I stayed up late reading La Petite Fadette, which is something that lately does not happen very often. The story is simple and straightforward, one might even say naive, showing somewhat idealized characters, still it held my interest. Having finished it I eagerly continued to other two novels that count into Sand’s pastoral trilogy, namely The Country Waif (François Le Crampi) and The Devil’s Pool.
La Petite Fadette and François Le Crampi are fairly similar. Both Fadette and François are young people whose hard life was made more difficult by the prejudiced and unsympathetic people in their villages. Both are orphans, grown into highly moral and intelligent persons. Both go through a sort of metamorphosis and both find themselves in possession of a fortune.
The Devil’s Pool is different, although not in its tone and atmosphere. It does share a dose of folklore and superstition with La Petite Fadette (maybe I’ve lost it in François Le Crampi?).
All three are a sort of comforting type of narratives – Sand was of an opinion that these kind of stories were just what was needed in those times of war and shattered values. All three are love stories, each with a different matching in relation to the lovers’ age, which is interesting.
Before reading these novels I knew nothing about George Sand except that she was a French writer. Searching the internet I learned (among other things, of course) that Dostoevsky held her in high regard, that Turgenev was an admirer, as were Balzac, Flaubert, Proust, Malraux, Willa Cather… On the other hand, Baudelaire, for instance, was not the least impressed.
One would have to read more than three pastoral novels to form one’s own opinion of Sand considering she was such a prolific writer. I do not feel compelled to read other Sand’s work, but I can see myself rereading these three novels in time to come.
ink stains on a reader's blog 
I haven’t read much (any?) of her fiction (maybe one novel, I’d have to check) but I loved her journals (The Intimate Journals of George Sand) and the collection of letters which she exchanged with Flaubert. And the film about her life, or one significant part of it, called Impromptu, was a long-time favourite of mine, although I no longer have a copy to re-view so easily! It’s good to hear that you found this one so compelling that you had to stay awake longer to finish reading: always a good sign!
She was definitely an interesting person. What are her journals like? I will note it down to check it out one day, letters as well..
I understand that there were several films that were made about one part of her life or another and Impromptu seems compelling and fun, but I have no time for watching movies these days. Waiting for September..
I loved – thought it was the great highlight – the closing chapters of The Devil’s Pool, when the story is dropped and the book turns into anthropology – the wedding customs and all that.
I found out about it while reading some blog entries on ”The Devil’s Pool” – the edition I have doesn’t even mention it. Pity.. But, looking on the bright side, it’s all the more reason to reread the book.
That’s quite a list of admiring authors and not having heard of the author before, I think I shall be following your lead and reading these, I mean what did Baudelaire really know!
Ha! He actually had fair reasons to judge harshly (as far as I understood), but that does not have to stop us from reading Sand!
I was surprised by the list. Somehow I wouldn’t have expected it, and I admit I would be interested to find out what was it that they admired and praised in her work.