5 h 34 minAudiobook7 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if the fiercest battle in a marriage begins before the vows, over the terms of a contract?
In Bordeaux, in the years after Napoleon, wealthy Paul de Manerville wants to marry Natalie Evangelista. He is generous and trusting; she is clever, strong-willed, and schooled in society by her mother. Before they can marry, their families must settle a contract that puts money and control at the heart of their future.
In The Marriage Contract, Honoré de Balzac turns courtship into a contest of advice, pride, and legal skill. Paul's cynical friend Henri de Marsay warns him about marriage. At the bargaining table, loyal Mathias faces polished Solonet, the Evangelistas' notary. Every term matters when two fortunes, not just two hearts, are about to join.
What you’ll discover
- A trusting man tested Follow Paul as his generous nature meets people far more practiced in protecting their interests.
- Charm with a purpose Meet Natalie and Madame Evangelista, whose social skill gives the marriage talks their sharp edge.
- The notaries' quiet battle Watch Mathias and Solonet turn careful legal bargaining into a struggle over the couple's future.
- Money behind the vows Explore how property and pride shape private choices that seem to belong to love.
- Society under close watch Enjoy Balzac's sharp social comedy as he connects household display, personal ambition, and the law.
Who will love it
For readers who enjoy sharp social comedy, French fiction of the 1800s, and stories where money drives the plot. Marriage, property and family pride turn polite bargaining into a contest for power.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A young man comes home to Bordeaux
- Marsay gives cold advice about marriage
- The Evangelista household and its charming mask
- The notaries fight the first battle
- What the story says about money and marriage
- How Balzac tells the story
Who’s who
- Paul de ManervilleA rich, kind and trusting young man of Bordeaux who wants to marry well and is not as guarded as he should be.
- Natalie EvangelistaA beautiful, intelligent and strong willed young woman, trained by her mother in the ways of society, who has plans of her own.
- Madame EvangelistaNatalie's mother, a widow of Spanish and Creole background, who manages her household and her daughter's future with skill.
- Henri de MarsayPaul's friend from Paris, a cynical and brilliant man of the world who warns him that marriage is a legal contest.
- MathiasPaul's older family notary, careful and loyal, who tries to protect his client's fortune in the negotiation.
- SolonetThe notary for the Evangelista side, polished and clever, who knows how to win points without seeming to push.
Formats and delivery
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- Audiobook
- 5 h 34 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 7 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
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Le Contrat de mariage
by Honoré de Balzac · 1835
Paul de Manerville wants to marry Natalie Evangelista, but two notaries battle over his fortune and their future.
Medium level5–10 hours to read25 languages
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In short
The Marriage Contract is a short novel by Honoré de Balzac, first published in 1835. It belongs to the Scenes of Private Life, one section of his huge series of linked books called The Human Comedy.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A young man comes home to Bordeaux
Paul de Manerville is the hero, though not a heroic one. He is a young man of good family and comfortable fortune from Bordeaux, easygoing, generous and rather easy to lead. He has spent time in Paris, where he moved among fashionable men and learned some of the tastes of the capital.
He returns to his home city and begins to think about marriage. In Balzac's world, a man of his rank does not simply fall in love and wed. He looks at fortune, family and standing, and he asks what a wife will bring and what she will cost.
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What is The Marriage Contract by Balzac about?
It is about a rich young man from Bordeaux who wants to marry, and about the talks between two families and their notaries over the contract. The book treats marriage as a contest over money and power.
Who is Henri de Marsay in The Marriage Contract?
Marsay is Paul's friend from Paris, a cynical and clever man of the world. He gives Paul hard advice about marriage and the need to protect himself in the contract. Balzac uses him in several other books.
When was The Marriage Contract written?
It was first published in 1835 as part of Balzac's Scenes of Private Life. It is fiction, but it draws on real French customs of marriage, property and law in the early 1800s.
The author
Honoré de Balzac
1799–1850 · French novelist
Honoré de Balzac was a French novelist and playwright born in Tours in 1799. He lived and worked in Paris, where he died in 1850. He wrote The Magic Skin in 1831, Eugénie Grandet in 1833, and Father Goriot in 1835. Many of his works belong to La Comédie humaine.
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