14 minSummaryRead it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook editionPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
Far from home, a Portuguese exile enters a society where love, money and ambition are closely entwined.
In Creole Love, Abel Acácio de Almeida Botelho follows a Portuguese exile among the people of Argentina’s River Plate. Through this newcomer’s eyes, a world of courtship, trade and social judgment comes into view. He must learn the habits of a place that is not his own, where appearances matter and ambition shapes daily life.
Love here is never only a private feeling. It is bound to money, rank, family pride and the wish to rise. Drawing on the Portuguese realist and naturalist tradition, Botelho looks closely at social habits and private passions. In this fast-growing country, the pursuit of status colours friendships and bargains, giving personal choices a wider social weight.
What you’ll discover
- A stranger’s searching eye See the River Plate through an exile learning how an unfamiliar society works.
- Love beyond private feeling Explore passions entangled with money, social rank and the demands of family pride.
- The hunger to rise Watch ambition colour friendships and bargains in a world where status can be won.
- A society of appearances Look closely at the habits through which people court, judge and present themselves.
- A clear outside view Discover how Botelho’s Portuguese perspective gives his portrait of Argentine life its edge.
Who will love it
You will enjoy this if you like satirical travel stories, vivid pictures of a young city, comic con men, and a hero whose appetites run ahead of his good sense.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Exile leaves his habits untouched
- Attraction pulls him in different directions
- Flattery opens the door to fraud
- A rescue awakens possessive hopes
- Maria Mercedes unsettles his confidence
- He gambles with money and affection
- Promises turn the country into wagers
- Desire reveals the limits of kindness
- His choices expose his self deception
Who’s who
- João da SilveiraA vain, handsome Portuguese royalist, forty years old, who flees the republic for Argentina and chases women and quick fortunes.
- Irene WimeyerA thoughtful young Argentine met on the ship, who prizes feeling over show and wants a friend, not a flatterer.
- Mrs EdithThe calm, lovely Irish wife of the count, who teases Silveira on board and keeps him dangling in the city.
- Count AméglioA talkative fake aristocrat who tries to sell doubtful old paintings and claims a secret method to prove them real.
- Pedro AzeredoSilveira's quick-witted friend who arrived earlier, guides him through Buenos Aires and warns him against traps and bad habits.
- Jorge SaavedraA rich, easygoing young Argentine who loves horses, gossip and night life, and invites Silveira to his family's ranch.
- Maria MercedesJorge's cousin, a clever, beautiful widow who loves attention, mocks patriotism and organizes a festival for the ranch.
- LuísaA shy, loyal country girl whom Silveira rescues and who follows him to the city, wanting only to be near him.
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.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 14 minutes, to read today.
- 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.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook opens when the book texts go online.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then USD 0.14 a day in your first year on the yearly plan and USD 0.27 a day after, or USD 0.66 a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Creole Love in 25 languages, side by side, paragraph by paragraph, once the book texts are online: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Creole Love
by Abel Acácio de Almeida Botelho · 1913
A Portuguese monarchist exile sails to Buenos Aires, where every woman and every deal tempts him.
Challenging5–10 hours to read20 languages
Learn a language with challenging classicsSpanishFrenchGermanItalianJapanesePortugueseEnglishHow we measure levels
Excellent
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeRenews every year · Cancel anytimeHow it works
- Read, large type too
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
In short
What happens to a charming idler when he lands in a city that sells every dream at once? In Creole Love, João da Silveira sails from Lisbon for Buenos Aires after the fall of the Portuguese monarchy in 1910.
Creole Love at a glance
- Reading time
- About 5 h 45 min4 h 30 min fast, 6 h 50 min slow
- Length
- 81,600 words
- Library level
- Challenging long sentences, a rich vocabulary
- First published
- 1913by Abel Acácio de Almeida Botelho
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A royalist exile sails for the New World
João da Silveira boards the Almeria in Lisbon on a hot February afternoon. The republic of 1910 has swept away his world, and he decides he is a man without a country. He leaves his fiancée Laurita behind and writes that his honour forces him into exile.
For a few months he plotted against the new regime, like many of his class. He gave money and made speeches but never risked his own skin. After a failed raid at Chaves he stopped for good.
Renews every year · Cancel anytime
You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer. Your place follows you, and you can make the type as big as you like.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1913
- Language
- English
- Level
- Challenging
Cite this edition
Botelho, Abel Acácio de Almeida. Creole Love. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/creole-love.
Botelho, A. A. de A. (2026). Creole love. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/creole-love (Original work published 1913)
Botelho, Abel Acácio de Almeida. Creole Love. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/creole-love.
@book{botelho2026creole,
author = {Botelho, Abel Acácio de Almeida},
title = {Creole Love},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/creole-love},
note = {First published 1913}
}
Free gifts
USD 580 in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
USD 170FREE - Every eBookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Creole Love
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 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.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is Creole Love about?
It follows João da Silveira, a Portuguese monarchist who flees the republic and sails to Buenos Aires. There he meets con men, high society, a lively widow and a simple country girl, while his money and his heart are put to the test.
Who wrote Creole Love and when?
Abel Botelho, a Portuguese realist novelist and diplomat who died in 1917, wrote it while living in Argentina. It appeared after his death, with an editor's note explaining that the author did not finish it.
Is Creole Love a true story?
It is a novel, but it draws on real scenes. It is set just after the Portuguese republic of 1910 and captures Buenos Aires, its racecourse, its elections and life on a cattle ranch in the pampa.
The author
Abel Acácio de Almeida Botelho
1854–1917 · Portuguese novelist and diplomat
Portuguese writer and diplomat.
More like this
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 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
