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This short novel, part of the Scenes of Private Life section of Honore de Balzac's vast masterpiece The Human Comedy, includes the first appearances of key characters who return later in the series. A Daughter of Eve is a tale in which seemingly innocent peccadilloes soon spiral into an inescapable web of intrigue, fraud, and lust.
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ISBN: 978-1-63421-020-1

This short section of Honore de Balzac's vast story cycle The Human Comedy unfolds against the beautiful backdrop of the western coast of France. A couple on vacation have a chance encounter with a fisherman. After chit-chatting for a while, they take him up on his offer to shuttle them to a nearby island. Along the way, he recounts a heartbreaking local legend that puts a damper on the trip.
Standort: Overdrive Onleihbibliothek
ISBN: 978-1-63421-348-6

During Napoleon's campaign in Egypt, one French soldier becomes separated from his regiment and finds himself wandering lost in the desert. Just when he has given up all hope, he makes an unlikely friend. This highly allegorical short story gives readers an opportunity to ponder the nature of love and human relationships.
Standort: Overdrive Onleihbibliothek
ISBN: 978-1-63421-008-9

In this novella from Honore de Balzac, an impoverished mother and daughter slave away as embroiderers but are barely able to evade starvation. Finally, what seems to be a blessing enters into their lives—an older gentleman falls in love with the daughter, Caroline, and whisks her away to a fine country estate. Will Caroline get the happily-ever-after she so richly deserves?
Standort: Overdrive Onleihbibliothek
ISBN: 978-1-62013-970-7

Known for his keen observations and finely drawn characters, Honore de Balzac is regarded as one of the forerunners of the literary realism movement that swept Europe in the nineteenth century. A Woman of Thirty offers an unflinching look at the layers of social oppression that dictated the course of many women's lives during the era.
Standort: Overdrive Onleihbibliothek
ISBN: 978-1-62011-823-8

An extract from Honore de Balzac's vast story cycle The Human Comedy, the novel Albert Savarus details the dramatic twists and turns in a budding love affair between Albert, a young lawyer with literary ambitions, and a beautiful but conniving young woman named Rosalie. Though the story unfolds in a manner not unlike a typical romance, the surprise ending will leave readers reeling.
Standort: Overdrive Onleihbibliothek
ISBN: 978-1-63421-034-8

Step back in history through the eyes of one of the masters of European realism. This keenly observed and utterly absorbing account of the period after Napoleon Bonaparte fell from power in nineteenth-century France is both an interesting historical document and an engrossing mystery.
Standort: Overdrive Onleihbibliothek
ISBN: 978-1-62012-385-0

This section of The Human Comdedy, the multi-volume series of stories, tales, and essays that comprised most Honore de Balzac's life's work, focuses on love and marriage as they existed in early nineteenth-century Europe. An eclectic collection of essays, satirical observations, short tales, and character sketches, this unique excerpt is an interesting introduction to Balzac's writing.
Standort: Overdrive Onleihbibliothek
ISBN: 978-1-63421-032-4

This novel is part of the Scenes of Private Life section of Honore de Balzac's sweeping saga The Human Comedy. Renowned artist Theodore de Sommervieux falls head-over-heels in love with the beautiful, refined Augustine Guillaume, and soon the besotted pair are married. But after a blissful honeymoon period, the couple discovers that sometimes love is not enough to make a marriage work.
Standort: Overdrive Onleihbibliothek
ISBN: 978-1-63421-029-4

This fascinating novel from French master Honore de Balzac was published just as the age of bureaucracy was kicking into high gear in the mid-nineteenth century. Balzac delves deeply into the labyrinthine workings of a French agency, conveying the machinations, political alliances, and complex characters with astonishing texture and detail.
Standort: Overdrive Onleihbibliothek
ISBN: 978-1-63421-025-6

This short tale is part of the Philosophical Studies section of Honore de Balzac's The Human Comedy. Almost fable-like in tone, it recounts a boat ride carrying a group of passengers that represent a broad cross-section of society. When a sudden storm hits, chaos ensues, and each passenger's reaction speaks volumes about his or her moral compass.
Standort: Overdrive Onleihbibliothek
ISBN: 978-1-63421-024-9

The crown jewel in a remarkable literary career, Cousin Bette is regarded by many critics to be Balzac's last great work before his death in 1850. A fine example of European realist fiction, the story recounts the attempt of a disgruntled housewife to bring about the misery and destruction of her entire extended family. Fans of Tolstoy's War and Peace will enjoy Cousin Bette.
Standort: Overdrive Onleihbibliothek
ISBN: 978-1-62012-299-0

The novel Eve and David is the third entry in Honore de Balzac's Lost Illusions trilogy, which in turn is part of his larger novel cycle, The Human Comedy. The story focuses on a pair of earnest, good-hearted lovers who struggle to remain unsullied even as the world around them devolves into a hellish demimonde beset by greed, sensationalism, and baseness.
Standort: Overdrive Onleihbibliothek
ISBN: 978-1-63421-345-5

A heartbroken cavalry officer, Auguste de Maulincour, is strolling through a rather seedy section of Paris when he happens to spot the object of his unrequited love, a married young woman named Clemence. Even more remarkable is the fact that he sees her furtively entering a house of ill repute. Aghast and yet intrigued, Auguste begins to follow Clemence—and what he witnesses plunges him into a world of deception and dark secrets.
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ISBN: 978-1-63421-342-4

The novella Gambara is part of the Philosophical Studies section of Honore de Balzac's The Human Comedy. It follows a tumultuous relationship between Italian nobleman Andrea Marcosini and the beautiful, young Marianna. She happens to be married to a mercurial, much older composer, who some believe is a genius and others regard as an abject failure.
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ISBN: 978-1-63421-340-0

Set against the backdrop of the Peninsular War, Balzac's novella Juana focuses on a storied family of French courtesans who have achieved legendary status. For many generations, the women have lived outside of the bounds of polite society, eschewing the familial involvement of men and maintaining a matrilineal tradition. But with the birth of a little girl named Juana, everything changes.
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ISBN: 978-1-63421-017-1

Immerse yourself in a French pastoral idyll in this engrossing tale from Honore de Balzac, whose unparalleled powers of description will whisk you away to La Grenadiere, a quaint estate in the midst of a blossoming orchard. Indeed, the house itself emerges as one of the most memorable characters in the story.
Standort: Overdrive Onleihbibliothek
ISBN: 978-1-63421-337-0

There's no debate over the fact that philosophers and thinkers have profoundly shaped and influenced human civilization. But how does this transformation take place at the level of the individual? That's the fascinating issue that Honore de Balzac takes on in the novel Louis Lambert, which follows the title character—a precocious schoolboy—as he develops an intense interest in the thought of the Swedish philosopher Emanuel Swedenborg.
Standort: Overdrive Onleihbibliothek
ISBN: 978-1-62011-974-7

Set in the fifteenth century, Maitre Cornelius is a gripping historical novel that illustrates the unbelievable lengths to which some will go in the name of love. Marie, the daughter of the king, is trapped in a loveless marriage with a cruel, violent man. To escape her horrible home life, she begins spending time with a young man named Georges d'Estoutville, who decides to free her from her dangerous marriage via a daring rescue attempt. Will he be able to pull it off?
Standort: Overdrive Onleihbibliothek
ISBN: 978-1-62013-959-2

Set among the sprawling vineyards of France's Loire Valley, Balzac's novel Parisians in the Country follows the life of one Dinah Piedefer, a beautiful and talented young woman who finds herself trapped in a not-so-perfect marriage. Though she is initially content, she gradually begins to bristle against the constraints of her union and the provincial shabbiness of her lifestyle.
Standort: Overdrive Onleihbibliothek
ISBN: 978-1-63421-009-6

This short story is part of the Scenes of Paris Life section of Honore de Balzac's epic masterpiece The Human Comedy. Pierre Grassou is an artist who has many of the attributes necessary for success—but lacks that spark of creativity. Rather than painting original works, he begins painting copies of the great masterworks. Sure, it's financially lucrative, but will it be enough to allow Grassou to find happiness?
Standort: Overdrive Onleihbibliothek
ISBN: 978-1-63421-006-5

One of the unifying themes that wends its way through Honore de Balzac's immense body of work is the corrupting danger of greed—and the often-absurd lengths to which people will go to secure material wealth. In the wonderful novel Rise and Fall of Cesar Birotteau, the title character starts out as a successful perfume-maker who is gradually lured to the dark side by the promise of ill-gotten gains.
Standort: Overdrive Onleihbibliothek
ISBN: 978-1-62013-972-1

French writer Honore de Balzac had many unique strengths, and chief among them is his ability to limn and illuminate subtle differences between social classes. In this pastoral novel, Balzac explores the virtues and follies of country life through the eyes of Emile Blondet, a journalist who was born and raised in the provinces, works in Paris, and has returned to the countryside of his youth for a much-needed vacation.
Standort: Overdrive Onleihbibliothek
ISBN: 978-1-62013-969-1

Regarded by many critics as one of Honore de Balzac's foremost literary achievements, the novel The Alkahest offers an incisive look at the dangers of obsession. Scientist Balthazar Claes begins his research into alchemical properties with the best of intentions, but before long, he begins to neglect everything else in his life.
Standort: Overdrive Onleihbibliothek
ISBN: 978-1-63421-033-1

One of the earliest pieces Balzac penned for his sweeping story cycle The Human Comedy, this novella is found in the Scenes of Private Life section of the series. Social climber Emilie de Fontaine is a petulant brat who is determined to marry for status. One night at an opulent party, she falls in love at first sight with the dashing, aristocratic Maximilien. Is he good enough to fulfill her mile-long list of requirements for a spouse?
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ISBN: 978-1-63421-028-7

In this novel, one of the last vestiges of a genteel family, the Marquis d'Esgrignon, tries to navigate the new social and cultural landscape that has emerged in France's post-revolutionary period. Even though he is surrounded by some of the signs of his family's former affluence, the Marquis is virtually penniless, and he finds it difficult to come to terms with his reduced station in life.
Standort: Overdrive Onleihbibliothek
ISBN: 978-1-63421-023-2

Part of the massive series that some regard as one of the masterworks of nineteenth-century realism, Honore de Balzac's The Human Comedy, the novel The Country Doctor focuses on Dr. Benassis, a physician by trade, who has deep-seated beliefs about social equality. While treating a prominent patient, Benassis expounds at length on his value system and discusses some of the reforms that he has helped to implement in the town.
Standort: Overdrive Onleihbibliothek
ISBN: 978-1-63421-021-8

Some of Honore de Balzac's best writing focuses on the frustrations and passions of women trapped in unhappy marriages. In the novella The Deserted Woman, the Vicomtesse de Beauseant is trapped, but it is partially a trap of her own making. Abandoned by her lover and estranged from her husband, she contemplates her limited options.
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ISBN: 978-1-63421-018-8

Though Honore de Balzac is now lauded as a master of the literary genre of social realism, a sizable number of his stories and novels also contain supernatural and mystical elements. The story The Exiles is set in the medieval period, and revolves around a couple who run a small boarding house—and gradually begin to suspect that some of their boarders may be harboring dark secrets.
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ISBN: 978-1-63421-344-8

Settle in for a titillating tale of illicit passion, romantic entanglement, and murder. Honore de Balzac's novella The Girl With the Golden Eyes highlights the French writer's skillful ability to convey truths about the darker nature of humanity through perfectly wrought details and observations. A must-read for fans of classic European literature, or for readers who love a healthy dose of psychological complexity with their mysteries.
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ISBN: 978-1-62011-992-1

This collection of loosely interwoven tales puts the unique talents of French novelist and playwright Honore de Balzac on full display. In each, Balzac delves deeply into the eccentric characters and quaint customs of small villages whose ways of life are rapidly changing as the social and political climate of the nineteenth century begins to evolve.
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ISBN: 978-1-63421-335-6

If you like your tales of tragic love to come with a stiff dose of historical realism, get ready to savor this classic from French writer Honore de Balzac. The Lily of the Valley tells the tale of star-crossed lovers Felix de Vandenesse and Henriette de Mortsauf. Will social conventions keep them apart, or will they say goodbye to the trappings of the French aristocracy to live together? Pick up this must-read romance to find out.
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ISBN: 978-1-62011-824-5

The short novel The Marriage Contract is part of the Scenes from Private Life section of Honore de Balzac's epic masterpiece of nineteenth-century realism, The Human Comedy. It delves directly into the question of the nature of marriage, which was rapidly evolving during the period. Kind-hearted bachelor Paul de Manerville becomes deeply smitten with the comely Natalie Evangelista and wants to marry for love, but Natalie and her scheming mother have their eyes on his vast fortune.
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ISBN: 978-1-63421-013-3

The Purse is a short story that makes up part of Honore de Balzac's epic cycle The Human Comedy. Daydreaming while working on a ladder, the painter Hippolyte Schinner accidentally falls and sustains an injury. Two neighbors—a mother and daughter—come to his aid, and he falls in love at first sight with the beautiful young woman, Adelaide. But over time, he begins to notice that the veneer of aristocratic gentility that the two project is not what it appears.
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ISBN: 978-1-63421-003-4

Like many of the short stories in Honore de Balzac's vast story cycle The Human Comedy, The Red Inn is a tale within a tale. After a pleasant dinner at the Red Inn, guests begin to swap anecdotes. German businessman Hermann contributes to the discussion with a story about a French soldier who was imprisoned after being unjustly accused of committing a murder.
Standort: Overdrive Onleihbibliothek
ISBN: 978-1-62013-974-5

This series of three novellas is unified by an overarching motif: in all three tales, a mysterious secret society known as The Thirteen is at work behind the scenes. The men in the group have pledged eternal loyalty to each other, and if any member ever finds himself in peril, it is the sworn duty of the others to come to his aid. Honore de Balzac uses this premise as a device to explore a wide range of topics, including clashes between different classes of society, doomed romances, and intrigue driven by greed.
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ISBN: 978-1-62013-966-0

This exquisite novella from master of French realism Honore de Balzac illustrates how greed and covetousness can infect and fester in even the most seemingly pure people and environments. An ascetic clergyman becomes the target of a nefarious plot. Will he be able to escape with his few cherished belongings—and his faith in humanity intact?
Standort: Overdrive Onleihbibliothek
ISBN: 978-1-62013-960-8

In this novella from Honore de Balzac, the skilled artisan Palafox Gazonal arrives in Paris to settle some important business and perhaps make a splash in the city's thriving art scene. However, Gazonal is used to the slower-paced life in the provinces and finds himself confused—and even disgusted—with some of the customs and practices that are commonplace in Paris. It's another of Balzac's insightful analyses of the artist and his role in society.
Standort: Overdrive Onleihbibliothek
ISBN: 978-1-62013-963-9

Fans of Romeo and Juliet will delight in the novella Vendetta, Honore de Balzac's unique take on the timeless theme of star-crossed lovers. Corsican immigrants Ginevra Piombo and Luigi Porta fall hopelessly in love, unaware of the fact that their respective families have long been ensnared in a multi-generational blood feud. Will they be able to live happily ever after in spite of their unhappy heritage?
Standort: Overdrive Onleihbibliothek
ISBN: 978-1-62013-961-5