Her first novel, "Pascual López: autobiografía de un estudiante de medicina" ("Pascual López: Autobiography of a Medical Student"), which appeared in 1879, was written in a realist, romantic style. She was encouraged by its success and, two years later, she published "Un viaje de novios (A Honeymoon Trip"), in which an incipient interest in French naturalism can be observed, causing something of a sensation at the time. This was further fuelled by the appearance of "La tribuna" (1883), which was more heavily influenced by the ideas of Émile Zola and is widely considered to be the first Spanish naturalist novel. Her response to the critics' outrage was published in 1884 under the title "La cuestión palpitante" ("The Critical Issue"). Her husband did not feel strong enough to weather the ensuing social scandal created by a woman daring to express her views about such matters and two years later the couple began an amicable separation, Emilia living with their children while her husband took up residence in the Castle of Santa Cruz in A Coruña, which he had acquired at an auction. It was only after their separation that her relationship with the writer Galdós blossomed into a full-blown intimate affair, which was to prove enduring.