Customer Reviews

The Black Sheep (La Rabouilleuse)

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In his preface to this book, Balzac makes an interesting observation about 19th century France that seems to be a preoccupation of our century as well. Balzac states that young men who grow up without a significant male role model are destined to have a rough go in life. According to him, most of the tribulations that occur in The Black Sheep stem from the very fact that there was no father to steer the Bridau family.

The main focus of the book is upon two brothers, Philippe and Joseph Bridau, whose father has died, leaving their close to destitute mother to raise them. Phillipe ends up becoming an artist with a pretty dependable income. Joseph serves in Napoleon's army for a while until his final defeat and then, too proud to serve under the new government, becomes an unemployed gambler who steals money from his family only to throw it away at the tables.

You would think that their mother would favor Joseph with more love because he looks out for their family and provides a steady income and is completely devoted to her. She puts all of her love upon Phillipe, the ne'er do well who only sees humanity as a tool to further his own ends. She does this because she sees Joseph's profession as a painter as a waste of time in her practical mind. Real men become soldiers like Phillipe. So what if he's a vice filled man? She idealizes him so much that she can't see his faults.

Balzac is a genius. There really isn't a central character is this work. Everytime you think Balzac has settled upon a particular cast of characters, he exits them and enters a new set to interact with the plot. Constant reinvention. While Joseph is in jail for plotting against the government, Phillipe and his mother have to go rescue his rich uncle, who is being hoodwinked out of his fortune (a fortune, by the way, that the Bridau family is due to inherit) by a manipulating mistress and her lover.

This was a great novel. Not perfect, but great. Balzac is to me the most modern of the 19th century novelists writing in the Victorian age. He is not sentimental like Dickens. He was great at watching families squirming to get at money. Squirming to get money not for survival in most cases, but to attain status. All of the characters in this novel were drawn really well. Very strong. I would recommend any of the Penguin Editions of Balzac if you like this book.

As historian and novelist Balzac paints a picture of post Napoleonic France through the eyes of an impoverished family, and the trials of their lives. After a series of emotional hits, Balzac takes the reader through a contest of wits, set amidst a web of intrigue, and a very contorted family tree. The end result is an excellent story with a sophisticated plot which at times gives too accurate a portrait of the detachment of man. The Black Sheep also contains a short social commentary on New York, which though written 150 years ago, is still exceptionaly accurate.

This might be Balzac's greatest novel, it is certainly his most perfect. Elsewhere Balzac can be garrulous, here not a word is wasted. The plot has a classic, beautiful symmetry. We are driven forward at a rapid pace by the author's logic. (Forgive the cliches.) Balzac greatly admired the Machiavellian element in Stendahl, but in this respect he far surpassed Stendahl. One can be "too good for this world". Nice people finish last. To fight evil you must be almost as bad as the people who threaten you. We need scoundrels to protect us from external enemies, but then who will protect us from our protectors. Anyone interested in the Bush Administration's war on terror must read this novel.

I am fairly new to reading Balzac, and was pleasantly surprised by how quickly I became engrossed in the story. Balzac is a wonderful writer. His characters really come to life, and I became very attached to them, and didn't want the story to end. He touches on the best and worst qualities in people, and while I found I could really relate to his depiction of how "the majority" of people act, his heroes and heroines in the story are people you really grow to like and admire very deeply. And, the story takes some twists which were very unexpected. I loved this book!! What more can I say?

You're probably under the impression that crime doesn't pay. Allow Balzac to disabuse you of that notion. In "The Black Sheep," murder, ruthless ambition, exploitation of vulnerable geezers, and neglect of one's parents pay off quite handsomely. True, most of the villains eventually receive their comeuppance, but a major theme of the novel seems to be that as long as a person is wealthy, good-looking, and/or socially well-connected, the world is content to remain oblivious to his or her moral failings. The world respects power, money, and good looks, rather inexplicably associating these qualities with virtue. Conversely, the world is likely to attribute evil motives to those with the misfortune of being poor, powerless, and not particularly attractive. Balzac's most devastating conclusion is that even one's family members are swayed by outward appearances rather than inner worth: a mother will love her handsome, successful son more than her ugly, struggling son even if the former owes his success to dubious practices and ignores said mother while the latter is an honest person and a paragon of filial devotion.

The plot of this novel is complicated because there are multiple villains and each is busily hatching intricate schemes for self-advancement. Furthermore, each villain is attempting to undermine the other villains, so the web o' turpitude grows ever more dense as the story progresses.

I would classify this novel as historical fiction because so much of the plot requires an understanding of the political situation of the period. Most of the story is set in post-Napoleonic France. The political tensions between ultra-loyalists and liberals influence the fate of the characters, and the difficulties military men experience in adapting to civilian life is a recurring motif. For example, one character, Philipe, fights for Napoleon and is proclaimed a hero. When the Bourbon Dynasty is restored, he refuses to rejoin the army, preferring to spend his days drinking in bars with fellow veterans, reliving the Battle of Waterloo. (These Bonaparte loyalists apparently formed a sub-section of society at the time, a down-and-out but still formidable mob of soldiers rejecting civilian rule but no longer answering to military authority.) Philipe's decision to align himself with this group is pivotal to the plot of "The Black Sheep."

Half of the novel is set in Paris, the other half in the small town of Issoudun. Balzac contrasts Parisian manners and customs with provincial life and attitudes. This novel is part of Balzac's Human Comedy, specifically his "Scenes from Provincial Life."

All in all, an interesting book and a very quick read. I recommend it.

The print is way too small, makes it difficult to read. Other than that it's great story told by great author.

The Black Sheep is a little gem. This translation is well done - it captures the nuances and humor of Balzac. While Lost Illusions is still my favorite of all the Human Comedy books I've read to date, this is the one I would most likely recommend, particularly for students. It is much more accessible and interesting for a younger reader than Cousin Bette or Pere Goirot. Students would find it worth studying not only for the character and story development but also for the historical backdrops such as Champ d'Asile, the Bourbon Restoration and the issue of the returning soldier unable or ill equipped to be a productive member of society. There is also enough swashbuckling intrigue to keep one's interest.

Another occasion to live again an exceptionnal human adventure with Balzac.
A lot of emotion and intelligence ...