| Cousin Bette Contributor(s): De Balzac, Honore (Author), Ward, Johanna (Read by), Waring, James (Translator) |
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ISBN: 0786159138 ISBN-13: 9780786159130 Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks OUR PRICE: $97.20 Product Type: Compact Disc - Other Formats Published: July 2000 Annotation: The Bette referred to in this magnificent novel's title is Lisbeth Fischer, an excruciatingly cunning poor relation who both depends upon and nurses a terrible grudge against the family of her beautiful cousin, Adeline. That family is slowly being ruined by the uncontrollable sexual appetites of Adeline's husband, Baron Hulot -- appetites that will, in time, give Cousin Bette opportunity to exact her vengeance. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Fiction | Classics |
| Dewey: FIC |
| Physical Information: 1.96" H x 6.52" W x 6.95" (0.90 lbs) 13 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - 19th Century - Cultural Region - French - Cultural Region - Western Europe |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Bette, a poor relation of the beautiful Adeline, nurses a terrible grudge against her cousin's family, on whom she depends. That family is slowly being ruined by the uncontrollable sexual appetites of Adeline's husband, Baron Hulot-and it is this weakness that will give the cunning Cousin Bette an opportunity to exact her vengeance. A profound examination of obsessive passion, this masterpiece exemplifies what Henry James described as Balzac's huge, all-compassing, all-desiring, all-devouring love of reality. One of Balzac's scenes of Parisian life, Cousin Bette offers a hypnotic vision of the infinitely varied city during the bright, vital, and scandalous era of King Louis-Philippe. The courtesans, swindlers, bankers, artists, murderers, detectives, and saints that pass before us blaze with an unsurpassed vividness and energy. |
Contributor Bio(s): Balzac, Honore De: - Honore de Balzac (1799-1850) was born in Tours, France, educated at the College de Vendome, and studied law at the Sorbonne. His father wished him to become a lawyer, but he left Tours in 1819 to seek his fortune as an author in Paris. He wrote eighty-five novels in twenty years, but his life was one of frequent privation. In 1850, he married Countess Hanska, a rich Polish lady with whom he had corresponded for more than fifteen years. Five months later, Balzac died in Paris. De Balzac, Honore: -Honore de Balzac (1799-1850) was born in Tours, France, educated at the College de Vendome, and studied law at the Sorbonne. His father wished him to become a lawyer, but he left Tours in 1819 to seek his fortune as an author in Paris. He wrote eighty-five novels in twenty years, but his life was one of frequent privation. In 1850, he married Countess Hanska, a rich Polish lady with whom he had corresponded for more than fifteen years. Five months later, Balzac died in Paris. Ward, Johanna: -Johanna Ward (a.k.a. Kate Reading) is an Audie Award-winning narrator and has received numerous Earphones Awards from AudioFile magazine. She is also a theater actor in the Washington, DC, area and has been a member of Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company since 1987. Her work onstage has been recognized by the Helen Hayes Awards Society, among others. She and her husband live in Hyattsville, Maryland, with their two children. |