SKU: 99772150190

"Madame De" 1954 VILMORIN, Louise de (SOLD)

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"Madame De" 1954 VILMORIN, Louise de (SOLD)VILMORIN, Louise de [54] pp. Julian Messner, Inc. 1954 6 3 4" x 8 1 2" Drawings by Ian Ribbons VG VG A society woman in Paris sells her jewels, a gift from her husband, to pay debts. The buyer informs the husband, the husband buys them back and gives them to his mistress. The mistress sells them and they come back to the original woman via an admirer. THE story of the earrings of Madame de begins with this observation: "Elegance rather than beauty was

VILMORIN, Louise de

[54] pp.

Julian Messner, Inc.

1954

6 3/4" x 8 1/2"

Drawings by Ian Ribbons

VG/ VG

A society woman in Paris sells her jewels, a gift from her husband, to pay debts. The buyer informs the husband, the husband buys them back and gives them to his mistress. The mistress sells them and they come back to the original woman via an admirer.

THE story of the earrings of Madame de- begins with this observation: "Elegance rather than beauty was accorded the mark of merit in the circle of society to which Madame de- belonged." American readers who break into that charmed circle will no doubt agree that Madame de- was the most elegant of all women. Her manners were faultless, and her sensibilities exquisite. She deceived her husband like a lady, and he understood and forgave her like a true man of the world. Even her anonymity distinguished her: the author explains she wrote the book so quickly she had no time to give the heroine more than the dangling particle de.

Quickly written or not, Louise de Vilmorin's novelette is a perfect drawing room fable—a real jewel, as one of the characters might say in highest praise. And though the jewel is precious, it was cut with a rare economy of means. A complex story (recently made into a French movie) is told here in fifty-four pages of uncomplicated writing.

The theme of “Madame de” is deception: the web of falsehoods in which a fashionable woman can be caught, and drawn to tragedy. Madame de- cannot resist telling her rich and generous husband that her dresses cost half of what they actually did cost her. So to pay her debts she sells the heart-shaped diamond earrings which were a wedding present from Monsieur de- and pretends to lose them at a ball. The family jeweler who bought them believing Monsieur de- had some private money troubles suddenly finds himself in possession of jewels believed to have been stolen. He takes them to Monsieur de who buys them for the second time. Saddened by his wife's pretense, and the injury done his good name, he gives them to a mistress.

Before Moniseur de- is through he buys the earrings back three times, and they change hands on ten increasingly elaborate occasions Madame de- suffers at each exchange, until, abandoned by her ambassador-lover, she dies of sadness and pneumonia.

TRUE to Gallic tradition, both her husband and her lover are present for the deathbed scene, when her two hands gently open and disclose a diamond heart in each, “It was as though she had meant to give them away and she cared not to whom.

"'She is dead,' said Monsieur de-. 'Take this heart which she has given you, The other is her own. I will take charge of it.'

"Monsieur de- laid the other heart on the heart of his wife and then sent for the old nurse. Forthwith, the room was full of the rustle of skirts and the sound of wailing. The candles which had so often lit up her dinner parties now shone round her deathbed. Monsieur de- sent for his tailor, and, without telling him the reason, ordered some suits of mourning."

Madame de Vilmorin is at her best in this airy fantasy of manners. Her novel “Julietta” suggest that she is less gifted for bigger books; characterizations which seemed delightfully transparent in “Madame de” become opaque in a longer novel.

The least successful of these characters is the adolescent heroine, Julietta, who "spent her life in a world of her own invention." Escaping from her mother (a bourgeois lady) and her 54-year-old fiancé (a prince), Julietta takes refuge in the attic of Landrecourt (an intellectual). Here, she invents a world of her own so splendid that Landrecourt is dazzled and won—though his mistress-Rosie's exasperation with these goings-on deserves the reader's sympathy. In fact, the portrait of Rosie, in all her high-toned frivolity, is both the triumph and the symbol of Louise de Vilmorin's art.

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SKU: 99772150190

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Stacy
Dallas, US
★★★★★ 5
My Dog's All-Time Favorite Toy
Color: Pink, Style: Grunt Sound
The first one of these I ever got her was at Petco on sale for $1 - best $1 ever! The reviews are right, though. The toy doesn't last forever and it's not good for aggressive chewers. In my opinion, however, that doesn't make it a bad toy. Here's why: Aggressive chewers comments: Getting my sister's French Bulldog a stuffed toy (that's shredded in 5 minutes), compared to my Pitbull who does not tear up any toys, but is a stronger chewer when it comes to bones. My pup does not tear this up at all, but my sister's dog would. My point is: Don't get your dog a soft toy if your dog ruins soft toys. Regarding the not long-lasting comments: the honking noise mechanism inside eventually pops inside the hole, rendering it honkless. Ours lasted about 6 months. It's pretty much impossible to fix unless you want to trouble yourself to fix it for 1 good honk each fix. I would, but I do also have a job to get to. My dog does still carry it around in it's noiseless state, but she doesn't play with it with the same enthusiasm. How did I resolve this? I bought her 5 😂 She's only on her second, but I decided to stock it because they were on sale for $5.10 - I don't think I will get rid of any of them. I will just let her play with them on rotation until they fall apart. Besides all that, my dog just simply loves this toy. I have never seen her so happy & playful with a toy. I can't promise this for your dog, as I can only tell you about mine. We even have a "Sheepy" song. [I have not been paid or given free Sheeps - my Sweet Pea just really loves her Sheepy]
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Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2024
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Whidbey Mary
Lake Worth, US
★★★★★ 5
Loud! Just Like She Likes It
Color: Hedgehog, Style: Big Squeak Hedgehog
My Great Dane loves this noisy toy. She prefers squeaky toys with loud, unusual squeakers. (I need to invest in earplugs.) She's not an agressuve chewer or rough player so this should last a long time. Like most squeaky toys she has, the squeaker wears out before the physical toy does and once the noise is gone she won't play with it any more. If others have a similar issue...check with your local animal shelter. Some (not all) will disinfect used toys for the dogs in their care.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2025
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Sport
Lowell, US
★★★★★ 5
Good toy
Color: Gator, Style: Accordionz (Grunt Sound)
Fun toy, holding up really well.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2026
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Boise, US
★★★★★ 1
Fun while it lasts…
Color: Pink, Style: Grunt Sound
Fun while it lasts. Doesn’t last very long. This is our third one and last maybe a few weeks. The part that makes noise comes detached inside which causes to toy to no longer make noise, but also can be dangerous if it comes out.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2026
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Betty Jo Bradley
Draper, US
★★★★★ 4
Great alternative to the grunting pigs!
Color: Pink, Style: Grunt Sound
We go through A LOT of dog toys at my dog based business. The grunting pigs are super cute, but they are also super fragile. It is incredibly easy to dislodge the squeaker. (Grunter?) These are certainly not robust chew toys, but the squeaker is about 30% better at staying put than that of the pigs. It's also smaller, so it's easier for the smaller dogs to play with. These are a new favorite! Update: August, 2024 I bought an orange hedgehog. Amazon won't let me review that separately so I had to add to my sheep review. The orange hedgehog is only 3 stars. It is made of a harder plastic than the bear and the sheep. It also has a standard squeaker, not the grunting of the bear and sheep. But harder plastic DOES NOT mean that it will withstand an aggressive chewer! If your dog likes to "kill the squeaker" they will be able to do so in minutes! This IS NOT a chew toy! If you are looking for a toy for an aggressive chewer, look at the Orbeez line from Outward Hound. The other thing that makes me less enthusiastic about the orange hedgehog is that the yellow paint started flaking off immediately. I will have to scrub it all off because it looks terrible! The dogs don't care, but their owners sure do! I haven't had that problem with the sheep or the bears. The orange hedgehog is almost like it's from a completely different company!
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Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2024

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