night under oaks
- Germain finds his heart and Marie holds back
- The widow of Fourche has three other suitors
- Germain defends Marie at the Devil's Pool
- Sand tells the tale as a plain country song
Who’s who
- GermainA skilled young farmer and widower of twenty-eight, loyal to his family, who wants a wife he can love and a mother for his three children.
- MarieA poor sixteen-year-old shepherdess from Belair, quick, brave and kind, who must earn her living far from her mother.
- Petit-PierreGermain's eldest boy, seven, clever and stubborn, who follows his father and attaches himself to Marie.
- Father MauriceGermain's father-in-law, head of the household, who wants his son-in-law to marry a sensible widow with money.
- Mother GuilletteMarie's poor but proud mother, who entrusts her daughter to Germain's care for the journey to Ormeaux.
- The widow Catherine GuérinA fashionable widow at Fourche who enjoys the attention of three suitors and wants a fourth for her collection.
- Father LeonardThe widow's cheerful, talkative father, who loves to show off his wealth and urges Germain to join the competition.
- The farmer of OrmeauxA rich, dark man on a black horse who hires Marie and chases her when she refuses his advances.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer, once the book texts are online.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, once the book texts are online.
- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 9 minutes, to read today.
- 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.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook and the audiobook open when the book texts go online.
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 USD 0.14 a day in your first year on the yearly plan and USD 0.27 a day after, or USD 0.66 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.
The Devil's Pool
by George Sand · 1846
A widowed farmer rides through fog with a shepherd girl and his small son, and cannot find the road to his bride.
Medium level2–5 hours to readEnglish
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 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 USD 0.14 a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
In short
Picture a field in autumn. A young farmer drives eight young oxen through a corner full of old tree stumps, while a boy in a sheepskin runs along the furrow with a goad.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Sand answers Holbein's skeleton with a living furrow
The book opens with a preface about a picture. Hans Holbein draws a ragged old plowman driving thin horses through stony ground while a skeleton with a whip runs beside them. Sand admires it as a record of its age. But she asks what an artist of her own day should show, and she answers that our concern now is life, not the grave.
She turns against writers who paint the poor as burglars and convicts so that the rich will tremble. She wants art to work through feeling and love.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 9 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1846
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 2 h 45 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Sand, George. The Devil's Pool. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-devils-pool.
Sand, G. (2026). The Devil's pool. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-devils-pool (Original work published 1846)
Sand, George. The Devil's Pool. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-devils-pool.
@book{sand2026devils,
author = {Sand, George},
title = {The Devil's Pool},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-devils-pool},
note = {First published 1846}
}
Free gifts
USD 580 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
USD 170FREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about The Devil's Pool
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 The Devil's Pool about?
It follows Germain, a widowed farmer in Berry, who rides toward a possible second wife with a young neighbor girl, Marie, and his small son. Getting lost in the forest changes what each of them wants.
What is the Devil's Pool in the book?
It is a lonely forest pool where the travelers camp when they lose their way. Local legend says spirits cause lost travelers to wander in circles, and the old woman who gathers wood there repeats the stories.
Who is Holbein and why does Sand begin with him?
Hans Holbein drew a series of pictures called The Dance of Death, with a skeleton walking beside a plowman. Sand uses it as a contrast, saying art should show life and hope instead of fear.
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).
More by George Sand
All 10 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
