[Bel Ami] Miss Duroy’s Rise to the Top

I originally planned to write an inhuman creature plus Lovecraftian horror, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get the right feel. It read like a world of insects. After much thought, I decided to change genres. I'll write about inhuman creatures another time. My apologies to the readers who were waiting for it.

The new novel is based on Guy de Maupassant's classic novel Bel-Ami and can be seen as a gender-swapped version of it. If a woman were in Duroy's position, how could she cross the class divide? Would it be harder for her to succeed than it was for Duroy? There are also a few elements from Père Goriot and Nana, but not many. You can still enjoy the story even if you haven't read them.

The actual blurb:

Rosamond Duroy is a country girl who comes to Paris to make a living. She uses a scheme to get close to a well-off childhood friend, who recommends her as a governess to Mr. Claude, a man separated from his wife. Rosamond's beauty and tenderness lift the spirits of the melancholy Mr. Claude, and she soon becomes his mistress. But he finds it difficult to divorce his wife. Unable to rise in status through him, Rosamond sets her sights on Lavalo, manager of Le Journal de France and a financial magnate.

Lavalo is serious and respectable, with a spotless family background. Nearly forty, he devoted himself to his career and son after his wife died, only to compromise his principles over Rosamond and almost marry her.

Unable to get a promise from Lavalo, Rosamond turns her attention to her friend's husband, the dashing and eloquent Martileno. She uses her visits to care for her sick friend as an excuse to flirt with him, eventually becoming Martileno's wife and officially entering high society.

Martileno comes from a common background and owes his current standing to the support of his father-in-law and a countess. After marrying Rosamond, his career stagnates. Unable to stand being the wife of a minor editor, Rosamond rekindles her old affairs with her first two lovers, then sets her sights on Lavalo's youngest son, a romanticist utterly unlike his father.

In one sentence: This is the story of an unscrupulous and breathtakingly beautiful poor woman who crosses the class divide. The story features rivalry between women and immoral relationships. If that bothers you, see you in the next book.