Camille: A Passionate Tale of Love and Sacrifice in 19th Century France

This Heritage Press edition is clothbound with a leather label on the spine. Illustrations by Bernard Lamotte accompany most of the 26 chapters. The translation is by Edmund Gosse and there is an Introduction by Andre Maurois, a Prefatory Letter by the author, and A Memoir of Marie Duplessis by Jules Janin. Tucked into my copy was a 4-page Heritage Club Sandglass which further describes the book, its background, and this edition.Andre Maurois' Introduction tells the true story of how the young Alexandre Dumas met and fell in love with Alphonsine Plessis, known in Paris as Marie Duplessis. Their true story is the basis for this first novel. Since his mother was a kept woman, Dumas had a special understanding for the life Alphonsine was living, and tried, without success, to save her with his love.This introduction is followed by a short letter from the author to the publisher of an illustrated edition that tells the story of how he wrote this book about Marie Duplessis in three weeks when his "thoughts reverted to her" while staying at a country inn that they used to visit together. Then comes a Memoir of Marie Duplessis written by the Parisian author Jules Janin who, while he only saw her three times, like everyone in Paris, knew her story.The novel itself is a shifting of voices. In the first three chapters the narrator tells of stumbling on an auction at what turns out to be the apartment of the recently deceased Marguerite Gautier, the name Dumas gives to Marie Duplessis in the novel. He takes a fancy to a copy of the novel Manon Lescaut with "something written on the first page" and places the highest bid. When he gets the book the inscription turns out to be "Manon to Marguerite. Humility. Armand Duval."In the fourth chapter he gets a call from Armand Duval who has been out of the country and returned when he heard of Marguerite's deathly illness, but arrived too late to see her. He has come seeking the book and the narrator is more than happy to return it. A bond is formed between these two men. They meet several more times, always talking of Marguerite. Then in chapters seven through twenty four the point of view shifts and Armand tells the narrator of his tragic love affair with Marguerite.All through the novel Marguerite is portrayed as a kept woman plagued with consumption who relies on her patrons for the money she needs to live in luxury. The narrator claims he is "not the apostle of vice," but is instead "the echo of noble sorrow." It is this ability to portray a fallen woman as a romantic ideal to a young man in a realistic way that makes the work the classic it is. Marguerite and Armand are young lovers who can make no claims to innocence or virtue, and yet their love is deep and true.

great book. love its cover too. a classic

If you're looking to buy the play "Camille", I suggest you buy a different version. This play is 63 pages long. That's not the issue, however. The issue is that pages 61 & 62 do not exist. Yes, that's right--arguably the most important pages in the entire play are left out. The resolution between characters obviously takes place on those 2 pages. I was reading, and the plot suddenly jumped, and relationships between characters had suddenly altered, and there was no understandable reason for this. That's because the resolution of the play takes place on the missing pages--61 & 62.Besides the missing pages, the play itself is only okay. But maybe I would feel differently had I been able to read the resolution.

The play arrived, taking longer than most used store outlets.Of course it was sent from the UK. But as I was readingthe play I saw that two crucial pages at the end of the textwere missing.I have emailed the Book Depository and was assured areplacement text would be sent to me at no cost.

I thought I was ordering the play. I received the book. My search was for "Camille Play." I purchased something that said "A Play in 5 Acts," but the novel was what I received.

I was interested in this book and read it to my dear wife because we wanted to know and understand the real story behind Verdi’s La Traviata.It has been beautifully, sensitively and sympathetically translated. The phraseology is delightful.In my view, Verdi’s opera reflects the love, passion and great sadness in this story very well.I would like to have given this Kindle edition 5 stars but the presentation of this version was irritating and somewhat marred by the many typographical errors. There several wrong words and many many times there are instances of sentences where the text did not reach the end of the line but was suddenly pushed down a line; also quite often with double line spacing as well.Would I recommend? Yes definitely. It is worth the frequent pauses in reading caused by the layout and typos because it is such a beautiful piece of literature.

A sad beautiful tale. I loved it...I think it is a beautifully written tale of love and loss. Set in Paris, it’s romantic indeed.