A review by pagesofmilkandhoney
The Masterpiece by Émile Zola

4.0

I read this for my Impressionism class, and while I was at first annoyed that we had to read a novel, I'm so glad we did. It really is tragic watching the deterioration of the marriage and love story of Claude and Christine, feeling her pain at being upstaged by a painting that her husband is obsessed with and loves more than he loves her, but in an infatuating and obsessive way. This adds to the beautiful meeting they have at the beginning of the novel, as well as the loss of their child at the end. Jacques really is the victim in this entire piece, ignored by his father who doesn't notice him and always silenced by his mother who only wishes for the attention of her husband. The various other characters are miserable yet intriguing as well, and it's interesting to try and determine who their real life counterparts are in the Impressionism world. Nevertheless, what became a tragic story intrigued me, and I never regretted reading this for class once.