Customer Reviews:
 Poetic and Evocative July 13, 2006
solitaryreader (Darwen, Lancashire)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
George Sand has, regrettably, been forgotten by the majority of the reading public. In the 1980's, most of her books were republished by Oxford Classics, but many of these are now out of print, and lie gathering dust on the shelves of second-hand bookshops. The writer's life often overshadowed her work, due to her affairs with some of the luminaries of salon life in the nineteenth century, the composer Chopin prime among them. However, it is for her literary works that we should remember her.
The Devil's Pool is a short novel, reminiscent in some respects of the novellas of Tolstoy. Germain, a young widowed farmer, lives with his in-laws and his children, working hard in the fields and honouring the memory of his beloved late wife. One day, his father-in-law suggests that it is time he found himself a new wife. Although not immediately enamoured of the idea, Germain recognises the benefits of remarrying, and sets out to a nearby farm to meet the woman his father-in-law has in mind. He travels with the teenage daughter of a local farmer's widow. Once there, however, he finds his intended besieged by suitors, and the prospect of marriage to this woman begins to pall.
The "Devil's Pool" itself is a small lake in the middle of the forest in which Germain and his travelling companion lose themselves on their journey. Local legend has it that, once lost, it is impossible to find one's way out until daylight.
The novel is richly evocative and full of poetic imagery, at times reading more like a prose-poem than a traditional novel. The setting is one that was well-known to Sand, being the area where she grew-up, and the sense of place is palpable throughout this work. Character is, in many respects, less important than how the locale affects the people.
Beautiful, evocative and poetic - this is a perfect introduction to a great writer who should be much better known.
A seemingly uninteresting subject, and a beautiful story... May 7, 2006
Belén (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
George Sand (1804-1876) was an excellent writer, and this book allows the reader to be certain of that. How? Well, in this book Sand takes a seemingly uninteresting subject and tells us a beautiful story about him.
"The devil's pool" (1846) is short, and it is likely to seem even shorter due to the fact that you will be caught up in the pastoral world that the author describes so well. The plot is simple, but effective, and revolves around a planned marriage, and love. However, I am certain you will also enjoy her beautiful metaphors, that for example make you wish you were able to watch a particular sunset.
All in all, I think that the lesson here is that there is poetry and beauty in everything, we just need to be capable of seeing it, as Sand did. Recommended!
Belen Alcat
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