First published 1887
Fortunata sells eggs in Madrid's rough neighborhoods while Jacinta lives quietly in respectable society. Both women share an unwavering devotion to Juanito, a charming but unreliable man who takes Jacinta as his wife and keeps Fortunata as his mistress. As Juanito moves between his two worlds, he connects the street vendors and aging bullfighters of Fortunata's circle with the sheltered, traditional environment that shaped Jacinta. Their triangle plays out against a backdrop of political upheaval and social change in Spain. Galdós draws his Madrid from personal experience, having walked through the city's slums and cafés in his youth. He populates his story with characters who speak in the varied rhythms of their class and circumstances. Jacinta's correct speech contrasts with Juanito's empty charm and Fortunata's raw honesty. Through their voices and choices, the novel reveals how personal passion intersects with the larger forces reshaping Spanish society. The story explores how love persists even when it brings pain, and how two very different women can find themselves bound together by their shared devotion to someone unworthy of either.
Genres: fiction, romance, literary-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, 19th-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Madrid
Period: 19th-Century
818 pages · Paperback · Penguin Classics