Project Gutenberg 2005-08-26 Public domain in the USA. 501 Balzac, Honoré de 1799 1850 Balzac, Honore de Saint-Aubin, Horace de De Balzac, Honoré Balzac, H. de (Honoré de) Waring, James Scenes from a Courtesan's Life Wikipedia page about this book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splendeurs_et_mis%C3%A8res_des_courtisanes Produced by Dagny, Bonnie Sala, John Bickers, and David Widger "Scenes from a Courtesan's Life" by Honoré de Balzac is a novel written in the early 19th century that explores the complexities of love, ambition, and social status in Parisian society. The narrative primarily revolves around the lives of Lucien de Rubempre, a charismatic young poet grappling with his aspirations and his tumultuous past, and Esther, a courtesan striving for redemption and genuine love. At the start of the novel, we are introduced to Lucien at an opera ball, where he is the center of attention due to his striking good looks but is primarily searching for a woman who is absent. The social atmosphere is electric, illustrating the vibrant yet superficial nature of high society. The plot quickly unfolds to reveal Lucien's complicated relationships, including one with Esther, as the two navigate their respective challenges. Esther, battling her own demons as a courtesan, experiences a profound internal struggle, seeking to transform her life and win Lucien's love. Their interactions set the stage for a deeper exploration of love's redemptive power versus the societal constraints that threaten to tear them apart. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 77.1 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en France -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction French fiction -- Translations into English PQ Text Category: Novels Category: French Literature 1323885 2025-07-01T10:18:40.836479 text/html 1387829 2021-01-27T18:41:17 text/html; charset=utf-8 459565 2021-01-27T18:41:17 text/html; charset=utf-8 application/zip 540922 2025-07-01T10:18:54.786406 application/epub+zip 564525 2025-07-01T10:18:44.363521 application/epub+zip 555206 2025-07-01T10:18:42.951514 application/epub+zip 920165 2025-07-01T10:19:02.530441 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 888340 2025-07-01T10:18:53.883483 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 858424 2022-09-01T11:58:06.312309 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 1156772 2025-07-01T10:18:38.070522 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 1156665 2016-11-23T10:33:38 text/plain; charset=utf-8 439377 2016-11-23T10:39:18 text/plain; charset=utf-8 application/zip 1135887 2010-02-27T17:39:46 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 436676 2010-02-27T17:40:46 text/plain; charset=us-ascii application/zip 21654 2025-07-01T10:19:02.676379 application/rdf+xml 11572 2025-07-01T10:18:43.468516 image/jpeg 2767 2025-07-01T10:18:43.209496 image/jpeg 532427 2025-07-01T10:18:40.929513 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia fr.wikipedia More titles under Marriage, Ellen