Bel-Ami (Barnes & Noble Digital Library)

Published in 1885, Maupassant's second novel is the cynical yet witty story of sex, money and power during France's corrupt Third Republic. George Duroy rises steadily from his Norman peasant origins, becoming a soldier in Algeria, and finally, a successful Parisian journalist. Christened "Bel-Ami" by his female admirers, Duroy achieves his substantial positions as leading editor and aspiring politician mostly through his manipulative relationships with a string of powerful and intelligent mistresses. The novel was hugely successful, going through thirty-seven printings in its first four months of publication.