Welcome to Litsy!

Breakfast outside, enjoying the warmer weather. The book started almost Austen like but soon turned darker. 20 p left and I am not sure if it will ended up positively or not.

Indiana is in a loveless marriage when she falls madly in love with a Parisian for whom she‘s ready to abandon all. Set contemporaneously when it was written, 1831, you have to imagine that Indiana‘s actions would likely destroy her life. The romance is over-the-top, apparently common during this period. But the author, a woman writing under a pen name, was on the cutting edge of women‘s rights and she held very strong beliefs about women in ⬇️

#Reunion #readingafrica2022 @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB

When asked to hide the wound caused by her husband‘s stomping on her face, this was the wife‘s (Indiana‘s) excellent reply. Reminder this book was written in 1831, when women were NOT “allowed” to stand up to their husbands. No wonder this book was so heavily censored.

#Reunion #readingafrica2022 @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB

#Reunion #readingafrica2022 @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB

Île Bourbon is the former name of #Reunion

Our characters are finally on the island having fled Paris and living in the house inherited by Indiana, and this is the first description of the island

#readingafrica2022 @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB

One last thought for the night from this eloquent author #bannedbooks

#Reunion #readingafrica2022 @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB

I love LOVE the author‘s defense of her novel in one of the prefaces to it. She had extraordinarily strong feelings about the state of affairs for women in 1831 when the book was published but she felt the need to write under a male pen name. For probably obvious reasons. #bannedbooks

#Reunion #readingafrica2022 @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB

We are not alone to think these are the worst of times. This is from the author‘s preface as she rails against censorship in 1831 #bannedbooks

#Reunion #readingafrica2022 @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB

Amongst earliest #bannedbooks, the author wrote multiple prefaces to it responding to the vast amount of censorship it caused back in 1831!! Written by a woman under a male pen name, the story is about a woman‘s exceedingly unhappy marriage. #Reunion #readingafrica2022 @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB

I‘ll be darned! When I asked husband if he‘d read anything by George Sand he said no but he said she‘s a woman! Of course, as he likes to say, he was right! And of course it had to be a woman writing in defense of women‘s rights and marriage. What man in 1831 was going to say women deserved equal rights? If you are wondering what I‘m talking about, see my previous post for the tagged book. #readingafrica2022 #Reunion

This book was written in 1831 and if I‘ve read the author‘s multiple prefaces to it correctly, it was widely criticized and censored and banned for many years because it was in defense of womens‘ rights during marriage. I now cannot wait to read it. I started reading the prefaces last night so I‘d have an alternative to my other war-ravaged ebook to read at night. #Reunion #readingafrica2022 @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB

I‘ve spent the evening scouring Amazon for free ebooks for #readingafrica2022. Some are free with a Prime subscription and some through a Kindle Unlimited subscription. Countries covered from top to bottom: #Réunion, #WesternSahara, #Mauritania, and #Seychelles. @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB

This will also check a nice box on the #Pantone2022 challenge list!

#SnowWhite
@Clwojick

This is a tick on the loooong list of books for #ReadingAfrica2022. Partially set on Réunion Island which is situated to the east of Madagascar. First published in 1832, this first solo novel by George Sand is the story of a young woman married to much older and indifferent man when she falls in love with her handsome neighbor. In this day we'd say she was targeted for seduction by her neighbor! ⬇
@LibraryBelle
@BarbaraBB

I'm just reading along when all of a sudden THIS happens:

"Language is a prostitute queen who descends and rises to all rôles, disguises herself, arrays herself in fine apparel, hides her head and effaces herself; an advocate who has an answer for everything, who has always foreseen everything, and who assumes a thousand forms in order to be right."

?? ?

This is rather dramatic and very French and a romance. It was republished under the author's real name recently. I liked it but it's a little ridiculous. Like Jane Austen but darker and more dramatic.

#BookSpinBingo square 6
@TheAromaofBooks

I came across the name George Sand reading the fragments of Dostoyevsky's diary. He explains how she's one of the most important French authors, sells more books than Victor Hugo, but because she is a woman who writes about women hasn't given the consideration she deserves. Indiana is beautifully written, a romance about women's position in society, mixed with the author's fascinating political opinions in general. Totally recommend it

... be, I challenge you ever to establish any sympathy between him and me. If such a man wants to instruct me about truths that I do not know, he will not succeed for it will not be in my power to have faith in him "

@Itchyfeetreader keep your eyes peeled for your #hometownswap package 📦 It should arrive in 6-10 business days. Tracking info is in the picture.

@MicrobeMom @readinginthedark

There are so many good swaps on the horizon! I just signed up for the #hometownswap sponsored by @readinginthedark and @MicrobeMom ‼️ This one sounds like a lot of fun, and it‘s the first one I‘m willing to send international. Can‘t wait! 🤓📖

If I remember well, Indiana is the first George's published novel and fortunatly for us, it was not the last one! If you haven't done it yet, dear female readers, read George Sand, this female French author from the 19th is worth it, and it's the less I can say.

These are a year of my life at uni. A full year reading, studying and enjoying this remarquable woman's writing. #readinschool #photoadaynov16

I can't decide if I love or hate this era of literature, where passion is communicated in letters. Small doses helps.

My reading companions (the tiny one is now twice as big as the longer one in this photo!) got me up at 3 am; I can only imagine they are trying to support my #24in48 #Readathon goals. So I'm going to read some kindle books until I sleep. @Litsy