Inheriting nothing from his dissolute father but a letter of worldly advice, the young Comte de Camors sets out to conquer Second Empire Paris by charm, nerve and calculation. Politics, a rich marriage and a dangerous liaison follow, while the gentle Élise de Tècle and her household at Reuilly stand for everything his philosophy leaves out.
A polished French society novel of the 1860s, for readers who like Balzac’s ambitious young men. Download the free EPUB.