"The Widow" is the third novel by José de Alencar, published in serial form in the Diário do Rio de Janeiro between January and February of 1857. The first complete edition of the work was only published in 1860 by the Correio Mercantil printing press, when it was released in volume together with the second edition of "Five Minutes."

The work depicts the customs of the Rio society of the time. Despite being considered written in the letter format, the author of the letter not only tells the story in the third person - having no participation in the events - but also exercises the function of an omniscient and omnipresent narrator.

In 1844 Rio de Janeiro, two young people fall in love, Jorge and Carolina. Jorge was rich, the heir of a fortune left by his father, but upon taking possession of the wealth, he does not know how to manage it and loses everything in games and diversions. Bankrupted, his drama begins, marry Carolina or break the engagement? He marries her, but then he has another terrible decision: commit suicide. The story then advances five years and a new destiny emerges for the widow.