Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Story of My Life: The Autobiography of George Sand (Suny Series, Women Writers in Translation)” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Story of My Life: The Autobiography of George Sand (Suny Series, Women Writers in Translation)

by George Sand , Thelma Jurgrau (Editor)

3.88 of 5 stars 3.88 · rating details · 216 ratings · 16 reviews

This book is more than the autobiography of an extraordinary woman. It is also the story of a century of French history as lived through the experiences and fates of three generations, the tumultuous history of the birth of modern France and the transformation of a society. "

Paperback , 1184 pages

Published July 1st 1991 by State University of New York Press (first published 1855)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

Or buy for

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Story of My Life , please sign up .

Be the first to ask a question about Story of My Life

Lists with This Book

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

Memoirs by Women

199th out of 1,457 books — 1,919 voters

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

The 800+ page Gorillaz

143rd out of 305 books — 399 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 824)

filter | sort : default (?) | rating details

Oct 15, 2009 Elizabeth rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: france , autobiographical , nonfiction , spain

Iconoclast that she is, George Sand's independent spirit and astute observatory powers are evident from the first page of her memoirs, which begin with her early childhood and finish up with her affair with Chopin--who sounds like a total sap. (I say that in a fond way, Chopin is one of my favorite composers and I loved the movie Impromptu).

It's interesting to read about Sand's contempt for the Ton of the 19th century, people who sound like they've taken a few too many ballet lessons. There is ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Feb 26, 2014 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: french-literature , mtbr-challenge-2014 , memoir-biography , non-fiction , read-2014

Free download available at Project Gutenberg - Histoire de ma Vie, Livre 1 (Vol.1 to 4) .

Free download available at Project Gutenberg - Histoire de ma Vie, Livre 2 (Vol. 5 to 9) .

Free download available at Project Gutenberg - Histoire de ma Vie, Livre 3 (Vol. 10 - 13) .

Even if this book is not considered as a true autobiography (it seems the author didn't follow the faits and the corresponding dates), I really liked it.

Her relationship with her grand-mother was stronger than to her mother and she w ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Feb 17, 2015 Paula Dembeck rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This translation of George Sand’s autobiography by Dan Hofstadter is divided into three parts. Part One is her autobiography, Part Two contains letters between George and her lover Alfred de Musset as well as extracts from her journal from the period November 15 to 28 1834, and Part Three describes time she spent on the island of Majorca with Fredric Chopin.
In the autobiography, heavily weighted to her early years, George Sand recounts her life story through three generations. Aurore Dupin, ( This translation of George Sand’s autobiography by Dan Hofstadter is divided into three parts. Part One is her autobiography, Part Two contains letters between George and her lover Alfred de Musset as well as extracts from her journal from the period November 15 to 28 1834, and Part Three describes time she spent on the island of Majorca with Fredric Chopin.
In the autobiography, heavily weighted to her early years, George Sand recounts her life story through three generations. Aurore Dupin, (also later known as George Sand), was born in Paris 1804. Her father Maurice came from a heritage of kings and nobility while her mother Sophie came from very humble and impoverished beginnings. The fact Maurice married so far below his station was a constant irritant in the family dynamic, creating animosity and distrust between Maurice’s mother and Sophie, Maurice’s wife. When Aurore was four, her father who was a soldier, was killed in battle and Aurore, Sophie and her grandmother moved from Paris to the family home in Nohant. There disharmony between the two women continued with Aurore the pawn in a perpetual and jealous tug of war between her mother and her grandmother. After her father’s death, Aurore’s grandmother took over guardianship of her granddaughter as she had the funds to raise and educate her as well as place her in a favourable position to ensure a good marriage. Aurore was sent to a religious convent in Paris for three years after which she returned once again to the family home in Nohant. When her grandmother died, Aurore inherited the estate.
She married Casimir Dudevant at the age of nineteen and had two children, a boy Maurice and a girl named Solange. But she was unhappy in her pampered rural setting and at the age of twenty-seven left for Paris in search of independence and personal happiness. She had few funds for her expenses and so she dressed like a man to reduce her clothing costs and to be more comfortable. She also took to smoking cigars.
In Paris she frequented the literary and political events, attended theaters and picture shows and went to the clubs where she met a number of different writers and artists. She relished in her new exciting life and independence and began writing in a very focused and disciplined way. When she fell in love with Jules Sandeau a young writer with whom she wrote collaboratively, she used the pen name "J. Sand" as she wanted to remain anonymous. Later when she published "Indiana" her first novel, she changed her pseudonym once again to “George Sand”. After the relationship with Sandeau ended, she met Alfred de Musset a young poet, and they soon became lovers. During this period in Paris and amidst a number of different relationships, Sand separated from her husband and took custody of Solange while her son Maurice remained with her husband Casimir.
There were many other relationships and lovers including her complicated and well known affair with Chopin that signals the end of the first section of the book. She describes that relationship as complex, one that began as friends, progressed to a short period as lovers and was followed by a longer period when she took care of him during his long illness. During that final period she assumed the role of care giver rather than lover.
In Part Two, reading the correspondence between George and Alfred, the reader gets a better sense of Sand’s love life, an entirely different tone than that of the autobiographical section. The shorter part of this section, titled “The Intimate Journal” serves a similar purpose.
In Part Three she describes a winter in 1838-39 that she spent in Majorca with Chopin, although his name is never mentioned. There are beautiful descriptions of the island which many say are still true today, and she also includes some interesting thoughts on religion. But she is embarrassingly critical of the inhabitants, calling them “monkeys” and seems completely devoid of any appreciation or sensitivity to their culture. Like a typical naïve and insensitive tourist, she is full of complaints about the services and accommodations provided on the island.

Part One, the autobiography, is long and at times weighed down by the level of detail such as her descriptions of the convent in Paris, its architecture, gardens, nooks and crannies. Aurore’s early life and that of her parents takes up most of the focus of the storyline which falters after the death of her grandmother. Descriptions of the later part of her life appear rushed with large gaps in the narrative. Regrettably, the reader is almost finished the entire autobiographical section before Sand talks about her literary career, and even then we do not get a lot of detail about her life as a writer. This is a major disappointment as that is specifically why many of us are reading this book. Sand does concede her account does not include all her poignant sorrows as she does not feel it serves any purpose. Perhaps that is why the last forty years of her life is covered in only two chapters. However, Sand makes no apologies to the reader for these lapses as she says the purpose of this written account is to "put her souvenirs in order". As perhaps an unintended aside, the entire narrative does give us a sense of what it was like living in France in the first half of the 19th century, as it is an important background to several events.

The final two parts of the book give quite a different understanding of Sand than her autobiography and her personality is much more evident in her letters and the excerpt from her journals. She covered little of her romances or relationships with other writers and artists in the main text, so without this section the reader would certainly not get a sense of this side of her personality. Sand has also completely ignored a discussion of any of the issues generated by her quirky lifestyle or any of the problems that were brought on by fame. This is an interesting omission as she was renowned for her unique and bohemian way of life.

This is a very readable text and for that credit is due to the translator as well as Sand’s writing.

...more

flag Like · see review

Mar 15, 2010 E.J. Matze marked it as to-read

Œuvres [modifier:]
GEORGE SAND

manuscrit de Un hiver à Majorque.
Le Commissionnaire (avec Jules Sandeau) (1830).
Rose et Blanche (avec Jules Sandeau, roman, 1831)
La Fille d'Albano (1831)
Valentine (roman, 1831)
Indiana (roman, 1832)
Lélia (roman, 1833)
Aldo le Rimeur (1833)
Une conspiration en 1537 (1833)
Journal intime (1834)
Jacques (roman, 1834)
Le Secrétaire intime (roman, 1834)
La Marquise (roman, 1834)
Garnier (conte, Urbain Canel / Adolphe Guyot 1834)
Lavinia (1834)
Métella (1834)
André (roman, 1835)
Matté ...more

flag Like · see review

Aug 03, 2011 Susu added it · review of another edition

Shelves: import-visual-bookshelf

Erster Band der Lebensgeschichte von George Sand - mit Rückblick auf die Geschichte ihres Vaters und die Verwandtschaft im Adel von Sachsen. Es wird fleißig aus Briefen zitiert und geschichtliche Anspielungen häufen sich - da tut es gut, wenn man über die Zeit der Revolution und Napoleons etwas mehr parat hat als gesundes Halbwissen. Die Ausgabe besteht aus vier Bänden - bis hin zu Chopin und der Reise nach Mallorca. Der vierte Band beschäftigt sich dann auch mit dem Werk. Man muss autobiographi ...more

flag Like · see review

Sep 15, 2009 H.A. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography , writers , borrowed

This was a GREAT book. Or rather, the first 3/4 of it was. Ms. Sands talks in charming, sometimes depressing, detail about her childhood, but with an intriguing style that kept me interested and entertained throughout. It was fascinating to learn about the people and places that influenced such an interesting life. It's unfortunate that the book sort of putters out at the end, and short shrift is given to all the events of her life after the death of her grandmother -- including her marriage, ca ...more

flag Like · see review

Jan 18, 2014 Amélie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 19th-century , classics , french , history , bingo_livres

There's a lot of things in this book : indeed, George Sand keeps shifting the subject, so that it can get a bit confusing at times... and even frustrating, when pages upon pages are spent on the smallest details while other things that might interest the reader (like how she met Chopin !) are not even mentionned.

However, she was not looking to please the reader, simply to "put her souvenirs in order", and in that we can respect her choices. And it still leaves some (very) interesting things, lik ...more

flag Like · see review

Mar 08, 2015 Coconut Hunter rated it 5 of 5 stars

the amazing way, Aurore talks about her mother, her family, nature, France!! I love this book!! I need more time..its a book that for sure you will wanna read again as soon as you can!!

flag Like · see review

Mar 23, 2015 Charles rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Should anyone think that Sand's life is a fascinating read, think again... the unexpurgated edition (which is NOT what I read) begins with hundreds of pages of the history of her family, going back into the 18th century, taking the reader up through the Napoleonic era, and then into the peculiar, pastoral years of Sand's childhood. Even the active part of her life, most of what I was reading in the edited volume, is fairly sketchy since she has the virtue of being discreet, not naming names. So ...more

flag Like · see review

Oct 17, 2007 Alex rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography

quite strange autobiography of the 19th century french female novelist Aurore Dupin, penname George Sand. the majority of the book details her life before the age of 8! the last forty years of her life, including all the years of her career, fame, and romance with famous writers and artists of her day, take up 2 short chapters.

anyway, it's well written and most of the book describes a somewhat interesting power struggle between competing matriarchs in a semi-aristocratic family during the autho ...more

flag Like · see review

Aug 01, 2014 Drăgan Andreea rated it 5 of 5 stars

Foarte remarcabilă gândirea autoarei. Îmi pare rău că un suflet atât de bun ca al său a trebuit să îndure atâta nefericire. Am izbucnit în plâns când am văzut că nu mai am ce să mai citesc. Merită fiecare cuvânt aşternut de ea pe hârtie.

flag Like · see review

Sep 25, 2007 Nathan rated it 5 of 5 stars

this book is very nice and good...it's broken into 3 sections, the first of which is a little boring and i secretly skipped alot of it...but the 2nd and 3rd parts are just great, and the descriptions of childhood and how it feels to be little are wonderful! that was my favorite part.

flag Like · see review

Aug 28, 2011 Debbie Hoskins rated it 4 of 5 stars

George Sand was so creative, unique, and quirky - like a rock star.

flag Like · see review

Sep 22, 2011 Virginia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: eh

Mired down mid way. I'll try again sometime.

flag Like · see review

Jul 25, 2012 Anne rated it 2 of 5 stars

Spotty

flag Like · see review

Apr 02, 2013 Valeria added it

Non compratelo

flag Like · see review

Kathleen marked it as to-read
Oct 02, 2015

Natalija S. is currently reading it
Sep 30, 2015

Beea marked it as to-read
Sep 27, 2015

Illona marked it as to-read
Sep 26, 2015

Cecile ... marked it as to-read
Sep 26, 2015

Juliette Sobanet rated it 5 of 5 stars
Sep 25, 2015

Jonathan Valverde rated it 5 of 5 stars
Sep 25, 2015

Sandra Sanchez Nery marked it as to-read
Sep 24, 2015

Adrian Brown marked it as to-read
Sep 24, 2015

Nicole marked it as to-read
Sep 24, 2015

Catriabhach marked it as to-read
Sep 22, 2015

Ally marked it as to-read
Sep 27, 2015

sarah marked it as to-read
Sep 14, 2015

Sean Norris marked it as to-read
Sep 12, 2015

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 27 28 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

Readers Also Enjoyed

Genres

Biography

17 users

Non Fiction

7 users

Classics

5 users

Cultural > France

5 users

History

3 users

Autobiography > Memoir

3 users

Biography > Autobiography

3 users

European Literature > French Literature

3 users

Literature

2 users

Literature > 19th Century

2 users

See top shelves...

About George Sand

Amantine Aurore Lucile Dupin, later Baroness (French:baronne) Dudevant (1 July 1804 – 8 June 1876), best known by her pseudonym George Sand (French pronunciation: [ʒɔʁʒ sɑd]), was a French novelist. She is considered by some a feminist although she refused to join this movement. She is regarded as the first French female novelist to gain a major reputation.

Sand's reputation came into question when Amantine Aurore Lucile Dupin, later Baroness (French:baronne) Dudevant (1 July 1804 – 8 June 1876), best known by her pseudonym George Sand (French pronunciation: [ʒɔʁʒ sɑ̃d]), was a French novelist. She is considered by some a feminist although she refused to join this movement. She is regarded as the first French female novelist to gain a major reputation.

Sand's reputation came into question when she began sporting men's clothing in public — which she justified by the clothes being far sturdier and less expensive than the typical dress of a noblewoman at the time. In addition to being comfortable, Sand's male dress enabled her to circulate more freely in Paris than most of her female contemporaries could, and gave her increased access to venues from which women were often barred — even women of her social standing.

Also scandalous was Sand's smoking tobacco in public; neither peerage nor gentry had yet sanctioned the free indulgence of women in such a habit, especially in public (though Franz Liszt's paramour Marie D'Agoult affected this as well, smoking large cigars). These and other behaviors were exceptional for a woman of the early and mid-19th century, when social codes—especially in the upper classes—were of the utmost importance.

As a consequence of many unorthodox aspects of her lifestyle, Sand was obliged to relinquish some of the privileges appertaining to a baroness — though, interestingly, the mores of the period did permit upper-class wives to live physically separated from their husbands, without losing face, provided the estranged couple exhibited no blatant irregularity to the outside world.

Poet Charles Baudelaire was a contemporary critic of George Sand: "She is stupid, heavy and garrulous. Her ideas on morals have the same depth of judgment and delicacy of feeling as those of janitresses and kept women.... The fact that there are men who could become enamoured of this slut is indeed a proof of the abasement of the men of this generation."

However, other luminaries in the world of arts and letters did not necessarily agree with Baudelaire, a few quotes will suffice:

"She was a thinking bosom and one who overpowered her young lovers, all Sybil — a Romantic."
V.S. Pritchett (writer)

"What a brave man she was, and what a good woman."
Ivan Turgenev (novelist)

"The most womanly woman."
Alfred de Musset (poet)

George Sand died at Nohant, near Châteauroux, in France's Indre département on 8 June 1876, at the age of 71 and was buried in the grounds of her home there. ...more

More about George Sand...

Books by George Sand

More…

Share This Book

Share on your website

title link	preview: Story of My Life: The Autobiography of George Sand
avg rating	preview: Story of My Life: The Autobiography of George Sand Goodreads rating: 3.88 (216 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/104263.Story_of_My_Life?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348410573l/104263.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/104263.Story_of_My_Life?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Story of My Life: The Autobiography of George Sand by George Sand[/url]

+ Share on your website

Trivia About Story of My Life:...

1 trivia question

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from Story of My Life: The ...

“[On Chopin's Preludes :]

"His genius was filled with the mysterious sounds of nature, but transformed into sublime equivalents in musical thought, and not through slavish imitation of the actual external sounds. His composition of that night was surely filled with raindrops, resounding clearly on the tiles of the Charterhouse, but it had been transformed in his imagination and in his song into tears falling upon his heart from the sky. ... The gift of Chopin is [the expression of] the deepest and fullest feelings and emotions that have ever existed. He made a single instrument speak a language of infinity. He could often sum up, in ten lines that a child could play, poems of a boundless exaltation, dramas of unequalled power.” — 15 likes

“Honestly, I do not believe in a drunk Byron writing beautiful verses. Inspiration can pass through the soul just as easily in the midst of an orgy as in the silence of the woods, but when it is a question of giving form to your thoughts, whether you are secluded in your study or performing on the planks of a stage, you must be in total possession of yourself.” — 1 likes

More quotes…

See a Problem?

Preview — Story of My Life by George Sand

Story of My Life: The Autobiography of George Sand (Suny Series, Women Writers in Translation)

Friend Reviews

Reader Q&A

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

Readers Also Enjoyed

Genres

About George Sand

Books by George Sand

Share This Book

Share on your website

Trivia About Story of My Life:...

Quotes from Story of My Life: The ...