Henrietta Temple: A Love Story

Description

Benjamin Disraeli’s Henrietta Temple: A Love Story (1836) follows Ferdinand Armine, the heir to a once-great Catholic family burdened by crushing debt. To restore his family’s fortunes, Ferdinand agrees to marry his wealthy cousin Katherine. But when he meets the captivating Henrietta Temple at a country house party, he falls instantly and irrevocably in love.

What follows is a intricate dance of passion and obligation. Ferdinand must navigate his engagement to Katherine, his growing love for Henrietta, and the expectations of his aristocratic family — all while his creditors close in. Disraeli weaves a story of romantic obsession that sweeps from the drawing rooms of London to the sunlit shores of Italy, drawing on his own experiences as a young man about town.

Published when Disraeli was just thirty-two — years before he became the most famous Prime Minister of the Victorian era — Henrietta Temple crackles with the energy of a brilliant young writer finding his voice. The novel offers a vivid portrait of aristocratic life in the 1830s, with all its glamour, intrigue, and emotional turbulence.