A Woman Of Thirty by Honoré de Balzac. Short summary

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Julie marries the Count d’Eghelmont. The girl suffers because of the coldness of her husband, who later has an affair with another. Her husband’s friend offers to cure Julie and seduces her.

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A girl named Julie marries a young officer, a colonel, Count Victor d’Egelmont. The husband goes off to war, entrusting his wife to an old relative, the Marquise. The old woman notices that Julie is very sad and tries to unravel the mystery of her bad mood. The marquise replaces the girl’s mother and in time realizes that her ward has no feelings for anyone.

After the change of power, Victor is promoted to the rank of general, and Julie is forced to go to him in Paris. The Marquise dies. The girl suffers because of her husband’s coldness and incompetence and begins to fade. A daughter is born to the couple. Julie learns that her husband is having an affair with the Countess de Serizy. Arthur Grenville offers Victor to cure his wife and seduces her. The couple live apart, dating others.

Julie decides to flee with her daughter and Arthur, but her husband returns and locks Grenville in the balcony. After which the latter dies of a cold. When the heroine turns 30, she falls in love again, this time with Mr. de Vandenez.