Publisher's Synopsis
Cousin Betty is a novel written by the French author Honore De Balzac, first published in 1846 as part of his sweeping work, La Comedie Humaine. The novel is set in Paris during the 1830s and follows the story of the beautiful but manipulative Baroness Adeline Hulot, her husband, and her cousin, the spinster Betty Hulot. The story begins with the arrival of the young and attractive Creole woman, Valerie Marneffe, who quickly becomes the object of desire for several of the male characters. Adeline's husband, the aging Baron Hulot, is immediately smitten with Valerie and begins an affair with her. Meanwhile, Adeline's cousin Betty, who has always been in love with the Baron, is devastated by his infidelity and sets out to seek revenge.As the story unfolds, the lives of the characters become increasingly entangled in a web of deceit, betrayal, and scandal. Valerie manipulates and seduces several of the male characters, including the wealthy financier, Cesar Birotteau, and the artist, Wenceslas Steinbock, while Adeline and Betty struggle to maintain their dignity and reputation in the face of their husband's indiscretions.Cousin Betty is a powerful and engrossing novel that explores themes of love, desire, and the corrupting influence of wealth and power. Balzac's vivid and detailed descriptions of Parisian society and the characters that inhabit it provide a fascinating insight into the social and cultural landscape of 19th century France.On looking down at her kid shoes, made, it was evident, by the veriest cobbler, a stranger would have hesitated to recognize Cousin Betty as a member of the family, for she looked exactly like a journeywoman sempstress. But she did not leave the room without bestowing a little friendly nod on Monsieur Crevel, to which that gentleman responded by a look of mutual understanding.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.