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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
now i know to never read zola again the long descriptions are HELL but plotwise this was more interesting than nana i think
I read this in college for an honors class and was totally engrossed in the story, but by the time I finished the dreary end, I remember throwing the book across my dorm room. Too sad!
2.5 stars
‘Virginie talked of the country. She would like to be buried at the corner of a wood with wildflowers on her grave. Mme Laret has already put in her wardrobe a sheet for her shroud, and she kept it perfumed with a bunch of lavender; she wished always to have a nice smell under her nose when she would be eating the dandelions by the roots.’
‘Virginie talked of the country. She would like to be buried at the corner of a wood with wildflowers on her grave. Mme Laret has already put in her wardrobe a sheet for her shroud, and she kept it perfumed with a bunch of lavender; she wished always to have a nice smell under her nose when she would be eating the dandelions by the roots.’
I'm not going to bother summarizing this book because many people have done so quite well already. The obvious main point of the book was to talk about the evils of drink. I can't help but read this from a feminist perspective however, and most of the time I found myself thinking that if Gervaise wasn't such a doormat and/or there wasn't such weird rivalry between the women combined with the men acting like idiots, things might not have been so bad for her. Even so, she's a weirdly likeable character, and this book has that great quality in which you both love and hate many of the characters at the same time.
The description is kind of the best thing about this book. This is the first thing I've ever read by Zola, and although he tends to go on and on, I was enchanted with the well-written and obviously painstakingly-researched accounts of every task no matter how mundane or seemingly simple.
I actually listened to this on librivox and it was probably helped by the fact that almost all of the readers were quite good. It's not cheerful or life-changing, but it is a very good read.
The description is kind of the best thing about this book. This is the first thing I've ever read by Zola, and although he tends to go on and on, I was enchanted with the well-written and obviously painstakingly-researched accounts of every task no matter how mundane or seemingly simple.
I actually listened to this on librivox and it was probably helped by the fact that almost all of the readers were quite good. It's not cheerful or life-changing, but it is a very good read.
dark
informative
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
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes