"Eugénie Grandet" is a novel first published in 1833 by French author Honoré de Balzac, who included it in his ambitious "Human Comedy" project in the section "Scenes from provincial life."
The townspeople in Restoration-era French wine country take a lively interest in the competition to find a husband for Eugénie, the daughter of wealthy local landowner Felix Grandet, as there are few pathways to prosperity besides inheritance in early 19th century France. Felix is a miser extraordinaire, reinforcing Balzac's theme of money becoming the new god in France, and tragedies ensue, one after the next.
ISBN 978-1-58977-079-9
Molière & Co. #17