Lost Illusions (The Penguin Classics)

All that love-child Lucien Chardon inherited from his mother was her beauty. Honore de Balzac’s hero is a young provincial aspiring poet, whose forceful ambition is undermined by a feminine grace. Gifted, though vulnerable and inexperienced, he tries to infiltrate Paris’ captivating and capricious society. He soon learns that believing in himself and following his dream is not enough. He understands little about human nature. One of the greatest novels in his Comedie Humaine, Lost Illusions expresses Balzac’s boredom with provincial life and scorn for Parisian society. Engaging and ambivalent, Balzac both derides and admires his main characters, blending satire with sympathy.