NEW YORK TIMESย BESTSELLER โขย NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY USA TODAY โขย Elizabeth Berg has written a lush historical novel based on the sensuous Parisian life of the nineteenth-century writer George Sandโwhich is perfect for readers of Nancy Horan and Elizabeth Gilbert.
At the beginning of this powerful novel, we meet Aurore Dupin as she is leaving her estranged husband, a loveless marriage, and her familyโs estate in the French countryside to start a new life in Paris. There, she gives herself a new nameโGeorge Sandโand pursues her dream of becoming a writer, embracing an unconventional and even scandalous lifestyle.
Paris in the nineteenth century comes vividly alive, illuminated by the story of the loves, passions, and fierce struggles of a woman who defied the confines of society. Sandโs many lovers and friends include Frรฉdรฉric Chopin, Gustave Flaubert, Franz Liszt, Eugรจne Delacroix, Victor Hugo, Marie Dorval, and Alfred de Musset. As Sand welcomes fame and friendship, she fights to overcome heartbreak and prejudice, failure and loss. Though considered the most gifted genius of her time, she works to reconcile the pain of her childhood, of disturbing relationships with her mother and daughter, and of her intimacies with women and men. Will the life she longs for always be just out of reachโa dream?
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Brilliantly written in luminous prose, and with remarkable insights into the heart and mind of a literary force, The Dream Lover tells the unforgettable story of a courageous, irresistible woman.
Praise for The Dream Lover
โExquisitely captivating . . . Sandโs story is so timely and modern in an era when gender and sexual roles are upended daily.โโUSA Today
โFantastic . . . a provocative and dazzling portrait . . . Berg tells a terrific story, while simultaneously exploring sexuality, art, and the difficult personal choices women artists in particular madeโthen and nowโin order to succeed. . . . The book, imagistic and perfectly paced, full of dialogue that clips along, is a readerโs dream.โโThe Boston Globe
โAbsorbing . . . an armchair travelerโs delight . . . Berg rolls out the wonders of nineteenth-century Paris in cinematic bursts that capture its light, its street life, its people and sounds. . . . The result is an illuminating portrait of a magnificent woman whose story is enriched by the delicate brush strokes of Bergโs colorful imagination.โโChicago Tribune
โThere is authority and confidence in the storytelling that makes the pages fly.โโThe New York Times
โBerg weaves an enchanting novel about the real life of George Sand.โโUs Weekly
โLavishly described . . . Berg uses her own skill as a writer to graphically present the reader with a clear picture of a brilliant, yet flawed woman.โโFredericksburg Free LanceโStar
โ[A] beautiful, imaginative re-creation . . . Bergโs years-long immersion in the writings of and about Sand has resulted in a remarkable channeling of Sandโs voice.โโLibrary Journal (starred review)
โBerg offers vivid, sensual detail and a sensitive portrayal of the yearning and vulnerability behind Sandโs bold persona.โโPublishers Weekly
โA thoroughly pleasant escape . . . [Sand is] intoxicating, beautiful, gifted, desirous, unconventional and heartbroken.โโKirkus Reviews