Os Trabalhadores do Mar

by Victor Hugo

"Os Trabalhadores do Mar" by Victor Hugo is a novel published in 1866. Set on Guernsey after the Napoleonic Wars, it follows Gilliatt, a social outcast who loves Deruchette, his shipowner's niece. When her uncle's steamship wrecks on a dangerous reef, she promises to marry whoever salvages the engine. Gilliatt volunteers for this perilous mission, facing physical ordeals including a battle with an octopus, while enduring his neighbors' scorn and navigating the complexities of unrequited devotion.