Guy de Maupassant

Opulence is sometimes deceiving. Madame Mathilde Loisel is displeased, she cannot go to a fancy party because she doesn't have anything to wear. Her husband tries to help her and gives her money to buy a new dress. She insists she also needs jewels so she borrows a diamond necklace from her friend, Madame Jeanne Forestier. After the party, Mathilde realizes that she lost the stunning necklace.

Collected in this edition are forty stories by Guy de Maupassant, the 19th century French author considered by many as one of the masters of the modern short story. Maupassant was a prolific author during his short life, writing six novels, 300 short stories, and three travel books before dying at age 42. Maupassant was influenced by the style of Gustave Flaubert and his stories are noted for their efficient prose and his seemingly effortless ability...

Extrait : "Ce jour-là le facteur Boniface, en sortant de la maison de poste, constata que sa tournée serait moins longue que de coutume, et il en ressentit une joie de vivre. Il était chargé de la campagne autour du bourg de Vireville, et, quand il revenait le soir, de son long pas fatigué, il avait parfois plus de quarante kilomètres dans les jambes..."

A vague jealousy, one of those dormant jealousies which grow up between brothers or sisters and slowly ripen till they burst, on the occasion of a marriage perhaps, or of some good fortune happening to one of them, kept them on the alert in a sort of brotherly and non-aggressive animosity. They were fond of each other, it is true, but they watched each other. Pierre, five years old when Jean was born, had looked with the eyes of a little petted animal...

George Duroy, a naive provincial determined to succeed in the Paris of the Third Republic, learns that the exploitation of women and sex attains quicker results than mere talent and hard work.

This tale of temptation and obsession chronicles Georges Duroy's rise to power from his meager beginnings as a penniless ex-soldier by using the city's most influential and wealthy women. Set in turn-of-the-century Paris, Duroy seduces Madame de Marelle then marries Madeleine Forester a former comrade's wife. Fueled by his insatiable quest and lustful greed, Duroy conquers Madame Walter, only to learn that every conquest is married by betrayal and...