Cousin Bette (Barnes & Noble Digital Library)

Set in Paris, Cousin Bette tells the story of an unmarried middle-aged woman who plots the destruction of her extended family. As in many of Balzacs novels, its characters represent polarities of contrasting morality.

Critics hailed the book as a turning point in the authors arta prototypical naturalist text. Written in only two months, it is Balzac's last great work.