The Burgomaster's Wife — Complete

"The Burgomaster's Wife — Complete" by Georg Ebers is a historical novel set in the late 1500s. It tells the story of love, duty, and hardship during the Dutch fight for freedom from Spain through the eyes of Burgomaster Peter Van der Werff and his wife, Maria. The story begins in Leyden in 1574, right after the city narrowly avoided being taken over. Even with the nice weather, the people are still worried because the war isn't really over. We see young people learning about patriotism, which shows how different ideas are starting to clash and shape the future. Conversations and fights between people, like a disagreement among young students or a baron talking to regular townspeople, show how complicated it was to decide who to trust and what was right during that time. The start of the book paints a vivid picture of the past and suggests the personal drama and shifting feelings that will change the characters' lives.