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kayzie7's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this book, some of the dialogue got a bit long and overdramatic but I think that the way I was always surprised by the direction it was taking made up for that. And plus the ending was worthy!
forgottenangstycharacter's review against another edition
2.5
I admit that I am no expert on canonical French literature. I know a little about George Sand as a person and am fascinated by them, but I am not so familiar with her work. Her Romantic and realist blend in Indiana is reworked into a graphic novel for the modern reader. Indiana feels like the lovechild of Sorrows of Young Werther and Portrait of a Lady (even though the latter was published later). It follows the 16-year-old Indiana's unhappy marriage to the much older Colonel Delmare. She falls in love with their neighbour Raymon de Ramiere, who is engaged in an affair with Indiana’s maid and best friend, Noun. Indiana and de Ramiere have a sort of on-and-off-again relationship, declaring their love and then rebuffing the other. Meanwhile, Indiana’s cousin Ralph stands on the sidelines being secretly in love with her.
If I had a nickel for every time there was an English cousin named Ralph in love with his cousin, in a canonical novel, I’d have two nickels…which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it happened twice.
As this is a graphic novel adaptation, I will not be commenting on the plot which is taken from George Sand’s work but rather how the story has been adapted.
Firstly, I did enjoy the first few pages which provided some context surrounding George Sand and their work. This came back at the end and I thought it was a nice way of ending the story and analysing some of the themes.
I found the art style grew on me and by the end of the novel, I quite liked it. There are some sentences that seem to have been taken directly from an English translation of the text which were revolutionary for the time, as does some of Indiana’s characterisation, which was cool to see.
I liked Indiana’s progression as a character, from her role as an unhappy woman to her finally standing up for herself. There were many false starts and to and fro-ing, but for her time and situation, she pushed back against the control of her husband, and even her false lover.
However, most of the story is told to us where it could be shown. For example, there is a panel that says “Monsieur de Ramiere was bothered by how bravely Noun sacrificed her reputation for him” but we never actually see Noun sacrifice her reputation until after she dies. This is a book where there is a lot of sitting in drawing rooms talking and it can be difficult to push the story along, but the way the information was communicated was not always effective.
I would have liked the relationship between Indiana and Ramiere to have been explored and stretched out more, as I could not see what it was that Indiana saw in him after they met. Why is he interested, is it mere boredom or love? Ramiere wanted to control something that wasn't his and get personal pleasure, but why her? There was a lot of flip-flopping between love and hate with these two characters and I couldn’t understand why Indiana was so devoted to this guy.
There were hints at the political world going on in the background but I wish I could have seen that more.
I found spots of this confusing and the pacing wasn’t quite right and I couldn’t work out what was supposed to be the climaxes of certain scenes, or whether this was an important discussion among the romantic leads or if this was another scene repeating the unstable dynamic of Ramiere and Indiana.
This book is an interesting look at George Sand’s work for a new age. It was a quick read and I think could be useful in introducing George Sand’s work to a larger audience. It would work well as a teaching tool as well, possibly read alongside the novel itself. I am now intrigued to go back to the original text.
Goodreads: Georgina (forgottenangstycharacter) | TikTok: @forgottenangstycharacter
If I had a nickel for every time there was an English cousin named Ralph in love with his cousin, in a canonical novel, I’d have two nickels…which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it happened twice.
As this is a graphic novel adaptation, I will not be commenting on the plot which is taken from George Sand’s work but rather how the story has been adapted.
Firstly, I did enjoy the first few pages which provided some context surrounding George Sand and their work. This came back at the end and I thought it was a nice way of ending the story and analysing some of the themes.
I found the art style grew on me and by the end of the novel, I quite liked it. There are some sentences that seem to have been taken directly from an English translation of the text which were revolutionary for the time, as does some of Indiana’s characterisation, which was cool to see.
I liked Indiana’s progression as a character, from her role as an unhappy woman to her finally standing up for herself. There were many false starts and to and fro-ing, but for her time and situation, she pushed back against the control of her husband, and even her false lover.
However, most of the story is told to us where it could be shown. For example, there is a panel that says “Monsieur de Ramiere was bothered by how bravely Noun sacrificed her reputation for him” but we never actually see Noun sacrifice her reputation until after she dies. This is a book where there is a lot of sitting in drawing rooms talking and it can be difficult to push the story along, but the way the information was communicated was not always effective.
I would have liked the relationship between Indiana and Ramiere to have been explored and stretched out more, as I could not see what it was that Indiana saw in him after they met. Why is he interested, is it mere boredom or love? Ramiere wanted to control something that wasn't his and get personal pleasure, but why her? There was a lot of flip-flopping between love and hate with these two characters and I couldn’t understand why Indiana was so devoted to this guy.
There were hints at the political world going on in the background but I wish I could have seen that more.
I found spots of this confusing and the pacing wasn’t quite right and I couldn’t work out what was supposed to be the climaxes of certain scenes, or whether this was an important discussion among the romantic leads or if this was another scene repeating the unstable dynamic of Ramiere and Indiana.
This book is an interesting look at George Sand’s work for a new age. It was a quick read and I think could be useful in introducing George Sand’s work to a larger audience. It would work well as a teaching tool as well, possibly read alongside the novel itself. I am now intrigued to go back to the original text.
Goodreads: Georgina (forgottenangstycharacter) | TikTok: @forgottenangstycharacter
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Moderate: Suicide attempt
galatee's review against another edition
5.0
i just fell in love... one of my favorite books, ever. i just want to re-read it endlessly, and this ending! i’m, like, dumbstruck.
mon article: https://nightthoughtsandartefacts.wordpress.com/2018/04/23/indiana-de-george-sand/
mon article: https://nightthoughtsandartefacts.wordpress.com/2018/04/23/indiana-de-george-sand/
harpweaving's review against another edition
4.0
Wow, I'm not even sure what to think about this book. I definitely enjoyed it, in some parts a lot. I found other aspects of it to be problematic. I'd love to read some analysis of it. The ending I found to be kind of ... :/ Sort of reminded me of the ending of Measure for Measure. I honestly had to skip over a lot of Ralph's long monologue in the second-to-last chapter, then I felt bad because the narrator essentially says "If the tale of Ralph's inner life has no effect on you, I am an incompetent narrator". I don't know about that, but I just didn't like Ralph much more than I did Raymon. Psssht Indiana and Noun should have run off together at the start of the book, ha ha.
howtoreadmore's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
megatza's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Genre: 19th century French literature, adapted to graphic novel
France and Ile Bourbon, late 1820s
Written in 1832, Indiana is a sweeping tale of human emotion and drama set in the period it was written. Indiana Delmare is an ill young woman married to a strict gentleman to whom she has little real affection. One evening a young gentleman is assumed to be a burglar and shot on their estate, and Indiana and her maid Noun nurse him back to health. His name is Raymon de Ramière, and he conducts a passionate affair with Noun, and also proclaims his love for Indiana. A tale of betrayal and heartbreak, where the villain is the nature of humanity and how we treat one another.
I don’t tend to pick up graphic novels, as I tend to get distracted from the narrative arc of the story. I’m not generally a visual person (I don’t visualize when I read), so a graphic novel is typical an exercise in patience for me while reading. But when @plottrysts says “hey Meg, this is ‘Read Now’” and promises to hold my hand through 19th century adapted French literature, I say “why not!?” The illustrations in this graphic novel do such a good job capturing the tone of emotion and the style of the era, as well as the utter drama of the book.
I knew very little to nothing about George Sand when I picked this up, other than it was a pen name for a 19th century woman writer. The graphic novel frames the tale of Indiana with two different eras of Sand’s life, from her time writing with (and dallying with) novelist Jules Sandeau in the early 1830s with her long affair with engraver Alexandre Manceau in the 1850s. Well-renowned and respected as a literary giant, she eschewed gender norms and attracted all manner of famous men to her bed. The framestory for the graphic novel helped me, as a reader unfamiliar with Sand, place her work.
In short, I would absolutely pick up more classic novels in graphic novel form. Personally, though, I still often need to read summaries as I go (I do this with almost any classic I read, as the narrative styles are denser and I often miss plot points). I recommend this as an accessible way to read Indiana!
This is classic literature, not a romance novel, so check CWs
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Suicide
salatanita's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This is a book within a book, and a good one at that.
I've never heard of George Sand (my bad) or her book Indiana. The author chose to use a male pen name for fear of not being taken seriously in literary circles if she'd published under her own. Having read this graphic novel, I must agree - the story may hit different from a male or a female author.
This graphic novel adaptation is exciting with its varying artwork and expressive colour scheme, and it makes me want to read the original book.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Europe Comics for an Advance Review Copy.
I've never heard of George Sand (my bad) or her book Indiana. The author chose to use a male pen name for fear of not being taken seriously in literary circles if she'd published under her own. Having read this graphic novel, I must agree - the story may hit different from a male or a female author.
This graphic novel adaptation is exciting with its varying artwork and expressive colour scheme, and it makes me want to read the original book.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Europe Comics for an Advance Review Copy.
hermusings's review against another edition
2.5
I can honestly say I would have never gravitated towards this classic novel if it wasn’t for it being turned into a comic. I think this is a great and accessible way for classics to be read.
In terms of the plot itself… it was a bit lackluster & scattered. I felt no real attachment to any character — I would say due to their selfishness. It just felt like watch something descend very slowly.
The illustration was great and I enjoyed the brief insight into George Sand.
Thank you to Europe Comics and NetGalley for this Arc in exchange for an honest review.
moonlunatik's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This was quite the surprising read for me. Although I had heard of George Sand before I was not super familiar with her work and her biography so it was quite cool to read this old classic in a completely new format.
The book tells the story of Indiana, a sad noble lady married to a tyrant of a husband. She lives with ber cousin Ralph, a widower who has been devoted to her since childhood and Noun, her foster sister.
She then meets Raymon, another nobleman and his arrival complicates her sad but stable life. Raymon's presence challenges the dynamics among the characters, revealing hidden desires and testing the boundaries of societal norms. The narrative explores themes of love, freedom, and the pursuit of happiness against the backdrop of 19th-century France.
Indiana, as a character, infuriated me a bit. I truly could not believe some of the choices she makes in this book. But I also believe that part of it was due to the style of writing that was popular at that time.
The art was quite good, specially when it came to the characters. I could understand why people fell in love with Indiana by simply looking at her and her character design managed to portray both her beauty and her fragility. But I wish the backgrounds and environments were a bit more detailed.
All in all it was an enjoyable evening read but it didn't move me all that much emotionally, which is why I'm not giving it a higher rating.
Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The book tells the story of Indiana, a sad noble lady married to a tyrant of a husband. She lives with ber cousin Ralph, a widower who has been devoted to her since childhood and Noun, her foster sister.
She then meets Raymon, another nobleman and his arrival complicates her sad but stable life. Raymon's presence challenges the dynamics among the characters, revealing hidden desires and testing the boundaries of societal norms. The narrative explores themes of love, freedom, and the pursuit of happiness against the backdrop of 19th-century France.
Indiana, as a character, infuriated me a bit. I truly could not believe some of the choices she makes in this book. But I also believe that part of it was due to the style of writing that was popular at that time.
The art was quite good, specially when it came to the characters. I could understand why people fell in love with Indiana by simply looking at her and her character design managed to portray both her beauty and her fragility. But I wish the backgrounds and environments were a bit more detailed.
All in all it was an enjoyable evening read but it didn't move me all that much emotionally, which is why I'm not giving it a higher rating.
Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
plottrysts's review against another edition
4.0
I read Indiana twice for two different classes during my master's in French. This romantic classic by George Sand is on a par with British romantic staples like Wuthering Heights or Jane Eyre. Indiana is the titular character. She is a young, sensitive woman married to an older brute of a man. The book follows her life as she is seduced by a scoundrel and generally beaten down by her circumstances. I picked up this graphic novel adaptation for a couple of reasons: the art is really gorgeous, and I was wondering how the author and illustrator would make it work. Indiana translates really well to the ill- ustrated format! If you've been wondering about classic French literature - or even if you haven't but this review has sparked an interest - I think this is a great place for you to start. This version also includes a bit of history about George Sand, groundbreaking author, which I found a great addition!
Content note: references to suicide, domestic violence, sexual assault, and animal abuse.
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.
Content note: references to suicide, domestic violence, sexual assault, and animal abuse.
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.