Germain, a widower in his late twenties, still lives with his late wife's family. His father-in-law Maurice decides that two years of mourning is long enough-Germain needs a wife, and his children need a mother. Having found what he believes is a suitable match in a neighboring village, Maurice sends Germain off to meet her, and along the way Germain agrees to drop off a teenage girl, Marie, at the farm where she has been newly employed. What follows demonstrates the old truth that the best-laid plans often go awry.
The Devil's Pool is the first of four pastoral novels George Sand originally intended to publish together, inspired by the rural community of her own upbringing. Written with warmth and simplicity, it is considered one of the finest expressions of French pastoral fiction, prizing the quiet dignity of country life and the unpredictable workings of the heart.
Readers who enjoy gentle, character-driven love stories steeped in rural French tradition-and anyone charmed by Mauprat or George Sand's other work-will find this short, tender novel a delight.
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