This could be considered a pioneer feminist novel, and it's far superior to Kate Chopin's offering of three years earlier. It's an extremely accomplished novel about life in a Sardinian village. A newly married young man is accused of murdering his uncle and is thrown in jail. His wife remarries. Someone else confessed to the crime. The fellow is freed from jail. The writing is very accomplished and the descriptions of the surrounding mountains and valleys are superb, as are the characters. "Life is long and it costs a lot of money."