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blueyorkie's review against another edition
4.0
Ah, Zola!!! What a pleasure each time renewed when we open one of his works. Here is no exception. We are following a Mouret this time, Octave, more precisely. Having left his campaign, he landed in Paris, intending to conquer it. It quickly takes its marks, but the ascent is not doing fast enough. His solution: to seduce, always, and a lot. But it will not be smooth. But what we like about his intelligent, lively, prickly feather. Zola is once again attacking the Haute and is not tender. His characters too, which he knows very well, presented and developed - a real treat.
manolitagafotas's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
jgwc54e5's review against another edition
5.0
Octave Mouret arrives in Paris and moves into a new building in Paris. This book felt a natural follow on from [b:Nana|448908|Nana|Émile Zola|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1628108329l/448908._SY75_.jpg|89633]. In this novel it’s the bourgeoisie and their hypocrisies being exposed. The concierge constantly overlooks the obvious scandalous behaviours of the well off ‘what did not concern him did not concern him’ while attacking the working class boarders (the poor boot stitchers story is tragic) and the servants. It’s shocking, yet entertaining with almost no likeable characters and as the story finishes it comes full circle “Then Octave had the strange feeling that it was all beginning anew. His two years in the Rue de Choiseul were like a blank. There sat his wife, smiling at him, yet no change had come into his life; today was the same as yesterday, with neither pause nor stop.”
The church doesn’t escape “For a moment Father Mauduit stood alone in the middle of the empty drawing-room. Through the wide-open door he watched the throng of guests and, as though vanquished, smiled as once more he threw the cloak of religion over this corrupt bourgeois society, as if he were some master of ceremonies, veiling the canker in an attempt to delay the final moment of decomposition.”
Octave’s story continues in [b:The Ladies' Paradise|20252337|The Ladies' Paradise|Émile Zola|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1430645926l/20252337._SY75_.jpg|1540214]
The church doesn’t escape “For a moment Father Mauduit stood alone in the middle of the empty drawing-room. Through the wide-open door he watched the throng of guests and, as though vanquished, smiled as once more he threw the cloak of religion over this corrupt bourgeois society, as if he were some master of ceremonies, veiling the canker in an attempt to delay the final moment of decomposition.”
Octave’s story continues in [b:The Ladies' Paradise|20252337|The Ladies' Paradise|Émile Zola|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1430645926l/20252337._SY75_.jpg|1540214]
cloudytm's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
lourher's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
deslauriers's review against another edition
funny
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
dissendiumnox's review against another edition
4.0
Good, but repetitive and drags towards the end...
hiba59's review against another edition
3.0
Toujours fidèle à Zola, particulièrement à la série des Rougon-Macquart, cette fois avec Pot-Bouille, où à l'aide de la narration magnifique d'Emile on découvre un immeuble Parisien, et ses habitants qui nous sert comme modèle pour toute Paris, ou plutôt la société Française.
msand3's review against another edition
3.0
The seventh novel of the Rougon-Marquart cycle (in Zola's recommended reading order) picks up the story of Octave after he was sent away from home in the early chapters of [book:The Conquest of Plassans|21492091]. In fact, this novel might be described as the conquest of Paris -- not in any political sense, but for Octave, a provincial who arrives practically orphaned from Plassans and exits the novel firmly embedded as a bourgeois Parisian.
Zola's target here is the petty bourgeoisie, and he eviscerates them. Octave moves into an apartment populated by several families obsessed with social standing. They starve themselves and pinch pennies only to throw elaborate parties to make it appear they are well off financially. Young people wait cynically for older family members to die so they might attain their wealth through inheritance, and then battle each other for the scraps. Zola portrays mothers as essentially prostituting their daughters for the chance to snag a well-connected man, while scheming to trick potential male suitors out of dowries that they claim exist, but actually do not. Servants laugh and joke at these events in an alleyway stinking of rotting garbage tossed down from the various tenants (the symbolism here is not subtle!).
Into this arena Octave arrives with all the baggage of his Rougon and Marquart blood: a desire for wealth, a penchant for scheming, and a ravenous obsession with women. He begins working at a small shop called Au Bonheur des Dames (The Ladies' Paradise), where he courts Madame Hédouin, the married proprietress, in a cynical attempt to gain her favor. When her husband dies, Octave eventually gains both her and the business, establishing himself in this "pigsty" (Zola's word!) and eventually moving up in the social order. His story is continued in the sequel, [book:The Ladies' Paradise|28413], which I will be reading next.
I can imagine this being one of the more controversial Zola novels, with frank references to venereal disease, sex, and vulgar language. While the novel was fun to read at times, I found myself struggling to care about these banal characters, despite Zola's humor at their expense. Octave's story was the one unifying element that kept me turning pages. The rest of the novel seemed like scattershot glimpses into the lives of various detestable families. It is one of my least favorite Rougon-Marquart novels so far (I've only read about a third of them), but it still had its moments.
Zola's target here is the petty bourgeoisie, and he eviscerates them. Octave moves into an apartment populated by several families obsessed with social standing. They starve themselves and pinch pennies only to throw elaborate parties to make it appear they are well off financially. Young people wait cynically for older family members to die so they might attain their wealth through inheritance, and then battle each other for the scraps. Zola portrays mothers as essentially prostituting their daughters for the chance to snag a well-connected man, while scheming to trick potential male suitors out of dowries that they claim exist, but actually do not. Servants laugh and joke at these events in an alleyway stinking of rotting garbage tossed down from the various tenants (the symbolism here is not subtle!).
Into this arena Octave arrives with all the baggage of his Rougon and Marquart blood: a desire for wealth, a penchant for scheming, and a ravenous obsession with women. He begins working at a small shop called Au Bonheur des Dames (The Ladies' Paradise), where he courts Madame Hédouin, the married proprietress, in a cynical attempt to gain her favor. When her husband dies, Octave eventually gains both her and the business, establishing himself in this "pigsty" (Zola's word!) and eventually moving up in the social order. His story is continued in the sequel, [book:The Ladies' Paradise|28413], which I will be reading next.
I can imagine this being one of the more controversial Zola novels, with frank references to venereal disease, sex, and vulgar language. While the novel was fun to read at times, I found myself struggling to care about these banal characters, despite Zola's humor at their expense. Octave's story was the one unifying element that kept me turning pages. The rest of the novel seemed like scattershot glimpses into the lives of various detestable families. It is one of my least favorite Rougon-Marquart novels so far (I've only read about a third of them), but it still had its moments.
gloriatulwan's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0