A review by msand3
Adieu by Honoré de Balzac

3.0

3.5 stars. The madness of war leads to literal madness in this story by Balzac, who shows how the lingering impact of battle can eventually lead to death long after the war is over. The highlight of the story is Balzac’s description of the horrors of Berezina, which reminded me a bit of the opening pages of Tolstoy’s [b:The Sebastopol Sketches|50269|The Sebastopol Sketches|Leo Tolstoy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1441248297l/50269._SY75_.jpg|2279930]. Balzac also shows himself to be ahead of his time in dealing with the post-traumatic stress and psychological impact of war that would later be explored in 20th century fiction. Although this is not exactly top-tier Balzac, it’s worth tracking down for a read.