The Betrothed (Penguin Classics)

Praised by contemporaries such as Goethe and Lamartine, Manzoni’s tales were preoccupied with the suffering and injustice rampant in his native Italy at the dawn of the 17th century. The Betrothed follows the lovers Renzo and Lucia as they are forced to flee the tyranny of a local noble only to become separated to face riot, famine, violence and plague alone. In the lover’s struggle to reunite they encounter a strange cast of characters, all painted with the color and verve exemplifying Manzoni’s prose. 720 pages.