7 h 28 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 7 h 28 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What is love worth in a world that puts a price on a woman?
In Paris, an auction draws a narrator into the life of Marguerite Gautier, a courtesan whose belongings must pay her debts. A book brings him to Armand Duval, the young man who loves her. As Armand tells his story, the woman behind the reputation begins to emerge.
Marguerite wants to be loved for herself. Armand has deep feelings but modest means, and he cannot bear to share her. In Alexandre Dumas fils's Camille (The Lady of the Camellias), their hope for a life together meets the pressure of money, illness and a family's good name.
What you’ll discover
- The woman behind the scandal Meet Marguerite beyond her rich admirers, through her longing to be loved for herself.
- Love with a cost Follow Armand as his devotion meets the limits of his income and his jealousy.
- A quieter life Leave Paris for a small house in Bougival, where Marguerite tries to live differently.
- A father's good name See how Monsieur Duval's concern for his son puts family reputation against private feeling.
- A question of worth Consider who gets to judge a woman: her admirers, respectable families, or her friends.
Who will love it
You will love this book if you enjoy romantic stories about devoted lovers, if Paris of the 1840s draws you, or if you like tales told by one person to another.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Pity comes before judgment
- A book reveals a grieving lover
- Armand sees beneath her laughter
- Jealousy puts their trust at risk
- Country happiness rests on uncertain money
- Private sacrifices meet family opposition
- Love makes redemption possible but costly
- Money shapes every intimate choice
- Confessions invite a more compassionate view
Who’s who
- Marguerite GautierA beautiful, sick Paris courtesan known as the Lady of the Camellias, who wants rest, a quiet life, and someone who loves her for herself.
- Armand DuvalA young law graduate from a respectable family who has loved Marguerite since first seeing her and wants her all to himself.
- The narratorA curious young writer who buys a book at Marguerite's sale, befriends Armand, and records the story as he hears it.
- Prudence DuvernoyA plump milliner and former kept woman who acts as go-between and gives practical, self-interested advice about money and men.
- The old dukeAn elderly, rich foreigner who sees his dead daughter in Marguerite and wants her company and respect, not only her beauty.
- NanineMarguerite's loyal maid, who guards her mistress and cares for her through her worst moments.
- M. DuvalArmand's father, a respected official who wants his son to leave Marguerite and protect the family name.
- Julie DupratA friend of Marguerite who holds her journal and stays near her when others drift away.
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Camille (The Lady of the Camellias)
by Alexandre Dumas fils · 1848
A Paris auction draws a stranger to bid a hundred francs for a book once owned by a dead courtesan.
Medium level2–5 hours to read16 languages
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“Since then, I have never dared to despise a woman at first sight.”
In short
A yellow poster on a Paris street announces the sale of a dead woman's furniture. A curious young man goes to see the rooms, and ends up bidding a hundred francs for a bound book worth ten or fifteen.
Camille (The Lady of the Camellias) at a glance
- Reading time
- About 4 h 15 min3 h 20 min fast, 5 h 5 min slow
- Length
- 60,600 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1848by Alexandre Dumas fils
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A Paris auction opens a dead woman's rooms
In March 1847 a young narrator sees a large yellow poster on the Rue Lafitte. It announces a sale of furniture at 9 Rue d'Antin, held because the owner has died. He loves curiosities, so he goes to look.
The rooms are crowded with society women in cashmere and velvet. They say they have come for the furniture. In truth they want to see the home of a kept woman, and death has made it safe to enter. In the dressing room the narrator sees gold and silver toilet objects, each with different initials and a different coronet. He thinks God has been merciful to the woman, letting her die in her beauty.
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Details
- First published
- 1848
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 4 h 50 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Dumas, Alexandre, fils. Camille (The Lady of the Camellias). Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/camille-the-lady-of-the-camellias.
Dumas, A., fils. (2026). Camille (the lady of the camellias). Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/camille-the-lady-of-the-camellias (Original work published 1848)
Dumas, Alexandre, fils. Camille (The Lady of the Camellias). Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/camille-the-lady-of-the-camellias.
@book{dumas2026camille,
author = {Dumas, Alexandre, fils},
title = {Camille (The Lady of the Camellias)},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/camille-the-lady-of-the-camellias},
note = {First published 1848}
}
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What is Camille by Alexandre Dumas about?
It tells of Armand Duval and Marguerite Gautier, a Paris courtesan known as the Lady of the Camellias. A narrator hears their love story from Armand after her death. The tale covers passion, money, jealousy and sacrifice.
Why is Marguerite called the Lady of the Camellias?
She always carries a bouquet of camellias to the theater. For twenty-five days of the month they are white, and for five days red. People at Madame Barjon’s flower shop called her the Lady of the Camellias, and the nickname stuck.
Is Camille a true story?
Dumas wrote it as if it were true and had it published in 1848, and he says witnesses were living in Paris. It is generally seen as a novel drawn from real Parisian life of the 1840s, shaped by his own experience.
The author
Alexandre Dumas fils
1824–1895 · French novelist and playwright
Alexandre Dumas fils was a French novelist and playwright, born in Paris in 1824. He was the son of the writer Alexandre Dumas. He published the novel The Lady of the Camellias in 1848 and adapted it as a play in 1852. He died in Marly-le-Roi, France, in 1895.
“Since then, I have never dared to despise a woman at first sight.”
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