The Abbé Birotteau, a plump and placid priest of Tours, wants nothing more than his late friend’s comfortable rooms and furniture in the cathedral close. But his landlady, Mademoiselle Gamard, takes offence at small slights, and the silent, ambitious Abbé Troubert sees an opportunity. A campaign of petty provincial persecution follows.
One of Balzac’s finest short novels, a study of small cruelties and clerical politics for readers of The Human Comedy. Download the free EPUB.