Our lucky winning number for the 33rd Classics Club Spin is…

Eighteen!

According to my announcement post, this means I will be reading…

“The Lady of the Camellias” by Alexandre Dumas fils.

According to Goodreads… “Marguerite Gautier is a courtesan in the city of Paris. The symbol of her character is the camellia, pale and cold. She was once a needleworker who, while taking a rest cure in Bagneres, was befriended by a wealthy duke whose daughter she resembled. After the death of his daughter, the duke takes Marguerite back to Paris and introduces her into society. Somehow the story of Marguerite’s past life is rumored on the boulevards, and society frowns upon her. She is respected only by a few friends who know that she longs for a true love and wishes to leave the frivolous life of Paris. She is heavily in debt for her losses at cards and has no money of her own to pay her creditors.The Count de Varville, her latest admirer, offers to pay all of her debts if she will become his mistress. Before she gives her consent, however, she meets Armand Duval. Armand has nothing to offer her but his love. He is presented to Marguerite by her milliner, Madame Prudence, who pretends to be her friend but who is loyal to her only because Marguerite is generous with her money.“

So… Am I happy about this?

Yes! This is the story upon which the Verdi opera “La Traviata” was partially based, which is of my favorite Verdi opera. This is why I’ve always wanted to read this, and I actually bought this book in hopes that it would be picked for a spin!

Now all I have to do is read and review this book by the 30th of April, 2023. This isn’t a very long book – just around 115 pages, although the typeface is pretty small.  Even so, I am pretty sure I can get this one in, since I’m nearing the end of reading my other print book, and this will immediately be next in line. Yes, I’m truly looking forward to this one.

What about you?

What book did you get with this Classics Club Spin?

This book was originally published in French in 1852. However, it has been republished in both the original and translation (according to Goodreads) over 1600 times, and that doesn’t include those books entitled simply “Camille,” or the version adapted into a play. This book is still widely available to purchase (via the following affiliate links) from Amazon, Blackwell‘s, Foyles, The Book Depository UK and The Book Depository US (both with free worldwide delivery), Waterstones, WHSmith, Wordery UK and Wordery US, Kobo US (eBooks and audiobooks), Booksamillion.com, iTunes (iBooks and audiobooks), new or used from Alibris, used from Better World Books (promoting libraries and world literary), as well as from as well as from Bookshop.org and UK.Bookshop (to support independent bookshops, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic) or an IndieBound store near you.

To find out about this unique reading challenge, please visit The Classics Club Blog for the rules and link-up post.