num_pages: 40
description: Puccini's Madame Butterfly is the heartbreaking story of Cho-Cho-San, a Japanese Geisha as beautiful and fragile as a butterfly, whose trust and fidelity are betrayed by her husband, an American Navy Lieutenant. Stationed in Nagasaki, Lieutenant Pinkerton acquires his wife as casually as his house — both leased for 99 years, with the option to cancel at any time. After their honeymoon, Pinkerton departs, promising to return. But for three long years, Cho-Cho-San awaits, and when he finally does return, he brings his new American wife — and finds he has a son by Cho-Cho-San. This picture book adaptation of the tragic libretto features haunting paintings that evoke its exotic setting and emotional resonance, for a captivating introduction to the genre.
language: English
title: Madame Butterfly: The Story of the Opera by Giacomo Puccini
titlecomplete: Madame Butterfly: The Story of the Opera by Giacomo Puccini
genres: Fiction, Plays, Asia, Italy, Music, Drama, Romance, Classics, Art, Italian Literature
ratings_count: 468
places: Japan
series: Black Dog Opera Library
publisher: Purple Bear Books