Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

When I described this book to my wife, she said, "Sounds like Victor Hugo," and I responded, "Yeah, but not nearly as good."

I enjoyed the characters so much that I would consider reading another Balzac novel to see them again. However, the monologuing and overall pacing really brought this down for me. It was so overwrought that I got impatient during portions of it.