The Betrothed

By Alessandro Manzoni,

Book cover of The Betrothed: The Great Plague of Milan

Book description

The Betrothed ("I Promessi Sposi") is one of the greatest European historical novels. As its title impies, it an epic love story in Lombardy on the late 1620s. It is no spoiler to say, and you will be relieved to know, that the two young lovers eventually marry.

But it…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked The Betrothed as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This is a recommendation for everyone who loves big nineteenth-century novels. The Betrothed by Alessandro Manzoni was new to me in 2023 – and just what I needed to get me through the long winter nights.

Written in the 1820s and 30s and set two hundred years earlier, the novel opens with an act of moral cowardice. An innocent couple is torn apart at the whim of a nobleman. In the way of all the best nineteenth-century novels, we only discover whether their love is strong enough to reunite them after numerous mishaps, adventures, and digressions.

Again and again, Manzoni…

Want books like The Betrothed?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 27 books like The Betrothed.

Browse books like The Betrothed

Book cover of Life of the Party
Book cover of Mrs. Martin's Incomparable Adventure
Book cover of The Castle

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,188

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in the Thirty Years' War, Italy, and Europe?

Italy 410 books
Europe 956 books