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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A gently lyrical novella. At first it seemed melodramatic and as if it could be unbelievable but as the introduction to this edition illustrates, there were events in Balzac's family that it could have been based on, so it does not actually seem unbelievable then and makes for good food for thought, for it seems to be a cautionary story about parental pride and obstinacy in rejecting their daughter's choice of spouse. Most people know of people who do not like their offspring's choice of partner, whether due to a personal dislike, they are not of a good enough family background, are of the same sex, a different race, etc., so it seems relevant to me.
Since the young lovers were still in their honeymoon period, it is conceivable that they were as angelic as Balzac seems to portray them as, the simplicity of which, along with the portrayal of the parents that felt a little stock at times, means that I cannot give it more than three stars. Nevertheless, I found myself carried by a sense of quiet horror at the way that the young couple drifted along an unravelling train to the end.
Since the young lovers were still in their honeymoon period, it is conceivable that they were as angelic as Balzac seems to portray them as, the simplicity of which, along with the portrayal of the parents that felt a little stock at times, means that I cannot give it more than three stars. Nevertheless, I found myself carried by a sense of quiet horror at the way that the young couple drifted along an unravelling train to the end.
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The best opening of any Balzac work I have read. And in some of the ensuing scenes, the most wooden melodrama of any Balzac work I have read, especially the scene where Ginevra confesses her love to her father who says she will die before him if she continues down this path. But there are numerous hints of the Balzac to come, most especially in the description of the relationship and backbiting between girls in Monsieur Servin
3.5 stars. This was a good read, even if the story is as old as storytelling itself. Balzac mentions [b:Romeo and Juliet|18135|Romeo and Juliet|William Shakespeare|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1572098085l/18135._SY75_.jpg|3349450], but he doesn’t have to, since it’s pretty apparent that he is riffing on not only that play, but also all the narratives in Western literature cut from the same cloth. Balzac’s twist is to show us what may have happened if the lovers had actually lived after they consummated their marriage. (Hint: it doesn’t turn out so well for them either!) This is not top-tier Balzac, but it’s an enjoyable read.
I am now one-quarter of the way through Balzac’s life's work, La Comédie Humaine, which I own in a complete 36-volume collection (38 volumes, if you count the two Droll Stories volumes, which are technically not a part of the set). It has taken me ten years to get this far, but I look forward to speeding up now that I’m in a pattern of reading a few of his works every December, so hopefully I can finish in my early-50s rather than in my late-60s!
I am now one-quarter of the way through Balzac’s life's work, La Comédie Humaine, which I own in a complete 36-volume collection (38 volumes, if you count the two Droll Stories volumes, which are technically not a part of the set). It has taken me ten years to get this far, but I look forward to speeding up now that I’m in a pattern of reading a few of his works every December, so hopefully I can finish in my early-50s rather than in my late-60s!
A beautiful love story, one I really thought I would like this much! A rewriting of Romeo & Juliet with Balzac's powerful writing style. Genuine, passionate, but stereotyped. A great read!
Opening lines:
En 1800, vers la fin du mois d'octobre, un étranger, suivi d'une femme et d'une petite fille, arriva devant les Tuileries à Paris, et se tint assez longtemps auprès des décombres d'une maison récemment démolie, à l'endroit où s'élève aujourd'hui l'aile commencée qui devait unir le château de Catherine de Médicis au Louvre des Valois.
Location 2967:
— Faites savoir à Bonaparte que Bartholoméo di Piombo voudrait lui parler, dit l'Italien au capitaine de service.
Location 3125:
Le second retour des Bourbons venait de troubler bien des amitiés qui avaient résisté au mouvement de la première restauration. En ce moment les familles étaient presque toutes divisées d'opinion, et le fanatisme politique renouvelait plusieurs de ces déplorables scènes qui, aux époques de guerre civile ou religieuse, souillent l'histoire de tous les pays. Les enfants, les jeunes filles, les vieillards partageaient la fièvre monarchique à laquelle le gouvernement était en proie. La discorde se glissait sous tous les toits, et la défiance teignait de ses sombres couleurs les actions et les discours les plus intimes.
From Wikipedia
La Vendetta (The Vendetta) is a novel by the French writer Honoré de Balzac. It is the eighth of the Scènes de la vie privée (Scenes of Private Life) in La Comédie humaine. The novel was first published in 1830 by Mame et Delaunay-Vallée. In 1842 it appeared in the first Furne edition of La Comédie humaine. La Vendetta was the fourth work in Volume 1, making it the fourth of the Scènes de la vie privée.[1]
Balzac may have been inspired to write La Vendetta by Prosper Merimée, whose novel Mateo Falcone, which was serialized by the Revue de Paris in 1829, also deals with the subject of Corsican vengeance and family honour.
The English version can be found at Gutenberg Project
The original French text at La Bibliothèque électronique du Québec.
3* La maison du Chat-qui-pelote (1830)
3* Le bal de Sceaux (1830)
3* La Bourse (1830)
4* La Vendetta (1830)
En 1800, vers la fin du mois d'octobre, un étranger, suivi d'une femme et d'une petite fille, arriva devant les Tuileries à Paris, et se tint assez longtemps auprès des décombres d'une maison récemment démolie, à l'endroit où s'élève aujourd'hui l'aile commencée qui devait unir le château de Catherine de Médicis au Louvre des Valois.
Location 2967:
— Faites savoir à Bonaparte que Bartholoméo di Piombo voudrait lui parler, dit l'Italien au capitaine de service.
Location 3125:
Le second retour des Bourbons venait de troubler bien des amitiés qui avaient résisté au mouvement de la première restauration. En ce moment les familles étaient presque toutes divisées d'opinion, et le fanatisme politique renouvelait plusieurs de ces déplorables scènes qui, aux époques de guerre civile ou religieuse, souillent l'histoire de tous les pays. Les enfants, les jeunes filles, les vieillards partageaient la fièvre monarchique à laquelle le gouvernement était en proie. La discorde se glissait sous tous les toits, et la défiance teignait de ses sombres couleurs les actions et les discours les plus intimes.
From Wikipedia
La Vendetta (The Vendetta) is a novel by the French writer Honoré de Balzac. It is the eighth of the Scènes de la vie privée (Scenes of Private Life) in La Comédie humaine. The novel was first published in 1830 by Mame et Delaunay-Vallée. In 1842 it appeared in the first Furne edition of La Comédie humaine. La Vendetta was the fourth work in Volume 1, making it the fourth of the Scènes de la vie privée.[1]
Balzac may have been inspired to write La Vendetta by Prosper Merimée, whose novel Mateo Falcone, which was serialized by the Revue de Paris in 1829, also deals with the subject of Corsican vengeance and family honour.
The English version can be found at Gutenberg Project
The original French text at La Bibliothèque électronique du Québec.
3* La maison du Chat-qui-pelote (1830)
3* Le bal de Sceaux (1830)
3* La Bourse (1830)
4* La Vendetta (1830)