Eugénie Grandet (Oxford World's Classics)

It is very good

I'm reading Eugenie Grandet in French and ordered this edition for help with the dense, sometimes archaic descriptions. Sylvia Raphael's translation renders Balzac's most complex syntax with elegance and clarity. I can now decipher all of the passages that puzzled me. Those who want to appreciate Balzac's distinctive approach that shocked fans of more traditional realistic novels, however, should consult the introductory essays, materials and notes supplied in even the less costly French paperback editions.

The font size is too condensed for my liking. I find it really hard to read such closely spaced words and hence wasn’t able to read this book. Disappointed as I was looking forward to reading this book, having read Le Pere Goriot recently.

I ordered this book because mention of Eugenie Grandet was made in another book I was reading (book by Anita Brookner). I loved this story and am going to check into ordering more books by Balzac. This book is a joy!!!

Great story, beautiful writing.

I felt like I was living in the Loire Valley in the 1800's when I read this book. It is a masterpiece that has been translated a few times. I suggest it as a must read if one is going to the Loire Valley for the first time.

French classic novel.

Great for making wine better.

Great literature outlasts its age because it has something original to say about the human condition. This is not great literature because it is out of date. It has nothing to say of relevance today and can be read only as a museum piece, an example of a gothic genre which was popular in the late 18th century in England and later in France. Poor Eugenie and her mother are wooden unbelievable saints, the miser is...just a boo hiss villain without depth, and the shallow handsome cousin does just what you would expect a shallow handsome cousin to do. The only really memorable presence is the brooding and intricately described house.