
By Honore De Balzac
PIERRETTE
I. THE LORRAINS
II. THE ROGRONS
III. PATHOLOGY OF RETIRED MERCERS
IV. PIERRETTE
V. HISTORY OF POOR COUSINS IN THE HOME OF RICH ONES
VI. AN OLD MAID’S JEALOUSY
VII. DOMESTIC TYRANNY
VIII. THE LOVES OF JACQUES AND PIERRETTE
A quiet October morning in the provincial town of Provins opens the story, where a sixteen‑year‑old laborer wanders the modest square, observing the rhythm of mills, the scent of climbing roses, and the neat stone façades that hint at the lives of the town’s modest bourgeoisie. He is drawn to a freshly renovated house with its distinctive weather‑vane hunter, heart‑shaped shutters, and a lone calico curtain that catches the sunrise, a small detail that lifts his spirits amid the otherwise plain surroundings.
Through his eyes the narrative gently explores themes of youthful hope, the weight of social expectation, and the bittersweet longing that colors everyday life. The young man’s soft Breton song, a wedding ditty full of promises and inevitable constraints, foreshadows the tender yet melancholy journey that will unfold for the people connected to this house. Listeners are invited to step into a world where simple observations reveal deeper emotions, setting the stage for a story of love, duty, and the quiet struggles of the heart.
Language
en
Duration
~5 hours (293K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by John Bickers, and Dagny, and David Widger
Release date
2005-08-10
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1799–1850
A giant of French fiction, this restless, ambitious storyteller built a whole literary world in La Comédie humaine, capturing the dreams, vanities, and struggles of 19th-century society. His novels still feel lively because they care so much about money, power, love, and the ways people reinvent themselves.
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by Honoré de Balzac

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by Honoré de Balzac

by Honoré de Balzac

by Honoré de Balzac

by Honoré de Balzac

by Honoré de Balzac

by Honoré de Balzac