Father Goriot by Honoré de Balzac
"Father Goriot" is a classic French novel that explores the themes of wealth, power, love, and social status in 19th century Paris. The narrative follows the lives of three main characters: a young, ambitious law student who seeks to rise above his modest background; an elderly, once-wealthy man who has sacrificed everything for his two ungrateful daughters; and a crafty, ruthless criminal who manipulates others for his own gain. Their stories intertwine in a boarding house, revealing the harsh realities of Parisian society and the destructive power of unchecked ambition and selfishness.
The 228th greatest book of all time
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- Published
- 1835
- Nationality
- French
- Length
- Medium
- Pages
- 300-400
- Original Language
- French
- Avg User Rating
-
(3.8)
- Alternate Titles
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- El padre Goriot
- Il Padre Goriot
- Le Père Goriot
- O Pai Goriot
- Ojciec Goriot
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This book is on the following 26 lists:
- 26th on The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Novels of All Time (The Novel 100)
- 41st on The 100 Greatest Novels (greatbooksguide.com)
- 76th on The 101 Favorite Novels of 'Le Monde' Readers (Le Monde)
- 78th on The Books That Built The French (TNS-Sofres/SNCF–Lire)
- 86th on The Telegraph’s 100 Novels Everyone Should Read (Telegraph)
- 99th on The Complete 500: OCLC (OCLC)
- 985th on Our Users' Honorable Mention Favorite Books of All Time (The Greatest Books Users)
- 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List (1,000 Books to Read Before You Die(Book))
- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read (The Guardian)
- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (The Book)
- 100 Best Novels in the World (Published in 1899) (The Daily Telegraph)
- 501 Must-Read Books (LibraryThing)
- As if You Don't Have Enough to Read, Fiction Edition (New York Times)
- C.K. Shorter List of Best 100 Novels (The Bookman February 1898)
- Fifty French Writers Choose Their Favorite 10 Books - Honourable Mention (On en garde 10 ! Pour la littérature)
- Harenberg Buch der 1000 Bücher (Harenberg Buch der 1000 Bücher)
- Harold Bloom's The Western Canon (The Western Canon (Book) by Harold Bloom)
- Have You Read 100 Great Books? (The Jasper Lee Company)
- Landmarks of World Literature (Cambridge University)
- Masterpieces of World Literature (Frank N. Magill)
- One Hundred Best Books (1916) (John Cowper Powys)
- The 100 Best Novels in Translation by Boyd Tonkin (Book)
- The New Lifetime Reading Plan (The New Lifetime Reading Plan)
- Top 100 Works in World Literature (Norwegian Book Clubs, with the Norwegian Nobel Institute)
- William H. F. Lamont’s 100 Best Novels (1947) (archive.org)
- W. Somerset Maugham’s Ten Greatest Novels of All Time (Great Novelists and Their Novels)