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<book id="59145">
  <title><![CDATA[Père Goriot (Norton Critical Editions)]]></title>
  <isbn><![CDATA[039397166X]]></isbn>
  <isbn13><![CDATA[9780393971668]]></isbn13>
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  <best_book_id type="integer">59145</best_book_id>
  <books_count type="integer">149</books_count>
  <default_description>&lt;B&gt;About the Series&lt;/B&gt;: Each Norton Critical Edition includes an authoritative text, contextual and source materials, and a wide range of interpretations-from contemporary perspectives to the most current critical theory-as well as a bibliography and, in most cases, a chronology of the author's life and work.</default_description>
  <id type="integer">72392</id>
  <media_type>book</media_type>
  <original_language_id type="integer" nil="true"></original_language_id>
  <original_publication_day type="integer" nil="true"></original_publication_day>
  <original_publication_month type="integer" nil="true"></original_publication_month>
  <original_publication_year type="integer">1834</original_publication_year>
  <original_title>P&#232;re Goriot (Norton Critical Editions)</original_title>
  <rating_dist>total:1902|5:463|4:693|3:538|2:150|1:58|</rating_dist>
  <ratings_count type="integer">1902</ratings_count>
  <ratings_sum type="integer">7059</ratings_sum>
  <reviews_count type="integer">2679</reviews_count>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">148</text_reviews_count>
</work>

  <average_rating><![CDATA[3.71]]></average_rating>
  <ratings_count><![CDATA[1186]]></ratings_count>
  <text_reviews_count><![CDATA[85]]></text_reviews_count>
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59145.P_re_Goriot]]></url>
  <authors>
        <author id="228089">
      <name><![CDATA[Honoré de Balzac]]></name>
      <role><![CDATA[]]></role>
      <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/228089.Honor_de_Balzac]]></url>
      <average_rating><![CDATA[3.76]]></average_rating>
      <ratings_count><![CDATA[6325]]></ratings_count>
      <text_reviews_count><![CDATA[502]]></text_reviews_count>
    </author>
      </authors>
    <reviews start="1" end="20" total="2679">
    <review id="33098019">
    <user id="1096417">
    <name><![CDATA[Tyler ]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1096417-tyler]]></url>
  </user>
      <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>2</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="19th-century" />
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[Anyone; Dads; Guys]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[BBC Big Read list]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sun Sep 14 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Sep 17 11:18:33 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Sep 27 10:37:31 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[A distinctive element of this novel stems from its compactness. Most of the action takes place at a boarding house or a couple of other locations in Paris. The setup highlights the interaction between people, and the author’s astute observations about human nature set the story off. Balzac’s pro...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/33098019">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/33098019]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="562035">
    <user id="4693">
    <name><![CDATA[علی]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[3050, Denmark]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4693]]></url>
  </user>
      <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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        <shelf name="classic-fictions" />
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Apr 04 01:09:17 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Apr 04 01:09:28 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I read Balzac first, when I was very young, and I enjoyed the stories very much. The second time was when I became interested in history. That was even better. One (who?) has said that ”for better understanding France in 19. century, you’d better read Balzac”. He is the auther of ”Studies of...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/562035">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/562035]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="9993533">
    <user id="636744">
    <name><![CDATA[Nick]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Saint Paul, MN]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/636744-nick]]></url>
  </user>
      <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>2</votes>
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      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Dec 05 12:54:11 -0800 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Dec 07 14:04:31 -0800 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[The legend of Balzac- the 3-day writing marathons fueled by gallons of coffee, the monks robe, the ridiculously grandiose ambition, the secret passage leading to a back alley used to flee from his creditors- is a most delightful one, and so I was hoping to like this, his most famous book, rather bet...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/9993533">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/9993533]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="1774184">
    <user id="98951">
    <name><![CDATA[Cleyton]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Brazil]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/98951-cleyton-boson]]></url>
  </user>
      <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Jun 08 00:15:36 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Jun 08 00:18:40 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Balzac is perfect in this book where the good sensibility is mere moral pretend. At first view, Father Goriot is just a good old man that wants the happiness to his daughters. But they don’t love him as he would must be loved. His daughters have shame of him and blame him of his poverty. The good ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1774184">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1774184]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="20560530">
    <user id="329875">
    <name><![CDATA[Liza]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[New York, NY]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/329875-liza]]></url>
  </user>
      <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>true</spoiler_flag>
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      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[people who like stuff (or people who don't like people who like stuff but want to read about them)]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Tue May 13 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Apr 19 23:21:15 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue May 20 21:47:30 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Money, money, money! Makes the world go round? I don't know, that's what they say. It sure does in Old Goriot, which I found convincing. Also so compelling that I missed my stop while reading it on the T, and accidentally rode the train to the end of the line. The main lesson I learned was that no m...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/20560530">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/20560530]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="23699563">
    <user id="763730">
    <name><![CDATA[Stewart]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Oakland, CA]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/763730-stewart]]></url>
  </user>
      <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sun Jun 08 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Jun 04 12:31:10 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Jun 09 16:06:55 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This is a grand novel from the old school, pre-Hemingway: long passages of description, speeches that go on for a page, the seeking of fortunes by marrying rich men or women, dowries, and deathbed scenes. But I enjoyed this 1834 novel by Honore de Balzac, the first book I had read of this French aut...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/23699563">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/23699563]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="40179443">
    <user id="863443">
    <name><![CDATA[Jim]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Portland, OR]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/863443-jim]]></url>
  </user>
      <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Mon Dec 15 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Dec 15 17:05:18 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Dec 15 17:19:54 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Considered one of Balzac's finest, the action centers around an empoverished boarding house where the father of two society women is living out his days.  Once a successful businessman, he has given them almost all the wealth he had accumulated and is now living in poverty.  Among the many character...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/40179443">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/40179443]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="77082450">
    <user id="2898949">
    <name><![CDATA[Mr Grenouille]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[France]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2898949-mr-grenouille]]></url>
  </user>
      <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Nov 08 03:32:37 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Nov 08 03:38:01 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[&quot; Comme tous les esprits rétrécis, madame Vauquer avait l'habitude de ne pas sortir du cercle des événements, et de ne pas juger leurs causes. Elle aimait à s'en prendre à autrui de ses propres fautes. &quot;<br/><br/>&quot; Les petits esprits satisfont leurs sentiments, bons ou mauvais...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/77082450">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/77082450]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="70157621">
    <user id="1457001">
    <name><![CDATA[Stephen]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1457001-stephen]]></url>
  </user>
      <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sat Sep 05 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Sep 05 10:51:31 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Sep 05 11:40:33 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[&quot;Jamais une oeuvre plus majesteuesement terrible n'a commandé le cerveau humaine,&quot; Balzac wrote in 1834.  Almost certainly so!  Two main stories cross in this great novel:  the story of a young, ambitious provincial, Eugène de Rastignac, who loses innocence in the complex society and mor...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/70157621">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/70157621]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="27528948">
    <user id="541416">
    <name><![CDATA[Teresa]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Kenner, LA]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/541416-teresa]]></url>
  </user>
      <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sat Aug 09 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Jul 17 10:32:48 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Aug 09 22:59:23 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This is my third Balzac novel, and I've enjoyed every one.  Each read easy with wonderful descriptions, vivid characters, great dialogue and interesting plots.  Balzac is hard on every strata of society, but there's still plenty enough good qualities in at least a few characters and enough humor spr...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/27528948">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/27528948]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="72998741">
    <user id="1079207">
    <name><![CDATA[Laurie]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Montclair, NJ]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1079207-laurie]]></url>
  </user>
      <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Wed Sep 02 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Sep 30 08:54:44 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Sep 30 09:04:06 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[After starting several contemporary novels that couldn't hold my interest -- particularly Lorrie Moore's new one -- I picked up my first Balzac and was delighted to find I couldn't put it down! This was like reading Dickens or Wharton, but without all the extra descriptions of the streets and houses...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/72998741">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/72998741]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="4945255">
    <user id="300957">
    <name><![CDATA[Daniel]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Cambridge, The United Kingdom]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/300957-daniel]]></url>
  </user>
      <rating>1</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Aug 22 11:17:20 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Aug 23 03:10:13 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Did nothing for me.  I didn't see the point, or even catch the themes; or maybe I did and was just dissapointed that they were thin and uninteresting. ]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4945255]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="71176523">
    <user id="896151">
    <name><![CDATA[Yvette]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Minneapolis, MN]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/896151-yvette-guillaume]]></url>
  </user>
      <rating>0</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="currently-reading" />
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Sep 14 09:03:49 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Sep 14 09:08:40 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Florid prose, descriptive in excess, but a style of writing we don't encounter in modern authors - or at least, not to the same degree. I was reading this book for a French book club, and didn't quite finish in time for the discussion, so I am finishing it on my own. Found a decent free translation ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/71176523">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/71176523]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="54052921">
    <user id="1760278">
    <name><![CDATA[Brian]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Provo, UT]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1760278-brian]]></url>
  </user>
      <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Apr 26 16:07:48 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Apr 26 16:15:13 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Never read anything by Balzac until I brought this book along with me to France. Developed an annoying crease about 79 pgs into it, so I had to rip the book apart to make it readable. Started out dramatic to the teeth, but it picked up energy and urgency all the way to the end. Can see how it would ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/54052921">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/54052921]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="60656144">
    <user id="1361138">
    <name><![CDATA[Helynne]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Gunnison, CO]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1361138-helynne]]></url>
  </user>
      <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Fri Nov 01 00:00:00 -0800 1968</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Jun 22 11:39:22 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Aug 04 14:57:37 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[  <em>Pere Goriot</em> was my first foray into the huge oeuvre of Honore de Balzac, and I was instantly impressed.  In an early study for AP English, I even compared Balzac's style to that of Steinbeck, who remains a great favorite author of mine.   The comparison is not far off;  a fairly recent biographer ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/60656144">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/60656144]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="32237396">
    <user id="1479980">
    <name><![CDATA[Isil]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[France]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1479980-isil]]></url>
  </user>
      <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="france" />
        <shelf name="litterature" />
        <shelf name="xixe" />
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Sep 07 05:44:21 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Sep 07 14:15:17 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Le Père Goriot  est avant tout le récit d'une pension, la pension Vauquer où vivent les personnages qui forment la toile du roman. Le récit est surtout centré sur Eugène de Rastignac, jeune provincial venu étudier à Paris. Il s'agit ici du roman d'apprentissage d'un jeune ambitieux, mais qui...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/32237396">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/32237396]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="30427474">
    <user id="877481">
    <name><![CDATA[Alicia]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Vacaville, CA]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/877481-alicia]]></url>
  </user>
      <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[Marian the Librarian]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Mon Dec 01 14:26:37 -0800 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Aug 17 22:01:21 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Dec 01 14:26:37 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[My children love the &quot;Music Man&quot; so when Joshua and Rachel saw me reading Balzac, their eyes widened and they said, &quot;Mom!  You're reading a trashy book!&quot;<br/><br/>I'd give the storyline 2 stars, but because I like Balzac's wit and commentary I'll give it 3 stars.  In this book,...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/30427474">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/30427474]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="27054250">
    <user id="1300439">
    <name><![CDATA[Paula]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Bonney Lake, WA]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1300439-paula]]></url>
  </user>
      <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[Those tempted along King Lear's line]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[Balzac has been on my must read list for many years]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sun Aug 17 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Jul 12 13:13:32 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Aug 18 12:51:40 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This is basically King Lear (minus the Cordelia character) set in Paris during the Restoration period after the Napoleonic Wars. The main character is a young law student who becomes enchanted with the luxurious, though decadent, life of Parisian high society. He meets the charming, beautiful and we...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/27054250">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/27054250]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="23990114">
    <user id="1065514">
    <name><![CDATA[Lee]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1065514-lee]]></url>
  </user>
      <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Jun 08 10:16:55 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Jun 08 10:21:16 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[&quot;Yet now and then in some overwhelming tragedy evil and good are so strangely mixed that these selfish and self-centered people are forced to pause in their restless pursuit of their own affairs, and their hearts are momentarily touched; but the impression made on them is fleeting, it vanishes ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/23990114">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/23990114]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="63921396">
    <user id="406788">
    <name><![CDATA[Rachel]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Bloomington, IN]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/406788-rachel]]></url>
  </user>
      <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Tue Aug 11 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Jul 17 17:58:04 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Aug 11 21:57:47 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Vivid (if belabored) descriptions and characters and memorable portrait of high (and low) society in 19th c Paris. Balzac seems to have taken a pretty dim and cynical view of things --the world he shows us is seamy and the people in it are almost completely venal. Even the goodness and generosity of...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/63921396">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/63921396]]></url>
</review>
    </reviews>
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