Eager to climb the social ladder in Napoleonic France, Julian Sorel becomes a cleric, which secures him a job as tutor to Monsieur de Rênal, the mayor of Verrières. Embarking upon a love affair with Madame Rênal, Julian dreams of still greater pleasures and prestige, in this psychologically astute 1830 novel by Stendhal. Entering an intense relationship with Mathilde, a marquis's daughter, Julian will use violence to strike a blow at the social order he so despises; when society prepares to exact a draconian revenge on the young man, both of the women who love him will try to save him. The abridged audio book appears in the classic C.K. Scott Moncrieff translation, read by Bill Homewood, whose skillful pronunciation of French names is one of the distinct pleasures of this reading.