Doña Luz

by Juan Valera

Doña Luz must abandon her aristocratic life in nineteenth-century Madrid and begin anew in rural Andalusia. What she cannot leave behind is her history: an illegitimate birth that defines who she is and what her future holds. Unwilling to settle for a husband of lesser intellect and sophistication, the lovely Doña Luz announces that she will never marry. As it has for more than a century, the revered style of Spanish writer Juan Valera pulls readers into this novel of love and uncertainty. Does Doña Luz follow the spiritual pull of Father Enrique or the sensual attraction of Don Jaime Pimental? A novel that has been enjoyed since its first publication in 1879, this translation offers readers a compelling view into the conflicts facing a protagonist of more than a century past, conflicts that are still poignantly relevant today.

Genres: Classics, Spanish Literature, Narrative

216 pages, Paperback

Published February 22, 2011

About the author

Juan Valera y Alcalá-Galiano was a Spanish realist author, writer and political figure.
He was born at Cabra, in the province of Córdoba, and was educated at Málaga and at the University of Granada, where he took his degree in law, and then entered upon a diplomatic career (1847). Over the next five decades, Valera filled a number of positions in a variety of various places. He accompanied the Spanish Ambassador to Naples. Afterwards, he was a member of the Spanish legations at Lisbon (1850), Rio de Janeiro (1851–53), Dresden and St. Petersburg (1854–57). After his return to Madrid, he became one of the editors of the liberal journal El Contemporáneo (1859), and was appointed Minister to Frankfurt (1865). After the revolution of 1868 he was appointed Assistant Secretary of State and (1871) Director of Public Instruction. During the reign of Alphonso XII he was Minister to Lisbon (1881–83), Washington (1883–86), and Brussels (1886–88), and in 1893-95 Ambassador to Vienna. He was elected to the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences in 1900.

Throughout his diplomatic and political activity he produced works which rank among the highest that his country's literature contains. For purity of diction and beauty of style Valera has never been surpassed in Spain. Pepita Jiménez, which appeared as a serial in 1874, is probably his best known work; it has since been translated into many languages. It depicts the gradual realization by a young seminarian of the empty vanity of his vocation, culminating in a shattering denouement. Other novels are Las ilusions del doctor Faustino (1875), El comendador Mendoza (1877), Pasarse de listo, and Doña Luz (1879). All of the foregoing novels were written around the time when he abandoned his political activities. He was also a supporter of Iberian Federalism.

Reviews

[Howard · Rating 3 out of 5]

1879 novel based in 1879 Andalusia about Dona a child of an adulterous relation of a broke Marquis. She moves in with Don Acislco (70s) the accountant. She befriends Dr Anselmo and his young wife Manolita (21). Now in her late 20s, devout Father Enrique moves into the area after preaching abroad; later young Pimentel wins the local election and comes to know her too. Who loves her and what does she learn about their true feelings once she commits to one of them? Two letters written years earlier arrive and explain everything.

A worthy rural naturalist style novel though not a very forthright. It was ok but overall I did find it rather dry and unemotional.

[Clara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Juanita la Larga > Pepita Jiménez > Doña Luz

A pesar de formar parte de la "trilogía feminista" de Valera, Doña Luz es más un folletín que otra cosa: los orígenes misteriosos, las cartas escritas para leer solo después de la muerte del remitente, los giros inesperados... Yo la he disfrutado muchísimo, pero claramente juega en una categoría diferente a las otras dos novelas. Desgraciadamente, las notas al pie me espoilearon el giro final (¿para cuándo una colección de clásicos sin notas al pie?), pero la manera en que los acontecimientos se desatan a partir de la segunda mitad me enganchó igualmente. Es el efecto telenovela, supongo :D

[Eva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clásico que he disfrutado

[David Agudelo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bien escrito

[SANCHO · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una novela muy bien escrita, si bien hay un par de capítulos que se me atragantaron. En general es muy recomendable.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book because I wanted to read something out of my genre comforts. I am glad I read it. It was written in the late 1800s by a Spanish writer and this edition was translated recently. I could tell it was a recent translation because the vocabulary was very modern. I am curious if there are English translations from the late 1800s?
It is a classic love story but with very heady intellectual philosophical debates and musings. At first I tried to read through these but eventually I skipped over a lot of it. This dialogue seems more suited to young adults who are pursuing the meaning of life.
I did enjoy the fact that life isn't much different in the 1800s Spain as it is today. People are still the same.
I really enjoyed the authors description of Don Acisclo. "He had served as administrator to the Marquis of Villlafria for at least 20yrs, during which time he had managed to arrange for all the assets of the marquisate to trickle gradually from his master's hands into his own more able and thrifty hands."
I would recommend this book because it describes a time in history that is probably not familiar to many. I also like how the author describes the characters and the unusual way the story is told.

[Tucker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doña Luz is a beautiful woman desired by every man in town, but she is standoffish and disinterested in romance. Until her late 20s, she associates mainly with a priest. The priest is rumored to harbor secret affections for her, but she finds this an insulting insinuation, so she "sought to cover the ears of her soul," as the author puts it, and won't let the difficult truth come in.

Finally, a man comes along who seems to be a credible match, so...

Her failed relationships and Romantic tragedy are mostly of her own making, but also something she has inherited from her parents and also fostered by the culture in which she lives.

The author often makes comments such as "The most important characteristics in a woman are honesty and modesty, while in a man, they are knowledge and courage," which I think are ironic comments about what the people in the story (published 1879) believe, not necessarily what he believes.

- - - -

"And why do you say that Don Juan is mad?" Doña Manolita once asked him.
"Why would I not?" answered Don Acisclo. "Because he is mad as a hatter. He is the oddest duck I have ever met in my life."

[Val · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is regarded as something of a literary classic in Spain. The story is essentially a love triangle, with the beautiful and pure-minded Dona Luz at its apex.
Along the way we get plenty of thought-provoking debates and views on religion, wealth, the social order and love. The author is sometimes cynical and always clear-sighted.
I did not feel the characters came as fully to life as I would have liked, so have given the book four stars instead of five.

[Charo MG · Rating 3 out of 5]

Literatura clásica de la Espańa costumbrista del siglo xix.

[Kissu · Rating 3 out of 5]

El final me gustó. En general me parece un buen libro, en especial por la época en la que se escribió.

[leticia · Rating 3 out of 5]

lo

[Mar Xinmas]

Acabar viviendo de la caridad del administrador de tu padre.