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A review by blueyorkie
La Joie de vivre by Émile Zola
5.0
La Joie de Vivre is Pauline, a young orphan with cousins who casually work to pluck her. All her fortune will spend there, or almost, but not her joy of living. Yet, even faced with impossible love for her cousin, with the permanent sacrifice of her time and life in the service of the sick and suffering, Pauline forces herself to keep this good humour so essential to the house's smooth running.
I wonder how Zola could have the courage to push so hard on such an endearing character, so positive in all respects! Yet, everything, absolutely everything, ends up turning against her, and she stays standing. The meanness and selfishness of the people around her don't seem to affect her.
I will also remember a few pages of a barely sustainable anthology for the young mother: complicated childbirth, very tricky. Incredibly realistic and detailed pages amaze me, given the time and gender of the author.
In short, Zola never ceases to amaze me. Another extremely successful novel, flawlessly sharp, and breathtaking literary beauty!
I wonder how Zola could have the courage to push so hard on such an endearing character, so positive in all respects! Yet, everything, absolutely everything, ends up turning against her, and she stays standing. The meanness and selfishness of the people around her don't seem to affect her.
I will also remember a few pages of a barely sustainable anthology for the young mother: complicated childbirth, very tricky. Incredibly realistic and detailed pages amaze me, given the time and gender of the author.
In short, Zola never ceases to amaze me. Another extremely successful novel, flawlessly sharp, and breathtaking literary beauty!