Paris in the 19th century: The Goncourt brothers observe everyone of significance in France. Yet, they overlook the drama within their own home. Jules and Edmond de Goncourt share everything: the house, their thoughts, their work, and even their lover. Together, they visit Flaubert and Zola, attend exhibitions and restaurants with friends and acquaintances. Afterwards, they gossip about everyone they have met in a secret diary that they keep together. They become infamous for their keen eye, which supposedly misses nothing, and their sharp pen that records everything. Only the fate of Rose, their housekeeper, remains foreign to them. Alain Claude Sulzer's magnificent portrayal of the time and morals of 19th-century Paris has thrilled the press in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. "How elegantly Sulzer narrates, how confidently he observes the lives of the brothers, is a great mastery, very contemporary yet with the finesse and delicacy of the old masters. [...] An intelligent, entertaining, and truly special book." Elke Heidenreich.