When Marshal Suchet’s army takes Tarragona in 1811, an idle Italian officer catches sight of a girl at a window in the house of the merchant Perez. She is Juana, daughter of the famous courtesan La Marana, raised in secret to lead the virtuous life her mother never had, and the officer’s curiosity sets off a chain of passion, violence and an ill-fated marriage.
A compact, dramatic tale from the Comédie humaine, ideal for a first taste of Balzac. Download the free EPUB.