Doña Perfecta (1876) is a novel by Benito Pérez Galdós. Published
toward the beginning of Pérez Galdós' career, Doña Perfecta is a
powerful story of romance and religion that raises timeless questions
regarding the meaning of love and the restrictions placed on individual
lives by the Catholic Church. Adapted several times for film and
television in Spain and abroad, the novel is one of Pérez Galdós' most
beloved works of fiction. "'What more can I tell you of Dona Rosarito
but that that she is the living image of her mother? You will have a
treasure, Senor Don Jose, if it is true, as I hear, that you have come
to be married to her. She will be a worthy mate for you, and the young
lady will have nothing to complain of, either.'" Don Jose Rey, known to
friends and family as Pepe, arrives in the cathedral city of Orbajosa to
marry his cousin Rosario. A young liberal, Jose has mixed feelings
regarding the institution of marriage and the place of the Catholic
church, but decides to obey his father's wishes and go ahead with the
marriage as it has been arranged. When a disagreement arises between
Pepe's father and Doña Perfecta, the mother of Rosario, their spite
threatens to destroy the lives of the two young lovers. With a
beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this
edition of Benito Pérez Galdós's Doña Perfecta is a classic of Spanish
literature reimagined for modern readers.
