Penguin Classics: Ursule Mirouet

‘An inheritance must be as carefully wooed as a beautiful woman; if you don’t try hard enough, both will escape you’

In the small town of Nemours the locals gossip about the extent of Dr Minoret’s wealth. When it is discovered that he intends to leave a large part of it to Ursule, his good-hearted, orphaned young ward, the avaricious Minoret relations scheme a way to get their hands on the fortune at any cost. Balzac considered Ursule Mirout, his simple, penetrating story of the struggle over an inheritance, his masterpiece. Part of his panorama of French life La Comdie Humaine, it is a touching portrayal of innocence and faith, informed by a strong sense of fate, the supernatural and divine justice.