A Start in Life

A coach ride from Paris to a country estate sets the stage for one young man’s first hard lesson in the world. Oscar Husson, eager to impress and prone to boasting, cannot resist showing off before his fellow travelers, not realizing that his careless words carry real consequences for the people around him. Balzac uses the crowded coach and its liars, schemers, and dreamers as a small model of French society, then follows Oscar through the setbacks that slowly teach him prudence. Warm, funny, and quietly severe, this novel from the Comedie humaine traces the gap between youthful ambition and the patience that success actually demands. Available here as free PDF and EPUB editions.