{"product_id":"the-elixir-of-life","title":"L’elisir di lunga vita","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat if more life only gives a selfish man more time to betray those who love him?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDon Juan Belvidero has wealth, pleasure, and little concern for the people he uses. His father, Bartolomeo, holds something money alone cannot buy: a secret tied to prolonging life. As the old man nears death, that secret brings a darker weight to the bond between father and son.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn The Elixir of Life, Honoré de Balzac turns the legend of Don Juan into a short Gothic tale of desire and betrayal. Against Don Juan’s appetites stand the faithful love of his wife, Elvira, and the loyalty of his son, Philippe. What are such bonds worth to a man who treats promises as tools?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat you'll discover\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eA legend turned dark\u003c\/strong\u003e – Meet a Don Juan whose hunger for pleasure makes the promise of longer life deeply unsettling.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eA father's guarded secret\u003c\/strong\u003e – Discover how Bartolomeo’s private knowledge places more than a family fortune at stake.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLove with little return\u003c\/strong\u003e – See Elvira’s faithful trust set against a husband who gives little back.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLoyalty against appetite\u003c\/strong\u003e – Consider the contrast between Philippe’s conscience and his father’s habit of using others.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMore years, no wisdom\u003c\/strong\u003e – Face Balzac’s sharp suggestion that a longer life does not teach anyone how to live.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003ePerfect for readers who love short, dark fables, legends retold, and stories built around one sharp idea, or want a first encounter with Balzac.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOpen the first page now and enter a tale where the wish for life exposes the cost of desire.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Library of Alexandria Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":59534698414428,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1027\/9442\/8764\/files\/10805_en_ebook-front_c16.jpg?v=1792175103","url":"https:\/\/libraryofalexandria.com\/it\/products\/lelisir-di-lunga-vita","provider":"The Library of Alexandria","version":"1.0","type":"link"}