M. Grandet, a vine-grower, lessor, and ruthless businessman, is the richest man in the town of Saumur. He's also a miser: he lives in a decrepit house, parcels out sugar and eggs as if they'll never be replenished, and lights only a single candle in the parlor at night. He's worth many millions, but he and his family live as paupers.
His daughter, Eugénie, has no idea they're rich; austerity is all she has ever known. But the arrival of a handsome, impoverished cousin from Paris, and the love she develops for him, makes her begin to see things differently. When she decides to help her cousin, her father's reaction throws the family into crisis, and it's unclear how it can resolved-if it can be resolved at all.
Perfect for readers who love richly detailed classic literature and complex family dramas, this masterpiece of French realism offers an unforgettable portrait of greed, love, and sacrifice in 19th-century provincial France. Balzac's penetrating psychological insights and vivid social commentary make this essential reading for anyone who appreciates timeless stories about the human condition and the corrupting power of wealth.
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