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erinalbion's review against another edition
5.0
Oh my, what a delicious, fascinating nest of vipers! This reminded me a lot of Dangerous Liaisons, which Balzac references several times in the course of the novel. It is a tale of revenge, with multiple characters seeking retribution for wrongs done them. While the men of this book do not shine, the women most definitely do. They are devious, scheming, brilliant, and utterly dangerous. One of the most interesting themes seems to be the contrast in passivity vs action. One of the women is extremely pious and extremely virtuous and rarely ever acts to exert her own will. What chance will she have when pitted against two women who are willing to do whatever they have to to achieve a complete triumph over her and ruination of her family? This one will stay with me for some time.
ellaeunicem's review
emotional
sad
tense
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
4.0
nataalia_sanchez's review against another edition
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
edwardian_girl_next_door's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
A picture of Paris, with lurid flashes of decadence and sordidness in equal measure, filled with corrupted, tragic, kniving characters. As much as I was looking forward to reading it, the scandal was overdone and weighed down by other details and plotlines. My other reasons for disliking it are as follows:
This book is very specifically placed in time and location -- France after the 1840s -- and was clearly written for people during (or at least familiar with) that time. I am not one of those people; and as a result, I had a hard time keeping up with all the witty references, allusions, and bureaucratic spiderweb of pre-Second Republic France. It added an extra layer that made the plot and characters harder to access.
Speaking of plot and characters, I think de Balzac ended up hurting his storytelling by involving too many characters, and by making the interconnections between them far too complex. Perhaps it's a literary convention that hasn't aged well -- I know I'm fairly unused to it, but given what I've read of Dickens it might have landed better with readers of the era. Anyway, trying to follow the story on top of remembering how everyone is related was exhausting.
Finally, the ending was majorly unsatisfying. The beginning had me hooked, but as I wore through to the inevitable downfall, I lost my patience to care. Don't read this novel if you like likeable characters! Everyone sucks and repeats their mistakes, and that's the point (it's Realist literature, after all). But it wasn't compelling enough to justify itself for me, hence my "meh" rating. I think I'll be donating this book, as I don't think it's worth the trouble of revisiting the characters anytime soon.
This book is very specifically placed in time and location -- France after the 1840s -- and was clearly written for people during (or at least familiar with) that time. I am not one of those people; and as a result, I had a hard time keeping up with all the witty references, allusions, and bureaucratic spiderweb of pre-Second Republic France. It added an extra layer that made the plot and characters harder to access.
Speaking of plot and characters, I think de Balzac ended up hurting his storytelling by involving too many characters, and by making the interconnections between them far too complex. Perhaps it's a literary convention that hasn't aged well -- I know I'm fairly unused to it, but given what I've read of Dickens it might have landed better with readers of the era. Anyway, trying to follow the story on top of remembering how everyone is related was exhausting.
Finally, the ending was majorly unsatisfying. The beginning had me hooked, but as I wore through to the inevitable downfall, I lost my patience to care. Don't read this novel if you like likeable characters! Everyone sucks and repeats their mistakes, and that's the point (it's Realist literature, after all). But it wasn't compelling enough to justify itself for me, hence my "meh" rating. I think I'll be donating this book, as I don't think it's worth the trouble of revisiting the characters anytime soon.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Medical content, Death, Racism, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Murder, Gaslighting, and Grief
Moderate: Slavery, Suicide, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Antisemitism, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, and War
cinnarainbow's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
chandramukhi's review against another edition
too much time went past and I’ll forget how everyone is related so I need to start over
misfitmoxie's review against another edition
3.0
A well written story about how the frailties and poor decisions are, of course, really the fault of the women, be they temptresses or angels. There are much machinations and deals, and so much money being bandied about with everyone either owing or lending, dependant on their vices or virtues... And cousin Bette is over there creating a (twisted) masterwork symphony by plucking a few string here and there.
I am incredibly grateful I didn't live through the intense emotional manipulation and high drama of Paris in the 1840's. Eesh.
[The stars are for my feelings and opinions, not on the quality of writing or storytelling, which were both quite good.]
I am incredibly grateful I didn't live through the intense emotional manipulation and high drama of Paris in the 1840's. Eesh.
[The stars are for my feelings and opinions, not on the quality of writing or storytelling, which were both quite good.]
_marco_'s review
slow-paced
4.75
Cousin Bette follows the eponymous character Lisbeth, a certain Edmond Dantès of Parisian society, as she seeks revenge upon her cousin’s family for generally disregarding her and stealing her pseudo-lover. Lisbeth’s convoluted plan is brilliantly set and developed by the author and riddled with so much irony, double-entendres, and social commentary that I can only marvel at Balzac’s creative genius.
I loved the cast of characters that make up the story. They are given such individual personalities, complete with their own set of passions, philosophies, and personal little tics that give each of them such life. I especially loved Lisbeth’s character. Her thoughts and convictions were so emotive, her rage palpable, and her brilliance admirable. I also enjoyed the characters of Wenceslas for the first half of the book, and Josépha in the latter half, for reasons that become apparent as the story develops.
I also loved her ride-or-die relationship with Valérie — I found it quite endearing, despite the viciousness of their actions. They’re two perfect opposites, yet they get along and collude with one other in such a way that reminds me of my own strongest friendships (I promise that we are not wreaking anyone’s home!). I like to think that they were lovers.
There is also something to be said about the portrait of 1840s Paris that Balzac shows to us. I can see the appeal to a historian, but I found talk of interest rates and government services redundant and uninteresting, outside of the necessary context required for the story. I can appreciate the realism with which Paris is rendered by the author, but it takes away from the story’s timelessness and universality. Interspersed within the story was also Balzac’s occasional commentary on art, artistry, and taste, which I greatly appreciated.
There were moments of emotion that were incredibly poignant and beautifully written. I myself felt the hopeless resign of an old woman who will never experience love, her rage as all her hopes were stolen from her, the woes of a pious wife upended by her cheating husband, as well as the repentant plea of a sinner in terminal sickness.
I loved the cast of characters that make up the story. They are given such individual personalities, complete with their own set of passions, philosophies, and personal little tics that give each of them such life. I especially loved Lisbeth’s character. Her thoughts and convictions were so emotive, her rage palpable, and her brilliance admirable. I also enjoyed the characters of Wenceslas for the first half of the book, and Josépha in the latter half, for reasons that become apparent as the story develops.
I also loved her ride-or-die relationship with Valérie — I found it quite endearing, despite the viciousness of their actions. They’re two perfect opposites, yet they get along and collude with one other in such a way that reminds me of my own strongest friendships (I promise that we are not wreaking anyone’s home!). I like to think that they were lovers.
There is also something to be said about the portrait of 1840s Paris that Balzac shows to us. I can see the appeal to a historian, but I found talk of interest rates and government services redundant and uninteresting, outside of the necessary context required for the story. I can appreciate the realism with which Paris is rendered by the author, but it takes away from the story’s timelessness and universality. Interspersed within the story was also Balzac’s occasional commentary on art, artistry, and taste, which I greatly appreciated.
There were moments of emotion that were incredibly poignant and beautifully written. I myself felt the hopeless resign of an old woman who will never experience love, her rage as all her hopes were stolen from her, the woes of a pious wife upended by her cheating husband, as well as the repentant plea of a sinner in terminal sickness.
Lisbeth sat down and sombrely contemplated the youthfulness and distinguished good looks before her: the artist’s brow, the mane of silky hair; everything that called to her repressed instincts as a woman; and a few tears, instantly dried, dimmed her eyes for a moment. She looked like one of the frail, meagre, figures carved by medieval sculptors above tombs.
The only reason why I did not give it a perfect 5 is because, while the hot outbursts of feeling certainly added a lot to the story, I found that it was not as emotionally driven or as psychologically vivid as other stories I’ve read and adored, and the criticisms of the bourgeois and society did not help either. In some instances it almost felt like a gossip piece.
Overall a great read, I recommend it especially to those who read for the plot and historians who care for the nonsensical redundancy of 1840s Parisian bureaucracy .
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Racial slurs
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Racial slurs
Theres a few instances, especially near the end, where racial slurs are used in my translation of the novel. There is also some excessive exoticism and even racism/prejudice directed towards Brazilians and Polish people.amandaxhafaj's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5