Eugénie Grandet

Honoré de Balzac · 1799–1850 · France

Originally Eugénie Grandet (French)

Why it matters

A provincial heiress falls for her feckless cousin while her miserly father hoards gold under a locked door: Balzac's tightest, coldest study of avarice, where love has no chance against a father who counts and recounts his coins.

At a glance

Tight, controlled prose and a small cast make this one of Balzac's most approachable entries.