The first of Balzac's sequence of novels depicting life in Restoration-ere France, describes the life of Felix Grandet, a cooper and wine merchant who becomes morally decayed by his obsession with hoarding wealth.

His miserly habits and cut-throat business practices allow him to amass staggering wealth, but he keeps this a secret from his daughter and wife, whom he forces to live in poverty.

The novel is very well-conceived. Knowing that his kind and humble wife and daughter could be living in comfort, but instead must beg Grandet for wood to light their fire, creates an ironic tension that is intensely frustrating. As a reader I was horrified. Grandet becomes wealthier and wealthier, yet his satisfaction comes only from hoarding and not from any practical enjoyment of his wealth.

Balzac'ın o nefis betimlemeleri... Hele girişte anlattığı evler.. Kendimi kaldırımlarında yürüyormuş hissettim.

Ve Eugene... Ahh talihsiz Eugene...

No need for histrionic qualification, this was a sublime novel.

What could have been read as tragedy becomes a bitter acceptance of the quotidian, with few exceptions people are selfish in a variety of ways but you can transcend them, as does Eugenie.

I absolutely love this book. It's such a fast and enjoyable read.

This story goes in a pair with its predecessor "Ursule Minoret" but it's a dark mirror of "Ursule": unkind parental figures, unfaithful lovers, petty and small-minded people who don't get their comeuppance. An engaging story though!