The Best Novels by Guy de Maupassant - Bel Ami and A Life. Mont-Oriol (from 2 books)

The brilliant literary talent of Guy de Maupassant is palpable in both his novels and his shortest stories. He not only described external events and the movements of the characters' souls in moments of utmost happiness or trials. The classic of French literature explored the often illogical and inexplicable nature of human actions. His prose is infused with sensuality, filled with subtle observations and an analysis of the eternal mystery called "passion". Each work of the author is a precise sketch from nature, and each image created by the hand of an unmatched master is expressive and vivid. "Bel Ami" is one of Maupassant's most powerful and well-known novels. In it, a cynical adventurer and womanizer builds a brilliant career thanks to his attractive appearance and a conscience that forgives any treachery. Profound psychology and vivid images combined with brilliant language ensured the novel extraordinary success across many generations. Three universally relevant literary themes - money, sex, and power - set against the backdrop of the socio-psychological life of France during the Third Republic. The heroine of the novel "A Life", Jeanne, dreamed of happiness, and right after her marriage, it seemed to her, a romantic, passionate, dreamy girl, that she had found it. Alas, these illusions were lost very soon. Her husband had no intention of being faithful to her, and only motherhood stopped her from deciding to end the marriage. Jeanne resigned herself to being an unhappy wife but passionately dreamed of being a happy mother. Alas, and these hopes quickly faded. Fate did not wish to be merciful to the heroine. But in the finale, the author, as if in pity, gives Jeanne a chance at happiness, for "life, whatever you say, is not so good, but not so bad as it is thought to be." The basis of the novel "Mont-Oriol" is a love story between Christiane Andermatt and Paul Bretnis, set in a fashionable hydropathic resort. As in other famous works by the author, the romantic relationships of the characters are closely intertwined with business, with the desire to get rich at any cost. Essentially, it is a social novel.