The Lily of the Valley

Felix was rejected as a child by his mother and those scars never fully heal. In a book with great emotional depth, Honore de Balzac explores Felix' two major adult relationships with women through the form of a single letter. With the beautiful, but married, Madame Mortsauf, maternal love grows into a passion - but never crosses into physical infidelity. As the years pass by, Felix falls for sensuous Englishwoman Lady Arabelle. Torn between "the wife of the spirit" and "the mistress of the flesh", he becomes the laughing stock of the French Court. How will he untie his emotional knot without causing emotional damage to the two women? The insights and descriptions are exquisite - and there is an unexpected twist at the end. 'The Lily of the Valley' is perfect reading for fans of other books featuring a love triangle, including Margaret Mitchell's 'Gone With the Wind' and Emily Brontë's 'Wuthering Heights'.