La Montserrat : Novela de costums del nostre temps

In the bustling streets of mid‑nineteenth‑century Barcelona, a twelve‑year‑old mountain boy named Joaquim Bach arrives as an apprentice in a thriving mantegayre shop. Surrounded by the fragrant butter and colorful textiles that define the trade, he quickly learns the value of hard work and the allure of profit, dreaming of a future where money can secure his ambitions.

As the years pass, Joaquim’s diligence pays off; by his mid‑twenties he owns a respected shop near Santa Maria del Mar and marries the modest yet determined Francisqueta Guix. Together they raise three children under a stern, money‑focused household, while Joaquim’s growing fortune draws him toward the dazzling world of speculation and larger commercial ventures. The novel paints a vivid portrait of a family navigating the promise and peril of wealth in a rapidly changing Barcelona.