Part of La Comédie Humaine
First published 1855
Celestine works as a chambermaid for a wealthy Parisian family, but her beauty and cunning drive bigger ambitions. She refuses to accept her station in life and uses her wit and charm to climb the social ladder. Her schemes draw her into scandals and intrigues that threaten to destroy everything she has worked for. She begins a love affair with a wealthy businessman while plotting to steal valuable jewelry from her employers. Each move she makes pulls her deeper into the corrupt world of money and power that she desperately wants to join. Balzac captures mid-19th century Paris as a society in transition, where old hierarchies crumble and new fortunes rise. Celestine embodies the ambitious spirit of her era, willing to risk everything for a chance at a better life.
Genres: fiction, drama, classic-literature, literary-fiction, historical-fiction, 19th-century
Vibes: atmospheric, introspective, morally-complex, satirical, thought-provoking
Tropes: rags-to-riches, social-climber, unreliable-morality
Setting: Paris, France
Period: 19th century, Mid-19th century
468 pages · Paperback · Kessinger Publishing