Pere Goriot and Eugenie Grandet (Modern Library, 245.1)

When I picked up "Pere Goriot" about a year ago, I had only vaguely heard of Balzac and had a sense of "cultural obligation" in reading one of his works. While it took me a while to get rolling on the novel, it soon proved impossible to put down -- a work of incredible depth and beauty, combining the vividness of Lawrence, the emotional power of Dickens, and the universality of Shakespeare. I'll admit I haven't read the other novel -- "Eugenie Grandet" -- in this collection, but "Pere Goriot" was a reading experience I will not soon forget. Don't miss it!