Effi Briest by Theodor Fontane
This novel explores the life of a 17-year-old girl who is married off to a much older man, a high-ranking official, for the sake of social and financial stability. Despite her husband's devotion, she embarks on a passionate, but doomed affair with a charming, yet manipulative, major. The affair ends disastrously, leading to her social ostracization and eventual descent into loneliness and despair. The book serves as a critique of the rigid Prussian society of the late 19th century.
The 446th greatest book of all time
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This book is on the following lists:
- 20th on Big Read (German) (Germany)
- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (The Book)
- Der Kanon (The Canon) (Der Kanon)
- Harold Bloom's The Western Canon (The Western Canon (Book) by Harold Bloom)
- The Guardian's Essential Library (The Guardian)
- William H. F. Lamont’s 100 Best Novels (1947) (archive.org)
- The 100 Best Books in the World (AbeBooks.de (in German))
- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read (The Guardian)