Part of La Comédie Humaine
First published 1994
Cesar Birotteau runs a successful perfume business in Paris. He prides himself on honest dealing and hard work. But prosperity makes him careless. When opportunities arise to expand, Birotteau borrows heavily and overextends his finances. He doesn't realize that du Tillet, a former employee he fired for stealing, now works behind the scenes to destroy him. Du Tillet orchestrates Birotteau's downfall with calculated precision. The perfumer's business collapses and his reputation crumbles. Bankruptcy looms. Yet hope appears in an unexpected form. Anselme Popinot, a gifted young businessman, loves Birotteau's daughter. Popinot devises schemes to restore the family's fortunes and honor. He battles against time and circumstance to save the man who might become his father-in-law. The question remains whether cleverness and devotion can overcome the damage wrought by revenge and financial ruin.
Genres: fiction, drama, classic-literature, literary-fiction, historical-fiction, 19th-century
Vibes: character-driven, morally-complex, redemptive, thought-provoking, tragic
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family, redemption-arc, revenge-plot
Setting: Paris
Period: 19th century
320 pages · Paperback · Penguin Books
Content warnings: death