The Nuptials of Corbal

by Rafael Sabatini

"The Nuptials of Corbal" by Rafael Sabatini. Published by Good Press. Good Press publishes a wide range of titles that encompasses every genre. From well-known classics & literary fiction and non-fiction to forgotten−or yet undiscovered gems−of world literature, we issue the books that need to be read. Each Good Press edition has been meticulously edited and formatted to boost readability for all e-readers and devices. Our goal is to produce eBooks that are user-friendly and accessible to everyone in a high-quality digital format.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction

102 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1927

About the author

Rafael Sabatini (1875 - 1950) was an Italian/British writer of novels of romance and adventure. At a young age, Rafael was exposed to many languages. By the time he was seventeen, he was the master of five languages. He quickly added a sixth language - English - to his linguistic collection. After a brief stint in the business world, Sabatini went to work as a writer. He wrote short stories in the 1890s, and his first novel came out in 1902. Sabatini was a prolific writer; he produced a new book approximately every year. He consciously chose to write in his adopted language, because, he said, "all the best stories are written in English. " In all, he produced thirty one novels, eight short story collections, six nonfiction books, numerous uncollected short stories, and a play. He is best known for his world-wide bestsellers: The Sea Hawk (1915), Scaramouche (1921), Captain Blood (1922) and Bellarion the Fortunate (1926). Other famous works by Sabatini are The Lion's Skin (1911), The Strolling Saint (1913) and The Snare (1917).

Reviews

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cleonie, a young aristocrat, is saved from the guillotine by the ironic but sinister Citizen-Representative Chauvinere, who plans to spirit her away from Paris and make her his own. When she escapes, his ire falls on the ci-devant Vicomte Raoul Corbal, who must marry within 3 days or lose his head. But Cleonie may be the key to saving--or destroying--Raoul Corbal.

"It is just that a man should sometimes drink as he has poured."

The titular Corbal didn't appear until 51% of this very short novel, which is much less about him and more about brave, intelligent Cleonie, who develops tremendous reserves of strength and decisiveness through her experiences -- I totally didn't expect her to be the one who saves Raoul (twice)! She will be the force in their marriage. Patricia Wentworth would've sent them hand in hand to the guillotine but Sabatini gives them escape to Switzerland and a happy ending. Chauviniere was intriguing and I wonder how much he owes to Chauvelin -- Sabatini clearly enjoys him the most and the reader almost does too. He's very funny in that dry ironic way, full of schemes and speeches, but aware of and totally disregarding his own hypocrisy. Enjoyed the read.