Eyes Like the Sea

He was a painter, poet, and novelist whose life was marked by the tumult of the Hungarian revolution—a time when his passion for freedom often placed him in danger. She was his first love, the girl with eyes like the sea—noble, kind, and loving at heart. How different her life could have been had she married a truly good man, as is the case with most. Yet, fate had her consistently drawing the unlucky tenth from the urn of destiny, leading her to reject his true love for a charming dandy. While he ventured into politics, she followed her whimsical heart. Nevertheless, throughout her life, she found herself drawn back to him, perhaps loving him best of all until the very end. (Eyes Like the Sea won the Hungarian Academy of Sciences prize for literature in 1890.) (Summary by MaryAnn)