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Cousin Bette

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Cousin Bette

By: Honoré de Balzac
Narrated by: Johanna Ward
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About this listen

 The Bette referred to in this magnificent novel's title is Lisbeth Fischer, an excruciatingly cunning poor relation who both depends upon and nurses a terrible grudge against the family of her beautiful cousin, Adeline. That family is slowly being ruined by the uncontrollable sexual appetites of Adeline's husband, Baron Hulot - appetites that will, in time, give Cousin Bette opportunity to exact her vengeance.

Balzac described Cousin Bette as one of his "scenes of Parisian life", and it is certainly that. It offers us a hypnotic vision of that infinitely varied city during the bright, vital, scandalous, and sexually untrammeled era of King Louis-Philippe. The courtesans, swindlers, bankers, artists, murderers, detectives, and saints populating this world pass before us invested with a verve and vividness unsurpassed in the history of the novel.

(P)1999 Blackstone Audio Inc. Classics

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All stars
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The best narration I have ever heard in an audiobook. Reflecting and maintaining the nuances as well as the stark differences between all characters such that they are recognised ‘on sight’ (and without becoming parodies) is a rare skill. The fact that it is married to the best work ever produced by Balzac (IMHO) made it a great experience for me.
As for the story…. If you thought Austen’s characters put money before love then the French beat them hands down. In conversations between characters, every new name is followed by “They have two / ten / twenty thousand a year”. It makes you wonder what (if any) benefit the country got from ridding itself of monarchy fifty years earlier, when the aristocracy and bourgeoisie remained so odious (and in control). Which I guess was Balzac’s point…

The best narration

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I really enjoyed listening. Great characters, though it did take a little while to sort them all

Great story telling

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Couldn’t find anything to moan about. This was a great audio book and gives an insight to 19th century culture and morals.

19th century classic.

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It feels almost sacrilegious to be giving this book just 3 stars when for nigh on two centuries the great and the good of the literary world have been showering praise on it and its author! It’s about resentment and revenge, profligacy, grandiosity, shameful behaviour, avariciousness, vanity, male foolishness and libido. With all these sins on parade you’d expect the story to fairly bounce along, but for me it just dragged - rather a lot. How many times do we need a scene where a pretty woman entertains three men simultaneously, each one thinking he’s her only lover and unsuspecting of the others, to get the point that she’s an amoral scheming hussy and they’re conceited gullible fools? Yet permutations of this scene are played over and over again, and you long for some variation.
Balzac shines a light on the corruption, greed, idleness and lack of morality of certain members of the haute bourgeoisie and its imitators of mid 19th century Paris which is quite entertaining but, again, rather repetitive. The cast of characters is quite limited - we don’t get to see a whole panoply of people weaving their way in and out of the story - so misdeed after dastardly misdeed committed by just a few lose their impact. The social commentary (if that’s what it is) wears a bit thin when heaped on so few protagonists. The author shows very little in terms of landscape (except for interior furnishings) or context, so overall I found this novel to lack depth and breadth. The Catholic message which is ramped up towards the book’s end comes across as extremely contrived, especially as personified by the Baroness whose goodness and forgiveness are mindless, masochistic and bovine.
At times I found the slight ‘foreignness’ lingering in the translation to be a bit jarring. This is exacerbated by the narrator turning up the dial on a French accent with some of her characterisations. Johanna Ward has a very attractive voice with perfect diction but doesn’t add much variation between characters and does some rather odd things with rural or ‘working class’ ones! But she pronounces all French names and places beautifully and was a joy to listen to even if you had to replay from time to time to determine who was talking!

Slightly underwhelming!

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Its brilliantly narrated but was a little boring after a while as the storyline essentially repeats endlessly with different players… I was keen to get it over with after a bit. I definitely think there should be warning that the N word is used and there’s some anti semitic views as well.

Rambling & racist in parts

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I enjoyed this a great deal. A wonderfully interesting story about sexuality, morality and family in mid-19th C Paris. The characters were satisfyingly complex and were brought vividly to life by Balzac’s precise and perceptive prose, and by Johanna Ward’s pleasingly crisp narration.

Vivid and enjoyable

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Beautifully narrated. 👏👏👏👏. Am an old fan of this work and very impressed with this translation and narration.

Stunning

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Bette (also known as Lisbeth) is a spinster who dislikes her extended affluent family in Paris the Hulots. Bette is 42yr old and only receives interest from suitors due to her family connection with the successful Hulots. Bette resents this and harbours jealousy for the Hulot's daughter who is also seeking a husband and 'steals' Bette's love interest causing Bette to hate them all the more. Bette seeks vengeance via Baron Hector Hulot who is womaniser living beyond his means to lavish gifts on mistresses. Baron Hulot meets Bette's young pretty married friend Valerie and ends up having an affair. This works in Bette's favour to ruin the Hulots whilst Valerie simply enjoys the gifts and trinkets. I have probably said too much so will just say most meet their demise except one.. read the book to find out who has the HEA.

As the story unravels there is deceit, jealousy, rage and sexual passion. The book gives great insight into the bourgeois Paris society in the 1840s. I gave 3 stars because at some point in the book it felt like wading through treacle, rather than fluid free flowing, however it was worth persevering through. It is the first Balzac book i have read and with great plots and interesting characters i will probably read more in future.

Interesting characters and great plot, however had to push through the middle but is a 19th century French soap opera!

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The narrator emphasised the wrong parts of sentences and paused in odd places, almost running out of breath at times. Shame as it’s a wonderful story.

Great story but poor narration

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Dickens (and Victorians in general) may be accused of the hypocrisy of public virtue and private vice but that cannot be said of Balzac. Almost all the characters are obsessed with money and virtue is generally frowned upon. Written by the author in 1846 it reflects the lifestyle of the Parisian rich. Never boring the story gallops along. Less poignant than Pere Goriot it nevertheless provides a fascinating (if very unflattering ) portrait of the lives of the rich and powerful and their courtesans.. The voice acting is superb, all characters have their own unique voices and the tone and intonation are pitch perfect. If the lives of the rich characters seem disgustingly shallow readers can take comfort from the fact that there was a revolution in 1848! Great fun and definitely not politically correct.

Deliciously amoral tale of Parisian elite in 1846, brilliantly read

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