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witajnieznajomy's review against another edition
5.0
juste incroyable. j'adore les récits d'amour avec un désir ardent qui ne fait qu'augmenter au fil de la lecture et zola ne fait qu'empirer mes sentiments. je me fais attraper dans le fan club, mais par ma propre faute.
katykelly's review against another edition
5.0
Zola is a name that's been on my 'must read one day, but he sounds hard' list for many a year. Why is it we fear the unfamiliar? Just as Scandinavian authors are experiencing a huge surge in popularity, other European names deserve to have their names highlighted too.
This is a gem. Like many, I enjoyed the BBC costume drama inspired by this book (The Paradise, now on series two). So finally, I plunged in. And what did I find? An eminently readable story, full of fascinating social history, meaty characters, and lots of dark humour.
This does differ immensely from the adaptation though (with good reason, I think, for the BBC audience). Recently orphaned, 20-year-old Denise brings her two younger brothers with her to start a new life in Paris, hoping to stay with her uncle and find work. But a cultural shift has already started, with her uncle's small shop falling behind the large store eating into profits and the customer base with its large-scale stock-buying, sales and grand elegance. Enamoured from the first, Denise finds work there, but the going is by no means easy. Owner, Octave Mouret gives her a job, and despite having more than one lover already, can't quite get the bright but meek Denise out of his head.
We also have a large supporting cast of Dickensian players, from the Jezebel-like Clara in Ready-to-Wear, to the stubborn shop-owners refusing to make way for progress (and Mouret) to the last breaths, to Denise's irrepressible ladies-man younger brother, always scrounging a few francs.
There is hardship, there is political talk, we see the daily running of a shop, we see the behind the scenes marketing strategies Les Bonheurs des Dames employs, we see the Sunday trips and rich ladies pickpocketing. A very full and lively account of life for the working (and upper) classes in Zola's day. And a marvellous description of the opulence and extravagance of this most incredible shop. built up from nothing, almost a character in itself.
This really isn't a hard read, and it's worthy of being much more widely read today for the fascinating lessons and descriptions it contains, as well as a nice little love story.
Do be aware that if you are reading it to see a fleshed-out BBC programme, it is VERY different, but that's no bad thing. It's a wonderful book.
This is a gem. Like many, I enjoyed the BBC costume drama inspired by this book (The Paradise, now on series two). So finally, I plunged in. And what did I find? An eminently readable story, full of fascinating social history, meaty characters, and lots of dark humour.
This does differ immensely from the adaptation though (with good reason, I think, for the BBC audience). Recently orphaned, 20-year-old Denise brings her two younger brothers with her to start a new life in Paris, hoping to stay with her uncle and find work. But a cultural shift has already started, with her uncle's small shop falling behind the large store eating into profits and the customer base with its large-scale stock-buying, sales and grand elegance. Enamoured from the first, Denise finds work there, but the going is by no means easy. Owner, Octave Mouret gives her a job, and despite having more than one lover already, can't quite get the bright but meek Denise out of his head.
We also have a large supporting cast of Dickensian players, from the Jezebel-like Clara in Ready-to-Wear, to the stubborn shop-owners refusing to make way for progress (and Mouret) to the last breaths, to Denise's irrepressible ladies-man younger brother, always scrounging a few francs.
There is hardship, there is political talk, we see the daily running of a shop, we see the behind the scenes marketing strategies Les Bonheurs des Dames employs, we see the Sunday trips and rich ladies pickpocketing. A very full and lively account of life for the working (and upper) classes in Zola's day. And a marvellous description of the opulence and extravagance of this most incredible shop. built up from nothing, almost a character in itself.
This really isn't a hard read, and it's worthy of being much more widely read today for the fascinating lessons and descriptions it contains, as well as a nice little love story.
Do be aware that if you are reading it to see a fleshed-out BBC programme, it is VERY different, but that's no bad thing. It's a wonderful book.
nadnadina's review against another edition
emotional
informative
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
lodge22's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
bookeen_la_rouquine's review against another edition
5.0
pour quelqu'un comme moi qui a passé plus de 10 ans dans le commerce, cette histoire résonne forcément. le mépris des clientes, de la hiérarchie...tout cela m'est forcément familier. je me suis donc facilement identifiée à Denise. ..A côté de cela, une écriture magnifique, une critique de la société de consommation ont fini de me charmer et de m'emporter. ....bref vous l'aurez compris me voilà réconciliée avec zola!
drsldn's review
5.0
I have been meaning to read this for literally years (since 2005) because it is a important source for retail history (one of my research interests at work). It was added to our bookclub library because the owner enjoyed the recent television series and so I took the opportunity to discover if I should purchase a copy myself. And yes I should!! Apart from the excellent Introduction and Select Bibliography - worth the investment in themselves - the story makes very good reading and is rich with observed details: not just the facts of business and promotion, but also a sense of the physical and psychological lives of the people working in the grand new department stores, and their customers. The love story between Mouret and Denise was slightly irritating, mostly because it stayed true to society at the time and praised the woman's steadfast purity, hard work and forbearing. Blazac does try to allow Denise some independence of thought and she has a strong character, but her talent for promotion and innate retail skills are expressed more in terms of her gentility and stoicism in the face of rude customers (The television Denise is much more of a 21st century lass!) Unlike other 19c authors, Balzac doesn't try to imply that all of society behaved with decorum: he is very matter-of-fact that very often the only way the shopgirls had to keep themselves fed and housed was to take a lover, and he doesn't try to imply this was because they were debauched in any way. The Paradise is a fascinating social history with a bit of romance thrown in and I wish I'd read it earlier
austinttodd's review against another edition
4.0
I’m surprised with myself i finished this — it was, all things considered, pretty good though!
lisacaffeine's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
kvest's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
pooklatirelire's review against another edition
3.0
the plot was fine like all the other classics. the writing was too flowery despite the beautiful prose and i always was on the verge of falling asleep. and the only thing i can remember from the whole plot was that i read it in paris.