The Lily of the Valley
- Downloads
- Under 100
- First published
- 1836
- Pages
- 241
About this book
Written as a long confession, this novel recounts Felix de Vandenesse's consuming, near-worshipful love for Madame Henriette de Mortsauf, a married woman he meets in the soft valley of the Indre. She becomes his moral guide and his torment, holding him to a chaste devotion while her own unhappy marriage and her longing slowly wear her down. Balzac sets this account of restrained passion against the Touraine landscape he loved, treating desire, duty, and self-denial with an intensity that borders on the religious. It is one of his most lyrical books, and one of his saddest studies of what people sacrifice in the name of virtue.
About the author
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Public domain book This work is in the public domain and free of copyright. Anyone may read, download and share it.
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Book facts
- Author
- Honoré de Balzac
- First published
- 1836
- Reading time
- About 8 hours
- Pages
- 241
- Language
- English
- Genre
- French Classics
- Formats
- PDF, EPUB, Read online