José María de Pereda is one of the great XIX Century Spanish novelist. His depiction of realistic characters, often ingrained in the authors own hometown, Santander, altogether with his terse, elegant Spanish prose, earned him a well deserved status as a world class writer. The events depicted in the novel take place in the mid- 1800s in the then fishermen town of Santander, where underneath a seemingly simple and classical love story lies a deep psicological plot. De Peredas pen managed to capture the local atmosphere without falling into descriptions but allowing the characters to convey the background information intermingled with their own words. Reading de Pereda one cannot but admire his efficient use of the language, and the ability to deploy the local colour without ever losing rythm and musicality, much reminding the Ernest Hemingway style, only in Spanish and written 100 years before. Even though this is the type of books reserved to Spanish studies readings, in this edition we took care to include just the necessary annotations as to help the modern reader sail through the novel without any obstrusive lengthy interruptions. If you enjoy reading in Spanish, and admire brilliant prose, this is a book to read.