Lucien Chardon, the son of a lower middle-class father and an impoverished mother of remote aristocratic descent, is the pivotal figure of the entire work. Living at Angouleme, he...

Set in early 19th-century Paris, it tells the story of a young man who finds a magic piece of shagreen that fulfills his every desire. For each wish granted, however, the skin...

'Eugenie Grandet' is one of the earliest and most famous novels in Balzac's 'The Human Comedy' cycle. The dreary Grandet household, inundated by the overwhelming greed and...

When the narrator and his wife visit an idyllic and picturesque town near the sea they meet a fisherman and a hermit. The ubiquitous poverty and squalor of the seaside town spills...

A short story ushering the reader into the violent and horrifying events that took place during the Reign of Terror following the French Revolution. The tale follows an old...

The novella unfolds around a blind old man, Facino Cane who claims to be a descendant of the 14th century condottiere of the same name. The narrator meets Facino Cane at a...

Eugenie's father Felix is a former cooper who has become wealthy through both business ventures and inheritance. However, he is very miserly, and he, his wife, daughter and their...

Balzac's masterpiece novel follows lives of three central characters: the law student Eugene de Rastignac, a mysterious agitator named Vautrin, and an elderly retired...

Enjoy two classic Lone Star romances from New York Times bestselling author Diana Palmer!Unlikely LoverWhen Ward Jessup and Mari Raymond meet after being brought...

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