The novel “Consuelo” strikes one as a brilliant, festive, endless carnival. An innumerable cast of characters is drawn into that sweet and touching—then again tragic and cruel, wild dance. And, of course, this mad whirl is ruled by the great goddess—Love! Everything for this goddess, everything on her altar! And although the main heroine is based on Pauline Viardot, in every line of the novel you can trace the fate of its very creator. It was she—Aurora Dupin (by her husband’s name Dudevant)—who was the first to dress in a men’s suit, put a cigar in her mouth, and boldly rush to defend women’s rights and freedom. So then—love, love, and love—on every page.