Cousin Betty
Gelesen von Bruce Pirie
Honoré de Balzac
(4,705 Sterne; 78 Bewertungen)
Cousin Betty (La Cousine Bette), published in serial format in 1846, was one of the last and greatest of Balzac's works. It was part of his long novel collection titled La Comédie Humaine. Set in mid-19th-century France, it tells the story of a woman who resents her position as a "poor relation." As we follow her schemes to bring ruin upon the more privileged members of her family, we see a society in transition. The stability and idealism of the old order give way to a new bourgeois world in which virtue is strangled in the struggle for power and money. In this novel, Balzac searchingly probes the psychology and motivations of his characters: his work influenced the development of literary realism, as practised by writers such as Dickens, Dostoyevsky, Flaubert, Proust, and Henry James. - Summary by Bruce Pirie (17 hr 8 min)
Chapters
Bewertungen
Boojum
(5 Sterne)
Not only hats off, but also a deep bow for a peerless performance, among the best of any audio book I’ve listened to - and I’ve listened to dozens - including those by trained actors with professional production support. This achievement is especially impressive given the length of this novel, the intricacy of the narrative, and the challenge of pronouncing many foreign names and phrases. I enjoyed I want to go to the Forest of Nisene Marks S.P. Near Santa Cruz. The hike I’m looking at is essentially a big loop, probably 8-10 miles, but there are customization options. This will take us to the epicenter of the Loma Prieta Quake and include extensive creekside segments, my favorite. Plan to leave my place at 8. Given distance from SF and fact that these are new-to-me trails, this outing’s probably less than ideal for doing a partial with early departure... Cousin Betty from beginning to end and am very grateful. Thank you so much.
Phenomenal!
jenniebrown
(5 Sterne)
Cousin Betty is a psychological masterpiece in the cruel depths a human can reach. It is nearly impossible to put down once Balzac grabs your attention. Mr Pirie has presented me a problem though as I want only him to read every book on LibriVox! Thank you sir for your exceptional dedication to perfection.
kept me up to the end
Paladin
(5 Sterne)
i loved this book. the reader accurately interpreted each chapter. the twists and turns of the plot are unpredictable. each character presented realistic flaws and drove the story. the ending was disappointing but predictable. great book!
Unknown
(2 Sterne)
The novel is very boring. The basic story is interesting, but it is filled with names and sums. Racist sentiments abound. CB is best forgotten as a book, but a good dramatic version exists. A. Held
Enjoy
Compulsive Reader
(5 Sterne)
I highly recommend this work by Honore de Balzac. There are many more on my list by this gifted author. The narrator, Bruce Pirie is a joy to listen to. Thank you so much, JK
Angela
(4,5 Sterne)
lots of interesting and intriguing characters many of which are unlikable which adds up to a good book. the reader is great and I will definitely look out for more books read by him
well read but last 3 - 4 chapters have data issuez
(4,5 Sterne)
very well read but like other books this too has badly compiled files that kills the book- i had to read hardcopy
Sandra Hammond
(5 Sterne)
Doubt that i could read this long and detailed story myself Thank you Bruce Pirie for providing you beautiful voice to Lirivox. and for making Dr Balzac accessible