The Masterpiece by Émile Zola

The Masterpiece

Les Rougon-Macquart #14

Émile Zola

15 hours, 35 minutes • first pub 1886 (view editions)

fiction classics dark emotional reflective slow-paced
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The Masterpiece suits a reader drawn to slow-burn, emotionally intense narratives that explore the cost of unrelenting ambition and the fragile intersection of genius and madness.

Description

Perhaps the most autobiographical of Zola's Rougon-Macquart cycle of novels, The Masterpiece is a hard, bleak, and raw portrait of unrecognised artistic genius. Claude Lantier, brother to Nana and son of Gervaise, is a struggling painter who dream...

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Community Reviews

3.86
based on 463 reviews

Moods

dark: 68%

reflective: 66%

sad: 66%

emotional: 62%

challenging: 33%

inspiring: 22%

tense: 22%

informative: 20%

adventurous: 4%

funny: 2%

lighthearted: 2%

Pace

45% of readers chose medium
54% of readers chose slow
medium
slow

Plot or character driven?

18% of readers chose A mix
81% of readers chose Character
A mix
Character

Strong character development?

68% of readers chose Yes
15% of readers chose Complicated
15% of readers chose No
Yes
Complicated
No

Loveable characters?

22% of readers chose Yes
51% of readers chose Complicated
25% of readers chose No
Yes
Complicated
No

Diverse cast of characters?

19% of readers chose Yes
11% of readers chose Complicated
69% of readers chose No
Yes
Complicated
No

Flaws of characters a main focus?

90% of readers chose Yes
6% of readers chose Complicated
3% of readers chose No
Yes
Complicated
No

Content Warnings

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