A Woman of Thirty [Paperback]

Honore de Balzac (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 18, 2008

Honora de Balzac is considered the founder of social realism. Balzac was the first writer to write about the all social levels of the social scene in France. His vast collection of works encompasses the Restoration period and the July Monarchy. La Comedie Humaine was written between 1799 and 1850. This collection contains 95 novels, stories, and essays. A Woman of Thirty is composed of six separate stories. Early Mistakes; II. Hidden Griefs; III. At Thirty Years; IV. The Finger of God; V. Two Meetings; and VI. The Old Age of a Guilty Mother. In 1842 Balsac changed the names of the characters in these stories so that the adventures would be attributed to the same person. Julie is the linking character in all six stories. A Woman of Thirty is located in the Scenes de la Vie Privee of the Comedie Humaine.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Book Jungle (April 18, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1605974293
• ISBN-13: 978-1605974293
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars good...but not his best, November 2, 2011

By 

sally tarbox (aylesbury bucks uk) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Woman of Thirty (Paperback)

This novel actually follows our leading character, Julie, from being a teenager; in chapter 1 her father takes her to a review of the troops and notices her absorption in a certain handsome colonel whom he counsels her against marrying. The story moves on, father dies and Julie does indeed marry Victor. I dont want to spoil the book for you but there is marital discord, illicit love, parenting problems with one child ever left out in the cold (and the repercussions of THAT!) and the trials of old age. The book's weakness comes when Balzac leaves the more mundane themes of relationships and goes off on a flight of fancy with Helene's bizarre elopement and frankly unbelievable exploits thereafter

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A woman of thirty, August 29, 2009

By 

Ramo "ReadMore" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Woman of Thirty (Paperback)

I love French literature and Balzac has an extraordinary insight into human nature. I always wanted to read this book however the translation is not the best.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars TERRIBLE BINDING!, September 20, 2009

By 

BalzacGirl (new york, NY) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Woman of Thirty (Paperback)

I have two reviews for this book, but the most essential piece of information I can offer is that this book is very shoddily made - upon reading the book only once, it now looks like a well loved used book. Sections of pages cracked right out of the binding. Also, the edition has some strange text/typing issues which didn't bother me as much, but by all means spring for the other, slightly more expensive version.

I won't expound with a full review here, however this book is worth reading, especially to die-hard Balzac fans (of which I'm one). Learning that the piece was culled from unrelated stories made the somewhat shaky plot lines defensible, but it's strength is in just a few fantastic passages on women and age. A short read with some gems of prose - and how can you beat plot twists involving pirate queens? You'll see . . .