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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
Un clásico desgarrador y no porque hayan guerras y sufrimiento constante, sino por la inocencia de un hombre que su única intención siempre es darle lo mejor a sus hijas. Estas dos mujeres ya están casadas y tienen dinero, pero aún así se siguen aprovechando de su pobre padre que no va a poner limites a su amor, hasta el punto de sacrificar muchas cosas importantes.
No imaginé que me fuese a gustar tanto esta novela cuando comencé. La historia de un padre que se arruina dándole todo a sus hijas, siendo menospreciado por estás, sirve de telón a un estudiante ansioso por entrar en la vida de la alta sociedad Parisina, y todo el “fango” que se encuentra en el misma. Una novela que invita a la reflexión sobre lo que es moral e inmoral, y nos da una adecuada visión de como era la vida en aquellas épocas que muchas veces vemos en la actualidad como llenas de luces y pompas.
Wow.
[edit]: This book stayed with me for over a week. I could not stop thinking about it.
[edit]: This book stayed with me for over a week. I could not stop thinking about it.
I quickly fell in love with Balzac's prose upon cracking open this novel. Balzac is perhaps the first great critical narrator of the capitalist epoch--Rastignac, Vautrin, and Goriot each representing particular tropes, particular positions, within our cruel economic paradigm.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Set in post-revolutionary France Old Goriot explores themes of family, sacrifice, and social ambition; the novel centers on Eugène de Rastignac, a young law student, and his interactions with his fellow residents at a Parisian boarding house, particularly the elderly, impoverished Goriot. Through these interconnected lives, Balzac paints a detailed picture of the complex social fabric of early 19th-century France.
Translated from the French by Marion Ayton Crawford, the prose is deeply immersive and rich in detail, offering a vivid exploration of Victorian era French society; although its complexity and length can occasionally detract from the immediacy of the story as the pacing of the book crawls and the plot lurches forward in fits and starts, it feels at times like a grim and laborious slog through a dramatic and depressing world that feels as if it’s trying too hard to be important; still, the descriptions are meticulous and evocative, painting a detailed picture of the physical setting, whether it’s the shabby, cramped boarding house or the opulent salons of the aristocracy, giving a tangible sense of the world in which the characters navigate.
The key moment in the novel is during a convoluted and excessively verbose discourse between Vautrin and Eugéne, where Vautrin tries to convince Eugène to join him in a scheme to achieve wealth and power. Vautrin is offering Eugène a shortcut to wealth, but it comes with a price: abandoning conventional morals and taking risks that could lead to both success and danger.
I found the relationship between Goriot and his manipulative daughters exhausting and contrary. The dialogue between them was wildly theatrical and dramatic; his devotion towards them uncomfortable and borderline incestuous. In essence, he was simping for his daughters. Overall, there was nothing that resonated with me among any of the characters; they were all insufferable.
At a deeper level, what the story tries to convey (in a dense and protracted narrative) is the fragility of human relationships in a society driven by self-interest. It examines how love, when divorced from material realities, can be both a source of personal fulfillment and, paradoxically, a cause of personal destruction. In this sense, the novel serves as a speculation on the limits of altruism, the corrosive nature of social climbing, and the inevitable decay of ideals when faced with the starkness of societal forces. These themes still resonate in contemporary society, where issues of class, wealth, and the pursuit of power continue to shape individuals' lives.
Translated from the French by Marion Ayton Crawford, the prose is deeply immersive and rich in detail, offering a vivid exploration of Victorian era French society; although its complexity and length can occasionally detract from the immediacy of the story as the pacing of the book crawls and the plot lurches forward in fits and starts, it feels at times like a grim and laborious slog through a dramatic and depressing world that feels as if it’s trying too hard to be important; still, the descriptions are meticulous and evocative, painting a detailed picture of the physical setting, whether it’s the shabby, cramped boarding house or the opulent salons of the aristocracy, giving a tangible sense of the world in which the characters navigate.
The key moment in the novel is during a convoluted and excessively verbose discourse between Vautrin and Eugéne, where Vautrin tries to convince Eugène to join him in a scheme to achieve wealth and power. Vautrin is offering Eugène a shortcut to wealth, but it comes with a price: abandoning conventional morals and taking risks that could lead to both success and danger.
I found the relationship between Goriot and his manipulative daughters exhausting and contrary. The dialogue between them was wildly theatrical and dramatic; his devotion towards them uncomfortable and borderline incestuous. In essence, he was simping for his daughters. Overall, there was nothing that resonated with me among any of the characters; they were all insufferable.
At a deeper level, what the story tries to convey (in a dense and protracted narrative) is the fragility of human relationships in a society driven by self-interest. It examines how love, when divorced from material realities, can be both a source of personal fulfillment and, paradoxically, a cause of personal destruction. In this sense, the novel serves as a speculation on the limits of altruism, the corrosive nature of social climbing, and the inevitable decay of ideals when faced with the starkness of societal forces. These themes still resonate in contemporary society, where issues of class, wealth, and the pursuit of power continue to shape individuals' lives.
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It was so enjoyable, so beautiful but so heartbreaking.
Their father was really an angel. I felt bad for him...his love for his greedy and ungrateful daughters destroyed him from the inside.
His death was a real tragedy he sold his soul to make them happy. They were so selfishe and it really made me so sick.
The nerves that they both had to suck this man's blood and life till the very end... really made me sick to my stomach.
But the writing and the story was really a masterpiece.
I really can't wait to read more to Balzac.
Their father was really an angel. I felt bad for him...his love for his greedy and ungrateful daughters destroyed him from the inside.
His death was a real tragedy he sold his soul to make them happy. They were so selfishe and it really made me so sick.
The nerves that they both had to suck this man's blood and life till the very end... really made me sick to my stomach.
But the writing and the story was really a masterpiece.
I really can't wait to read more to Balzac.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes