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The Betrothed: I Promessi Sposi (Penguin Classics)
 
 
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The Betrothed: I Promessi Sposi (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

~ Alessandro Manzoni (Author), Bruce Penman (Translator, Introduction) "ONE arm of Lake Como turns off to the south between two unbroken chains of mountains, which cut it up into a series of bays..." (more)
Key Phrases: poor innocent girl, thousand scudi, Don Abbondio, Don Rodrigo, Don Ferrante (more...)
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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Set in Lombardy during the Spanish occupation of the late 1620s, The Betrothed tells the story of two young lovers, Renzo and Lucia, prevented from marrying by the petty tyrant Don Rodrigo, who desires Lucia for himself. Forced to flee, they are then cruelly separated, and must face many dangers including plague, famine and imprisonment, and confront a variety of strange characters the mysterious Nun of Monza, the fiery Father Cristoforo and the sinister Unnamed' in their struggle to be reunited. A vigorous portrayal of enduring passion, The Betrothed's exploration of love, power and faith presents a whirling panorama of seventeenth-century Italian life and is one of the greatest European historical novels.

Language Notes

Text: English, Italian (translation)
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 720 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin Classics (March 6, 1984)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 014044274X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140442748
  • Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #117,499 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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More About the Author

Alessandro Manzoni
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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First Sentence:
"ONE arm of Lake Como turns off to the south between two unbroken chains of mountains, which cut it up into a series of bays and inlets as the hills advance into the water and retreat again, until it quite suddenly grows much narrower and takes on the appea" Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
poor innocent girl, thousand scudi
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Don Abbondio, Don Rodrigo, Don Ferrante, Donna Prassede, Federigo Borromeo, Father Superior, Don Gonzalo, Count Attilio, East Gate, Grand Chancellor, Lorenzo Tramaglino, Duke of Savoy, Father Felice, Antonio Ferrer, Mother of God, Father Bonaventura, Brother Cristoforo, Reverend Mother, Cardinal Richelieu, Duke of Nevers, King Philip, Antonio Rivolta, Bakery of the Crutches, Brother Fazio, Cardinal Archbishop
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31 Reviews
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4.3 out of 5 stars (31 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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91 of 93 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the very greatest historical novels ever written, February 6, 2003
Allesandro Manzoni's THE BETROTHED is rightfully considered one of the great novels in Italian history, if not the greatest. It is also one of the greatest historical novels ever written. Manzoni magnificently blends together a score of memorable characters with a string of vividly rendered historical events to provide an epic story of frustrated lovers in Italy during the Thirty Years Wars in the early 17th century when the state of Milan was occupied by the Spanish Habsburgs. The result is a great story placed against the background of a turbulent period in Italian history. The choice of that period of time is fascinating in itself. Instead of dealing with one of the more glorious periods of Italian history, such as the 15th or 16th centuries, Manzoni chose the relatively undistinguished 17th, during a time when much of Italy suffered under foreign rule, while many of the other city states were in a period of decline.

Few novels that I know deal with historical topics as magnificently as this one. One has to go to a writer like Tolstoy to find scenes as memorable as the tremendous scene in the Lazaretto in which Fra Cristoforo admonishes Renzo for his desire for revenge, with thousands of people dying of the plague surrounding them. Nearly as powerful is Manzoni's masterful depiction of the bread riots in Milan or the way he describes the progress of the German army in its passage through the region on its way to Mantua. Although one hardly reads the novel for the history lessons it provides, one learns an unusually large amount.

I am a bit perplexed as the criticism that the novel contains too much in the way of Christian redemption in the latter part of the novel. Of course it does. As much as an historical novel, THE BETROTHED is a religious novel, in which Manzoni in his own way tries to justify the ways of God to men. If one compares the novel to the historical works of someone like Hugo or other French historical novelists, one will be struck by the sharp divergence in the depiction of the Church and the clergy. In France, an anti-clericalism characterizes many or most of the novels. Manzoni is much more balanced. Some of his religious figures, such as the Nun of Moanza or the Lecco parish priest, are either ridiculous or treacherous, but by and large the great heroes in his book are either monks (Fra Cristoforo), clerics (the Cardinal), or converts (the Unnamed). The theme of the novel is a religious one: "All things work together for good for those that love God." Given the central theme of the novel, the religious themes are not an unwanted accretion, added on arbitrarily by an author otherwise summoning up a tremendous yarn, but integral to the novel as a whole. To dampen or eliminate the religious themes would have been to make it into another novel entirely.

Most of all, THE BETROTHED is just a flat out great story. Separated lovers, devious villains, mysterious figures: who wouldn't fall for all this? Manzoni is a masterful storyteller, and frequently one is left with a powerful impatience to know what is going to happen next. Anyone looking for a great novel could hardly hope to do better than this great masterpiece.

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38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Masterpiece of Historical Fiction, August 4, 1999
By "rayniro" (Boston MA) - See all my reviews
Twenty years ago I went through a graduate program in Comparative Literature and read literally thousands of novels, plays, poems, etc. Of all that I read then, The Betrothed (I Promessi Sposi) is one of the few works that stand out. Scott, Hugo, and other novelists were familiar, but Manzoni was a new name to me then. He has become a favorite companion in the ensuing years. I am currently reading this novel for the 7th or 8th time (lost count). Written with compassion and humor, Manzoni offers an enthralling story of a peasant couple swept up in the political, social and religious turmoil of early 17th century Italy. There are many subplots involving characters of every rank and station, all vividly portrayed. What brings me back to this novel repeatedly are: 1) the author's masterful handling of plot--everything fits and flows (super)naturally; and 2) his ability to capture the beauty, wonder and horror of life in eloquent and moving prose. It is a mystery why this novel is not better known in the U.S.
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26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Simply great, August 8, 1999
By A Customer
This is the most famous book in Italian literature. Most students hate it, but their opinion just doesn't count because for them it is but brutal forced reading. Manzoni's "The Betrothed" can be enjoyed on various levels. In the first place, it is packed with action: there's the good guy, the imperiled damsel, the arch-villain, the saintly friar and various comic characters like the cowardly priest and his spinster-servant. The plot is tipically Nineteenth Century: the loving couple can't get married because the arch-villain gets in their way and starts all the tribulations. On the other hand, the whole plot can be seen as a religious parable (and that is why students hate this book: they are forced to see the whole matter from this point of view ONLY.) on Providence. Thirdly, the book can be seen as an authoritative historical text about the Sixteenth Century. Unlike his colleague Walter Scott, whose Middle Ages look like a Hollywood movie starring Liz Taylor, Manzoni wrote "The Betrothed" after a serious hystorical reserach: almost every episode is historically based and he made use of Sixteenth-century chronicles and laws as a basis for his story's context. On top of this, the characters aren't mere literary creations. They are alive and pop out of every page as living creatures with all their humanity. Everything in them denounces Manzoni as a keen observer of the human heart. I highly recommend this book. Buy it and enjoy it!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars CAREFUL!
The Betrothed is an excellent book, but this is not the book, and it's not obvious from looking at this page. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Omar

1.0 out of 5 stars Not the full book!
I ordered this product thinking it was the full book. Nowhere does it indicate that this was a very condensed version. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Linda Griffith

5.0 out of 5 stars The Betrothed: a great story and great history
Don't let the fact that The Betrothed has been labeled a classic, nor its length, stop you from picking it up. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Stephen S. Muratore

1.0 out of 5 stars ripped off
I'm sure this book is wonderful as many of my friends have wholeheartedly recommended it. However, Amazon did not send the entire book, but only the first part! Read more
Published 4 months ago by Lady Lit

5.0 out of 5 stars The Great Italian Novel
As a Brit I am often baffled by the American obsession with the idea of the "Great American Novel". Surely American writers have produced so many great novels that it would be... Read more
Published 6 months ago by J C E Hitchcock

5.0 out of 5 stars Christian romanticism response to Voltaire's "Candide"
Unanimously considered the greatest modern novel in Italian literature, "I Promessi Sposi" demonstrates
a truly remarkable breadth of themes: literary theory and... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Cristiano Nisoli

5.0 out of 5 stars Christian Romanticism response to Voltaire's "Candide"
Unanimously considered the greatest modern novel in Italian literature, "I Promessi Sposi" demonstrates
a truly remarkable breadth of themes: literary theory and... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Cristiano Nisoli

5.0 out of 5 stars The Past, Beautifully Recreated
I have had a few friends planning trips to Italy ask me for reading suggestions. "I Promessi Sposi" (The Betrothed) is always at the top of the list. Read more
Published on February 3, 2008 by Bill McGann

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book. Incredible in it's depth.
One of literature's masterpieces. Manzoni is considered a national hero in Italy for good reason. The SAT's in Italy require a written essay on this book as well as Dante's... Read more
Published on January 19, 2008 by Owen Dimock

5.0 out of 5 stars A gem.
I have read quite a lot of "classic" literature in my time, purely for enjoyment. I have to say this is one of the very finest (I would put it in my top 5) works of great... Read more
Published on December 13, 2007 by Nicholas Warren

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