{"product_id":"2026200008875-secondhand-cousin-bette","title":"Cousin Bette","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition remarks:\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003eCondition: Good to fair. Paperback. Page Condition: Good - possible tanning. Markings: possible previous owner inscription.   \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA masterwork of psychological realism, Cousin Bette is one of Honoré de Balzac's most celebrated novels from his monumental La Comédie Humaine series, first published in 1846. The novel chronicles the slow, calculated vengeance of Lisbeth Fischer — an embittered, plain spinster overshadowed by her beautiful cousin Adeline — as she systematically works to destroy the Hulot family from within. Balzac presents a razor-sharp portrait of Parisian society during the July Monarchy, exposing the moral corruption, erotic obsession, and financial ruin lurking beneath its glittering surface. Written with an unflinching, almost forensic precision, the narrative illustrates how envy, when left to fester, can become a terrifying and all-consuming force. Cousin Bette stands as both a gripping character study and a sweeping indictment of bourgeois greed and vanity in nineteenth-century France.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Secondhand Stock","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48956423373019,"sku":"2026200008875-SECONDHAND","price":10.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0523\/7646\/9701\/files\/32a7ee7b-4033-4b11-9540-104145d8a15e.png?v=1783500859","url":"https:\/\/bookgrocer.com\/products\/2026200008875-secondhand-cousin-bette","provider":"Book Grocer","version":"1.0","type":"link"}