Read my second Balzac.

[MsAmerica]

I'd started with The Girl With the Golden Eyes, which proved very disappointing (and somewhat baffling).

But then I tried Pere Goriot, which I happened to already own. This was much better. The first was so over-wrought that I couldn't imagine why anyone would term him a realistic writer, and generally distasteful and shallow, to me. With this, yes, I could see why he was considered realistic. This is broader, more complex, far more interesting. But pretty depressing, to put it mildly.

I think I'm going to go for a third, Cousin Bette, based on a recommendation here.

:)

You’re a determined Balzacian! I recently met some old university friends who also did French, and we mostly agreed we’d come out of our degree loving Flaubert and Stendhal and loathing Balzac and Hugo.

Approaching halfway through the year of reading Les Mis for the first time, I can see why one might end up loathing Hugo ;)

(waves at any other Hugo readalong-ers who stop by here)

Waves back at @Waawo 👋

I've never read Balzac, but I may try him some day.

I like Le Père Goriot but I discovered it through a R4 drama years ago narrated by Stephen Fry. I don’t normally like radio dramas, but this one I loved & was really caught up in the story.

Rastignac & Vautrin appear in other Balzac books including Illusions perdues. La cousine Bette is a good one to read next.

@OeufsalaCanicule- I like Balzac & Stendhal, love Hugo & have no intention to read any more Flaubert!

I'm not at all a Balzcian - at least not yet! But I feel that if there's a revered author who has stood the test of time, he deserves a decent chance.

I hate Madame Bovary. I hope that doesn't make me a bad person.

Right, my particular copy said it was a good book to start with because some characters later re-appear.