The fourty-eighth book: #45 The Sorrows of Young Werther - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
I wonder whether epistolaries are just not the genre for me. I mean, this one was pretty good - snappy and on point, but the most memorable bit was at the end, where the format is broken and the compiler tells the story of Werther's end. The start of the book shows the start of a three way relationship between Werther, Charlotte, the woman he loves, and her husband Albert. The beats beyond that are familiar, but mostly well described. They drag on a bit once you get to the middle, though, and I feel I was unfortunately snagging in places. Still, it feels like there's progress.