6 h 18 minAudiobook8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if the heart you trust to guide your calling is keeping a secret from you?
Luis de Vargas comes home to a small Andalusian town before taking holy orders. Serious and sure of his calling, he dreams of prayer and missionary work. Then his letters to his uncle, a church dean, begin to turn toward Pepita Jiménez, a young, devout widow admired for her beauty and wealth.
Pepita has refused every suitor so far, and Luis believes he understands his own heart. In Juan Valera's quiet, witty novel, sincere devotion meets the wish for a shared life. Most of the story unfolds through Luis's letters, where pride, humor and earnest explanations let you glimpse feelings he cannot yet name.
What you’ll discover
- A heart under scrutiny Follow Luis as his account of others reveals the desires he explains away.
- A widow beyond gossip Meet Pepita, whose devotion and refusal of suitors complicate the town's fascination with her.
- Letters full of blind spots Read between earnest lines as Valera lets you notice what Luis misses about himself.
- Faith beside human longing Explore devotion and love without treating them as simple enemies in a divided heart.
- A small Andalusian circle Enter a world of family, suitors and churchmen, observed with a light, ironic touch.
Is it for you?
This book suits readers who enjoy quiet, witty novels about conscience, faith and love, and anyone curious about nineteenth century Spain. If you want fast action or a big cast, you may find its small circle and its slow pace less suited.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A seminarian comes home for a visit
- The young widow everyone talks about
- Suitors, a vicar and a crowded household
- High ideals meet a warm human presence
- Faith, desire and the art of self-deception
- Letters, irony and a found manuscript
Who’s who
- Luis de VargasA gifted young seminarian who comes home before taking holy orders and who is sure of his calling, though he may not know his own heart.
- Pepita JiménezA young, rich and devout widow of the town, admired and gossiped about, who has refused every suitor so far.
- Don Pedro de VargasLuis's father, a warm, sociable landowner who loves his son and enjoys arranging the company around him.
- The DeanLuis's uncle, a church dean who guided his studies and who receives the long, earnest letters that carry the story.
- The Count of GenazaharAn older, ironic gentleman of the district who is among those who hope to win Pepita's favor.
- The VicarA local churchman and friend of the family who belongs to the social circle around Pepita and the Vargas house.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 6 h 18 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 8 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works · 60-day guarantee
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, for the whole household.
- We remind you first. We email you 7 days before your first payment. Then your first year is 50% off: 0,14 USD a day, then 0,27 USD a day, never raised. Or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
60-day money-back guarantee. If the library is not for you, ask within 60 days of your first payment and we refund it in full.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Pepita Jiménez in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Read it side by side
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- The whole household
Starts right away, on any device
Read free60-day money-back guaranteeRenews every yearCancel anytimeHow it works
Language: Français
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 6
A seminarian comes home for a visit
The story opens with letters from Luis de Vargas, a student of theology about to take holy orders. He is twenty-two, serious, and well read in the great Spanish writers on faith. His uncle, the dean of a cathedral, has guided his studies and hopes to see him become a priest. Now Luis has gone back to his home town, in Andalusia, to spend time with his father before his life changes for good.
His father is Don Pedro de Vargas, a cheerful, worldly landowner who is well known in the district. Father and son are close, yet they are very different. Don Pedro enjoys company, good talk and the pleasures of country life. Luis is more inward and more strict. Their first meetings are affectionate, and Luis writes about them with a mix of tenderness and mild superiority.
Renews every year · Cancel anytime
The author
Juan Valera
1824–1905 · Spanish novelist and diplomat
Juan Valera was a Spanish writer and diplomat born in Cabra, Spain, in 1824. He wrote novels, short stories, poetry, and literary criticism. His novel Pepita Jiménez appeared in 1874. His diplomatic work took him to several countries in Europe and the Americas. He died in Madrid in 1905.
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, for the whole household. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - The whole householdUp to 5 readers
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
More by Juan Valera
All 2 books
More like this
Free
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
Questions about Pepita Jiménez
Can I read it free?
Yes. The beginning, from the first page to the end of chapter 1, and the first 5 minutes of the audiobook are free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 90 days, with the eBook to keep. After that, your first year is 50% off. You also get 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
Can my family read too?
Yes. The whole household reads and listens: up to 5 readers, each with their own shelf and their own place in every book.
What if it is not for me?
Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. If you have paid and the library is not for you, ask within 60 days of your first payment and we refund it in full.
What is Pepita Jiménez about?
It tells of Luis de Vargas, a young man training to be a priest, who returns to his Andalusian home town and meets Pepita, a rich young widow. His faith and his feelings begin to pull against each other.
Who wrote Pepita Jiménez and when?
Juan Valera, a Spanish writer and diplomat, published it in 1874. It is a work of fiction, not a true story, though it paints a believable picture of country life in nineteenth century Andalusia.
Is Pepita Jiménez hard to read?
Not very. The language is clear and the plot is simple. The letter form and the religious vocabulary may feel formal at first, but the irony and the short scenes keep it easy to follow.
Popular in classics
See all
Free
