First of all, it has to be said that you should have recently read (or re-read) Middlemarch before approaching this one. This book is only partly a personal memoir — which was what I was anticipating — and more like an extended textual and thematic analysis. It's very thorough and has some good insights and anecdotes, but feels like a travelogue at times. I don't feel as if I know either George Sand or the author much better at the end.