César Birotteau


Read by Bruce Pirie

(4.4 stars; 5 reviews)

“Rise and Fall of César Birotteau” (1837) is part of Balzac’s great novel series titled “The Human Comedy.”

The story is set in Paris, in the years following the restoration of the monarchy after the Napoleonic era. The masters of the old society — the aristocracy and the church — had been overtaken by a newly energized middle class, with its merchants, landlords, lawyers, and bankers. French society found itself in a new world of financial adventurism, floating on a sea of credit and speculation.

César Birotteau, a good-hearted and harmless man, has worked his way up from humble beginnings and earned community respect and commercial success as a perfumer. But now, as he tries to continue climbing the ladder, he finds himself entangled in a treacherous financial web. - Summary by Bruce Pirie (13 hr 59 min)

Chapters

Part 1. César at his apogee. Ch.1 50:58 Read by Bruce Pirie
Part 1. Ch.2a 43:15 Read by Bruce Pirie
Part 1. Ch.2b 46:55 Read by Bruce Pirie
Part 1. Ch.3 49:45 Read by Bruce Pirie
Part 1. Ch.4 56:36 Read by Bruce Pirie
Part 1. Ch.5 58:13 Read by Bruce Pirie
Part 1. Ch.6 1:07:39 Read by Bruce Pirie
Part 1. Ch.7 1:04:27 Read by Bruce Pirie
Part 2. César grappling with misfortune. Ch.1 53:37 Read by Bruce Pirie
Part 2. Ch.2 48:18 Read by Bruce Pirie
Part 2. Ch.3 50:17 Read by Bruce Pirie
Part 2. Ch.4 1:00:52 Read by Bruce Pirie
Part 2. Ch.5 1:02:46 Read by Bruce Pirie
Part 2. Ch.6 59:02 Read by Bruce Pirie
Part 2. Ch.7 1:06:43 Read by Bruce Pirie

Reviews

Another wonderful reading by Mr. Pirie.


(5 stars)

Bruce Pirie is brilliant reading Blzac.