Before reading Elizabeth Berg's THE DREAM LOVER, I confess that most of my knowledge of Aurore Dupin, known as George Sand, came from Judy Davis' portrayal of the 19th-century novelist in the 1991 film Impromptu (another confession: I watched this movie when it came out mostly because Sand's love interest, Frederic Chopin, was played by Hugh Grant). Needless to say, I still had a lot to learn about this fascinating woman and writer, and Berg's latest novel does an admirable job of introducing readers to the life and loves of this complicated and not particularly widely known figure.

As Berg writes in her afterword, the number of gaps and inconsistencies in the existing accounts of Sand's life mean that "my approach was…that of an Impressionist, someone wanting to get enough of a sense of one reality in order to create another." THE DREAM LOVER is well researched, but those gaps and inconsistencies give her plenty of places in which facts can be set aside, and fiction --- and art --- can begin to have its say.

"[R]egardless of whether or not readers were familiar with Sand before reading THE DREAM LOVER, they undoubtedly will be fascinated by this singular woman's life and perhaps be inspired to read not only works about her but by her as well."

Berg structures her novel by interspersing anecdotes from Aurore's childhood and youth with scenes from her adult life, beginning after she (in a move that, as we later learn, mirrors her own mother's behavior) separates from her husband and children and moves to Paris to pursue an independent creative life. At a time when divorce was illegal, Aurore and her husband had a surprisingly progressive custody arrangement: she would spend three months in Paris on her own and then three months with the children back at the couple's estate in the countryside.

While in Paris, Aurore quickly found success first as a critic and then as a novelist, famously adopting her male pseudonym and wearing men's clothing. She also engaged in a number of romantic affairs, most notably (at least in Berg's version) with a beautiful actress, Marie Dorval, who captured Sand's heart in a way no man could. At times, the way in which Berg builds up this relationship can feel sensationalized and consequently a bit dated, but Sand's passion for Marie rings true.

What's apparent in Berg's story as well is that Sand's real and most constant devotion is to her art; the prolific writer uses her work to explore not only her personal struggles but also the predicaments of 19th-century women in general. This devotion is at times lonely, but at least it’s real and not dependent on any other person: "My true love became my pen, my beautiful apartment, and the pages I stacked up on my desk each night. If I could not fill my days with the kind of affection I still longed for, I would fill them with another, more reliable kind of love, one that engaged my mind, my heart, and my spirit completely, and one that did not betray me."

As Berg suggests in her afterword, regardless of whether or not readers were familiar with Sand before reading THE DREAM LOVER, they undoubtedly will be fascinated by this singular woman's life and perhaps be inspired to read not only works about her but by her as well.