A review by melias6
The Human Comedy: Selected Stories by Honoré de Balzac

Only read 5 of the 9 selected stories that comprise this collection of Balzac’s The Human Comedy, a work that totals 137 finished and unfinished stories, novels, and essays in its completed form. Though the editor makes the case that Balzac’s shorter works highlight his strengths and influence better than his novels, I was half-heatedly pushing my way through stories that emphasized French politics and society without the benefit of roomy plot and character development. Maybe I should’ve attempted one of his tomes; for now, I’ll take France’s other 18th century realist Flaubert any day. Rating this feels unfair as it’s returning to my bookshelf unfinished, and I suspect it will remain that way for some time.