Lucretia — Complete

"Lucretia — Complete" by Edward Bulwer Lytton is a suspenseful story filled with ambition, deception, and moral struggle, set in both revolutionary France and England. The story revolves around Lucretia Clavering, an heiress shaped by an upbringing steeped in pride and driven by larger-than-life ambitions, as she navigates both love and familial conflict. The book begins with a dark scene during the French Reign of Terror, where a father witnesses his son's fascination with a spider's web symbolizing the violence that is to come. The narrative follows Lucretia as she interacts with figures such as the conflicted Mainwaring, who battles his feelings for her, and her tutor Dalibard, both of whom find themselves caught in the web of her complex desires and family's secrets, that result in turbulent relationships. The themes of the narrative concentrate on the intricate ways society molds personal morality and desires. Overall, the book seeks to achieve a tense balance between the psychological exploration of character and exploration of the complex interplay between ambition and morality in society.