Open library is an initiative of the internet archive, a 501c3 nonprofit, building a digital library of internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. A tale of seductive women and philandering men, of passionate affairs and spiralling debts, cousin bette paints a vivid portrait of paris in the 1830s and 40s. Global grey free pdf, epub, kindle ebook pages pdf. It is a classic novel of revenge, passion, and vices. But both books pale in comparison to lost illusions, which i regard as balzacs best novel just ahead of pere goriot. Click and collect from your local waterstones or get free uk delivery on. Set in paris, cousin bette tells the story of an unmarried middleaged woman who plots the destruction of her extended family. But with the change of society and her obstinate nature, bette became the worker again. Johanna ward the story of a vosges peasant who rebels against her scornful upperclass relatives, skillfully turning their. Last week, around 30,000 people downloaded books from my site 8 people gave donations. Set in mid19thcentury france, it tells the story of a woman who resents her position as a poor relation. Alternative book cover art for cousin bette by honore balzac. Cousin bette 1846, long considered balzacs last great novel, is a key work in his comedie humaine.
Bette audiobooks for free link in page 4 to listen or download book. Start a free 30day trial today and get your first audiobook free. Cousin bette 1846 is considered to be balzacs last great novel, and a key work in his human comedy. At the beginning of cousin bette, he is at his apogee.
The wealthy hulot family gathers at the deathbed of their matron adeline. The author says it is a companion piece to cousin pons, which is a better novel in my view. The bette referred to in this magnificent novels title is lisbeth fischer, an excruciatingly cunning poor relation who both depends upon and nurses a terrible grudge against the family of her beautiful cousin, adeline. Set in mid19thcentury paris, it tells the story of an unmarried middleaged woman who plots the destruction of her extended family. It offers us a hypnotic vision of that infinitely varied city during the bright, vital, scandalous, and sexually untrammeled era of king louisphilippe. Bette enlists the help of valerie, an unhappily married young woman, to. Set in paris, gareth daviess film of tragic jealousy and vengeance follows aging spinster bette. Stream and download audiobooks to your computer, tablet or mobile phone.
Its a city full of temptations, in which money is king, morals are loose and the appeals of the virtuous are usually in vain. Paris france social life and customs 19th century fiction category. I will not say what happens this is the third time i have read this late masterpiece of balzacs and it got better with each reading. Against a meticulously detailed backdrop of a postnapoleonic france struggling with massive industrial and. As in many of balzacs novels, its characters represent polarities of contrasting morality. That family is slowly being ruined by the uncontrollable sexual appetites of adelines husband, baron hulotand it is this weakness that will give the cunning cousin bette an. Critics hailed the book as a turning point in the authors arta prototypical naturalist text. Bette, a poor relation of the beautiful adeline, nurses a terrible grudge against her cousin s family, on whom she depends.
Seeking vengeance against the family of her beautiful cousin. Set in mid19th century paris, it tells the story of an unmarried middleaged woman who plots the destruction of her extended family. Seeking vengeance against the family of her beautiful cousin, adeline, she leverages the uncontrollable sexual appetites of her cousin s husband as the linchpin of her plans. On the one hand she was jealous of her cousin, but on the other she studied hard, she built her own family. Cousin bette is not one of balzacs best, but it is very good. Internet archive contributor internet archive language english. Grounded in a meticulous documentation of contemporary france, this tale is set in the prosperous paris of louisphillipe and details a jealous womans campaign of persecution against her own family. Set in the paris of the 1830s and 1840s, it is a complex tale of the devastating effect of violent jealousy and sexual passion. Balzac described cousin bette as one of his scenes of parisian life, and it is certainly that. Bette, a poor relation of the beautiful adeline, nurses a terrible grudge against her cousins family, on whom she depends. I recommend this book as the audio backdrop for a 2 week vacation in paris.
1044 1365 1395 1563 1031 803 1071 762 481 287 43 1467 160 966 820 931 827 1113 550 1341 1009 348 1544 435 226 885 1446 1011 1071 531 272 766 295