Today's Featured Book:
The Earth (La Terre)
by Émile Zola
Genre: Fiction
Published: 1887
Page Count: 512 pages
Summary:
Zola's novel of peasant life is generally regarded as one of his finest achievements, comparable to Germinal and L'Assommoir. Set in a village in northern France, it depicts the harshness of the peasants' world and their visceral attachment to the land. Jean Macquart, a war veteran and now an itinerant farm laborer, is drawn into the affairs of the Fouan family when he starts courting young Françoise. He becomes involved in a bitter dispute over the property of Papa Fouan when the old man divides his land between his three children. Resentment turns to greed and violence in a Darwinian battle for supremacy.
That morning, Jean had slung a blue canvas seedbag round his middle and was holding it open with his left hand, whilst with his right he took out a handful of wheat and at every third step scattered it broadcast with a sweep of his arm.
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I have read five Zola books so far:
- L'Assommoir (2020)
- The Belly of Paris (2021)
- Nana (2022)
- Germinal (2024)
- Thérèse Raquin (2025)
I have loved all the books I've read. I declared myself a Zola fan after my first Zola read, L'Assommoir, the story of a poor washerwoman in Paris. My favorites are L'Assommoir and Germinal, the story of the workers in a mine in France.
The stories all deal with social injustice, with the huge gaps between the lives of the rich and the lives of the poor in France in the mid to late 1800s.
The lives of the characters in the novels I've read range from bleak to wretched to despondent.
As you might guess, there are no happy endings here.
I decided to read The Earth after reading a recent rave review of Zola's The Earth. Here are some reviews from other members of the Classics Club: Fanda, Karen K., and Katrina.
If you have read any Zola novels, I'd like to hear your thoughts. I welcome any recommendations for future Zola reads.
Zola is a great choice for Paris reading this month. I read some of his novels during a long stay in Paris some years ago, when my French was up to it. But your choice makes me think I could do some in translation now. Good idea
ReplyDeleteHappy 4th of july… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
The only language other than English in which I can read a book in its original form is French, and I am always glad for this ability. No matter how proficient the translator certain nuances are lost. I have no doubt that a Russian reading “War and Peace” appreciates it more than I do.
ReplyDeleteI have never read Zola and I think I should. Thanks for the reminder about this and other books.
ReplyDeleteEmile Zola is on my TBR but I have yet to read anything by him.
ReplyDeleteI've never read Emile Zola but I'm glad you like her books.
ReplyDeleteI have never read Emile Zola either, Deb. Thank you so much for sharing your posts, your presence here is very much appreciated, dear friend.
ReplyDeleteZola's 16th novel in the series is "The Dream." It is a change of pace and tells us the love story between Angélique and Felician...sort of Romeo and Juliet story! The Angélique is the daughter Sidonie (...cold and heartless woman.) Sidonie is the daughter of Pierre, the legitimate son of Adélaïde Fouque (tante Dide) her husband Rougon (from the first book). So that gives you the link in the family tree. Angélique is adopted by a loving couple (...childless)...and the story only gets better from there. Zola uses the walled garden behind the church as the place where the two lovers meet secretly....beautiful descriptons. It is such a sweet story and gives the reader a break from Zola's more profound novels in the series! It is only 200 pages, quick read and here is the ISBN 9781414275895.
ReplyDeleteThe bleak and harsh conditions which turn people almost into animals is about more than I can take any more.
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