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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
funny
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Well here we are, back in the muck of Paris with my buddy, Émile Zola.
This time, we are following Gervaise, who is probably related to someone from one of the other books, but I've completely lost track at this point. I do go back and look at a family tree each time I begin, but by the end it's all passed out of my mind again. One can assume she is from the bad side of the family, because things go pretty wickedly wrong for her in this book.
Gervaise wants to be a good mom, a good wife, a good worker. She wants to run her own laundry service! She wants her kids to eat nice food. Or any food at all, really. Her dreams are not over the top, and she is not naive in her hopes of achieving them. In fact, Gervaise seems quite a reasonable person.
So of course, things go disastrously wrong for her, over and over. This book is horribly sad, and most of the people in it act horribly. Anyone who shows any inclination to be good gets their comeuppance for it in the end. No one is happy. It's so cynical that it's kind of tiring. Sure, it is realistic that people act in this way. It might be reasonable for most people to act this way, most of the time. However, for all people to act this way, all of the time, is ludicrous.
Of course, Zola knows this. He is trying to make a point. All of his books are elaborate fables. This book's main subject is alcoholism. It is presented in extremely vivid detail. You are made to feel it deep inside of yourself. It is not a fun time.
I can't say I enjoyed this book as much as some of the others, but Zola is such a master at the things he does that he literally can not fail. His prose style is consistent and powerful. His characters are relatable and a little bit funny, if sometimes lacking in depth. He can construct a plot perfectly.
I am hoping that the series tends back towards the more fantastical elements that I enjoyed so much in La Conquête de Plassans and La Faute de l'abbé Mouret. However, I am happy with anything.
This time, we are following Gervaise, who is probably related to someone from one of the other books, but I've completely lost track at this point. I do go back and look at a family tree each time I begin, but by the end it's all passed out of my mind again. One can assume she is from the bad side of the family, because things go pretty wickedly wrong for her in this book.
Gervaise wants to be a good mom, a good wife, a good worker. She wants to run her own laundry service! She wants her kids to eat nice food. Or any food at all, really. Her dreams are not over the top, and she is not naive in her hopes of achieving them. In fact, Gervaise seems quite a reasonable person.
So of course, things go disastrously wrong for her, over and over. This book is horribly sad, and most of the people in it act horribly. Anyone who shows any inclination to be good gets their comeuppance for it in the end. No one is happy. It's so cynical that it's kind of tiring. Sure, it is realistic that people act in this way. It might be reasonable for most people to act this way, most of the time. However, for all people to act this way, all of the time, is ludicrous.
Of course, Zola knows this. He is trying to make a point. All of his books are elaborate fables. This book's main subject is alcoholism. It is presented in extremely vivid detail. You are made to feel it deep inside of yourself. It is not a fun time.
I can't say I enjoyed this book as much as some of the others, but Zola is such a master at the things he does that he literally can not fail. His prose style is consistent and powerful. His characters are relatable and a little bit funny, if sometimes lacking in depth. He can construct a plot perfectly.
I am hoping that the series tends back towards the more fantastical elements that I enjoyed so much in La Conquête de Plassans and La Faute de l'abbé Mouret. However, I am happy with anything.
Un poderoso affresco collettivo i cui personaggi sembrano consumare le loro povere esistenze all'interno di una serie di gironi infernali. Non esiste redenzione possibile per gli ultimi nell’universo di Zola: anche quando la fortuna sembra arridergli, si ha costantemente la sensazione di un imminente disastro, che puntualmente si verifica, quasi fossero su un piano inclinato destinato a condurli all'inevitabile fallimento. Questo introduce nell’opera un elemento meccanico, quasi deterministico, che non ammette riscatto e che, alla lunga, può avere un effetto di tediosa prevedibilità, specie quando manchi l'intensità quasi epica che può riscontrarsi, ad esempio, in "Germinale".
Read for FRENCH 369. So boring. So bored. I think I would have liked it more if I wasn’t reading it for this terrible terrible class. The story itself is interesting (I guess) and I did want to make it to the end to see how the characters turned out. Spoiler alert: they turned out bad (read: dead).
Read for FRENCH 369. So boring. So bored. I think I would have liked it more if I wasn’t reading it for this terrible terrible class. The story itself is interesting (I guess) and I did want to make it to the end to see how the characters turned out. Spoiler alert: they turned out bad (read: dead).
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Dementia
challenging
dark
slow-paced
No, co tak říct o Zabijákovi. Asi jsme o něm už všichni učili ve škole a nějaký masochistický učitel určitě teď nutí náctiletá dítka, aby to přečetli a interpretovali. Já jsem z toho na škole četl jenom úryvky, a tak jsem se v rámci sebevzdělávání rozhodl Zabijáka přečíst teď. A rozhodně to není žádná odpočinková četba.
Kniha sleduje asi dvacetiletý úpadek Gervaisy. Hned v úvodu je ponechána na pospas osudu svým přítelem/snoubencem - Lantiriem a musí se sama a bez peněz protlouct životem. Protože je to ale zkušená pradlena a nebojí se práce nakonec si nežije docela špatně. Pořádně se vdá, muž je pracovitý a mají se dobře. To všechno změní jeden pád se střechy a z Coupeau se stane jenom darmožrout co na práci ani nesáhne a všechny těžce vydřené peníze projí a prochlastá. Gervaisa to stejně pořád zvládá, ale nakonec se přidá i druhej vyžírka - Lantier se vrátí. Gervaise to začne být tak nějak všechno jedno a jak na to všichni serou tak postupně i upadá jejich život. Až se na konec nestarají o nic jiného než jenom o to mít nějak ten žvanec a panáka.
Tohle rozhodně není pozitivní kniha a vykreslení chudiny Paříže je absolutně brutální. Ženský a děcka se mlátí hlava nehlava, výplata se musí rychle propít něž se budou hlásit věřitelé nebo domácí a na jídlo zítra prostě nějak bude. Je tu všechno – pedofilie, umlácení děcek i žen k smrti a úplný úpadek soucitu a morálky, když jde do tuhého a doslova bojujete o přežití. Je to dobrá kniha? Rozhodně ano, ale z tohohle zážitku se budu léčit dlouho, nevím jestli na Zolu ještě někdy šáhnu. I když možná jeden nebo dva frťánky pomůžou, to bude pak jednomu veselo a zítra nějak bude.
Kniha sleduje asi dvacetiletý úpadek Gervaisy. Hned v úvodu je ponechána na pospas osudu svým přítelem/snoubencem - Lantiriem a musí se sama a bez peněz protlouct životem. Protože je to ale zkušená pradlena a nebojí se práce nakonec si nežije docela špatně. Pořádně se vdá, muž je pracovitý a mají se dobře. To všechno změní jeden pád se střechy a z Coupeau se stane jenom darmožrout co na práci ani nesáhne a všechny těžce vydřené peníze projí a prochlastá. Gervaisa to stejně pořád zvládá, ale nakonec se přidá i druhej vyžírka - Lantier se vrátí. Gervaise to začne být tak nějak všechno jedno a jak na to všichni serou tak postupně i upadá jejich život. Až se na konec nestarají o nic jiného než jenom o to mít nějak ten žvanec a panáka.
Spoiler
A po těch cirka dvaceti letech- Gervaisa chcípá v komůrce pod schody na balíku špinavé slámy, kompletně promrzlá a vyhladovělá.Tohle rozhodně není pozitivní kniha a vykreslení chudiny Paříže je absolutně brutální. Ženský a děcka se mlátí hlava nehlava, výplata se musí rychle propít něž se budou hlásit věřitelé nebo domácí a na jídlo zítra prostě nějak bude. Je tu všechno – pedofilie, umlácení děcek i žen k smrti a úplný úpadek soucitu a morálky, když jde do tuhého a doslova bojujete o přežití. Je to dobrá kniha? Rozhodně ano, ale z tohohle zážitku se budu léčit dlouho, nevím jestli na Zolu ještě někdy šáhnu. I když možná jeden nebo dva frťánky pomůžou, to bude pak jednomu veselo a zítra nějak bude.