Eugène Sue’s Luxury & Gluttony isn't a sermon. It’s a sprawling, character-driven drama that uses two of the seven deadly sins as a lens to examine the soul of 1840s Paris. Sue pulls back the velvet curtain on the ultra-wealthy to show the greed, jealousy, and moral decay festering underneath.

The Story

The plot follows several interconnected lives in Parisian high society. We meet aristocrats and nouveaux riches whose worlds revolve around extravagant displays of wealth—think multi-course feasts, priceless art, and scandalously expensive fashions. But this luxury is a trap. Characters are consumed by debt, social climbing, and a desperate hunger for more. Gluttony isn't just about food; it's an insatiable appetite for status, gossip, and sensory pleasure. The narrative weaves through drawing rooms and dining halls, where alliances are forged over champagne and broken over a single faux pas. The central tension isn't a single mystery, but the slow-motion unraveling of these glittering lives as their own vices catch up to them.

Why You Should Read It

What makes this book stick with you is Sue’s sharp eye for human weakness. His characters aren't cartoon villains; they're painfully real in their pettiness and self-justification. You’ll catch yourself recognizing modern versions of these social climbers and status-seekers. Sue was a master of the roman-feuilleton (newspaper serial), and it shows—the chapters end with little hooks that make you want to keep reading. He balances juicy melodrama with genuine anger about social inequality. You get the fun of the gossip and the luxury, but also a clear sense that this world is built on something deeply rotten. It’s a fascinating, immersive experience.

Final Verdict

This is a perfect pick for readers who love rich, historical settings packed with drama. If you enjoy authors like Dickens or Hugo for their social commentary and memorable characters, but wish their books had a bit more bite and scandal, Sue is your guy. It’s also great for anyone interested in the origins of the modern novel—this is prime, page-turning serial fiction from the 1840s. Fair warning: it’s a product of its time in pacing and style, so settle in for a detailed, character-rich journey. But if you do, you’ll find a story that’s surprisingly fresh in its critique of wealth, consumption, and the masks people wear.