First published 1678
Mademoiselle de Chartres arrives at the court of Henry II of France at fifteen, where her mother seeks an advantageous marriage. The girl accepts her mother's choice of the unremarkable Prince de Cleves and becomes his wife. The marriage seems settled until she encounters the captivating Duc de Nemours. This meeting changes everything. The young woman finds herself torn between duty to her husband and the powerful attraction she feels for Nemours. At the glittering but treacherous French court, she must navigate the competing demands of marriage, desire, and social expectation. Her struggle reveals the tension between what society requires and what the heart wants.
Genres: romance, historical-fiction, 20th-century, adult-fiction, 19th-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, forbidden-love
Setting: France, French Court
Period: 15th Century
182 pages · Paperback · Penguin Classics