The Grandee

"The Grandee" by Armando Palacio Valdés is a story about a proud nobleman trying to hold onto his status in a world that's starting to leave him behind. It's the late 1800s, and Don Pedro Quiñones de Leon is an old, paralyzed grandee living in a small Spanish city. The book shows us how he deals with his crumbling dignity while dealing with his family and the changing customs of the time. We see how stuffy and old-fashioned the town is right away, and how Don Pedro struggles to keep up appearances during fancy parties, even though his marriage is falling apart and something dark is brewing beneath the surface.