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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
This was such a good book. I’m in complete awe of Zola’s writing. I couldn’t put the book down. It had everything. I could talk for hours about this book!!! I’m so excited to read the rest of the Rougon-Macquart series. Adding Émile Zola to my list of favorite authors.
informative
slow-paced
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Well, that was depressing.
Beautiful writing, though.
Beautiful writing, though.
I don't know how I really feel about this. I liked it? I didn't like it?
It feels like the type of book I should have read in college for a class or something. But I didn't, because I didn't read any French Literature in college. Brit Lit was where it's at.
It feels like the type of book I should have read in college for a class or something. But I didn't, because I didn't read any French Literature in college. Brit Lit was where it's at.
A very interesting book
Key words: historical fiction, classic, French literature, naturalisme
The Drinking Den, or L’assommoir, is a classic of the French literature. It is the seventh book in the Rougon-Macquart cycle.
It was a really interesting read, though I didn’t love it. I loved being taken to the Paris of the nineteenth century. I think it’s crazy of Zola manage to write books readers want to read and like event though there are almost no loveable characters.
This book is great in that it shows very well the negative effect of alcohol. Indeed, it is what pushes the characters down and even deeper in misery. Zola knows how to describe the scenes here, sometimes even a bit too much for me.
I recommend it to people who enjoy reading historical fiction with quite some descriptions.
3/5
Key words: historical fiction, classic, French literature, naturalisme
The Drinking Den, or L’assommoir, is a classic of the French literature. It is the seventh book in the Rougon-Macquart cycle.
It was a really interesting read, though I didn’t love it. I loved being taken to the Paris of the nineteenth century. I think it’s crazy of Zola manage to write books readers want to read and like event though there are almost no loveable characters.
This book is great in that it shows very well the negative effect of alcohol. Indeed, it is what pushes the characters down and even deeper in misery. Zola knows how to describe the scenes here, sometimes even a bit too much for me.
I recommend it to people who enjoy reading historical fiction with quite some descriptions.
3/5
Alright, this was definitely not my cup of tea. I wanted to stop reading this novel so many times but told myself to push ahead, and saw little reward for it. There is not much that I can take away from this except revulsion- perhaps it was just my translation and edition, but by the end I was quite tired of reading the words "hubby," "bitch," "cherry," and "tits." I can somewhat fathom the intrigue and controversy that this novel might have had during Zola's time, but it was an absolute chore for me to get through and provides little more than a familiar picture of bleak and frustrating squalor for the modern reader.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The bleakest, most heartbreaking novel I’ve read since Germinal. Zola really did just say “I’m going to create an environment that is so hopeless.”