Bel Ami (Hardcover)

from baswood

Published in 1885 this novel is considered as one of the 'grand classiques' of French literature, regularly appearing in schools as a text for further study. Maupassant is probably more famous for his short stories which were considered slightly riské in 1950's translations, that appeared in pape...

from KimMR

For a novel published in 1885 and set in the Paris of that period, this novel has a remarkably modern feel. It's about sleazy journalism, corrupt politicians, sex, money and power. And through it all is the Bel-Ami of the title - Georges Duroy, who uses his liaisons with rich and / or powerful wo...

from ocgreg34

Georges Duroy wants more from life than just his dreary job and constant lack of funds. While moping around Paris, he happens upon a friend and former soldier who convinces him to try writing, setting him up at his paper -- the Vie Française -- where he's tasked with writing an article about his ...

from Kristelh

Bel Ami (good friend), what a man. At first we see him, he is walking the streets with barely the money to eat more than one meal a day and quench his thirst. He meets a friend from his military days and George is off. This man rises by using people. I read a review of another reader that compare...

from arubabookwoman

George Duroy is a penniless ex-soldier when this novel opens, but he is amoral and ruthless as he climbs his way to the top of Parisian society. His good fortune is due primarily to the mistresses he chooses and discards as his needs dictate. He's not a 'family values' kind of guy; his nickname, ...