The Dream Lover

That's kind of an odd title for a novel that is a fictionalized account of the life of George Sand (born Aurore Dupin). But it fits with Elizabeth Berg's depiction of George as always searching for - and never finding - that perfect lover one has in dreams.

I started the novel knowing basically nothing about George Sand except that she was a French female author who changed her name to a man's name, liked to dress in men's clothing, and had an affair with Chopin. I've never read anything she's written, and honestly this book didn't make me want to read her complete works. But it's an intriguing look at a person who was at the heart of the mid-nineteenth century French arts scene, hanging out with people like Delacroix and Victor Hugo, and who was very controversial for the time (smoking tobacco in public - the horror!).

Berg is a very good writer who paints beautiful scenes and develops strong characters. I particularly enjoyed her depictions of George Sand, Marie Dorval, and Frederic Chopin. Berg does a good job of taking one or two known characteristics of historical figures and making a fully developed person out of them. I really enjoyed this novel.

The Dream Lover