Age Group:
Adults- Registration is required for this event.
- Registration will close on May 27, 2026 @ 10:00am.
Program Description
Description
This month we will be reading Cousin Bette by Honoré de Balzac.
Poor, plain spinster Bette is compelled to survive on the condescending patronage of her socially superior relatives in Paris: her beautiful, saintly cousin Adeline, the philandering Baron Hulot and their daughter Hortense. Already deeply resentful of their wealth, when Bette learns that the man she is in love with plans to marry Hortense, she becomes consumed by the desire to exact her revenge and dedicates herself to the destruction of the Hulot family, plotting their ruin with patient, silent malice.
Cousin Bette is a gripping tale of violent jealousy, sexual passion and treachery, and a brilliant portrayal of the grasping, bourgeois society of 1840's Paris. The culmination of the Comedie humaine, Balzac's epic chronicle of his times, it is one of his greatest triumphs as a novelist.
The A.M. Book Group meets in person with an option to participate via Zoom on the fourth Wednesday of the month at 10:00 am. This book group does not meet in December. New readers are always welcome. Tom Madden is the facilitator.
*You may also choose to attend the program online. Everyone who registers below will receive the Zoom link.
Many of the book discussion titles can be downloaded via the Library's Hoopla or Libby accounts. Please reach out to the Adult Services Department if you need assistance with downloading the title. Personal copies can also be purchased at Books on the Common at a 15% discount.
If you are participating by Zoom and have not received your Zoom link by the day before the program please contact the Adult Services staff at 203.438.2282 ext. 201.
Disclaimer(s)
Accessibility
The Library makes every effort to ensure our programs can be enjoyed by all. If you have any concerns about accessibility or need to request specific accommodations, please contact the Library.
Online Programs
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