"Valentine" (1832) is a book written by the French author George Sand. This was the second book Sand published as an independent author. The novel is important because it shows many of the topics Sand focused on as a young writer: love, social class, greed, freedom, and family relationships. Like many of Sand's books, this one is named after its main character, Valentine, who is born into a wealthy, noble family but falls in love with Benedict, a poor farmer. The story of two people from different social classes who fall in love became a common theme in Sand's work. Her books examined what she saw as the unfairness and strict rules of society during the Restoration period in France.

Themes

The main theme of the novel is marriage. The story shows that marriages made for reasons other than love are common. Évariste de Lansac, Valentine's fiancé, is a character who wants to marry for land and money. However, a marriage between Valentine and Benedict is based on real love, but it is not allowed because of their different social classes. Valentine's grandmother represents the pride and prejudice of the wealthy class.

The novel shows how limited education was for women in the 1830s. Valentine had only a simple education to prepare for marriage, and she says she feels "miserable." She can draw, sing, and dance, but she knows little about the world outside of what is needed for a life as a wife.

Valentine's sister, Louise, is different. She shows a desire to break free from traditional expectations. Louise becomes involved with Benedict, who is in love with both sisters. The story does not provide answers to these social issues, but instead lets the events happen naturally.

The novel's setting, the Black Valley in the Berri region, is also used in many of Sand's other rural stories. These stories are inspired by the area where Sand owned her own country estate.

Reception

In the Revue de Romans, a reviewer from 1839 wrote about George Sand's novel, noting her unusual use of the romance genre.

The reviewer described the novel Valentine as the work of a female author who, in this book, shows with surprising energy for a genre often considered silly, the difficulties faced by a woman who has been forced to spend her life in a place where there is little variety in the people or their ages, and where love and affection are hard to find. The novel strongly criticizes the institution of marriage, but it is also a charming and interesting work filled with poetry.

(Translated from the French, Source: http://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/Revue_des_Romans/George_Sand)