Emile Zola

Advantages: great story and characters
Disadvantages: left me feeling a bit sick

...This is a review of a book titled Therese Raquin by Emile Zola. I have previously read one of Zola's other books titled Nana which was a story of a highly paid courtesan in Paris and found the book entertaining therefore when I saw a copy of Therese Raquin, I grabbed it immediately. However, this is a very different book. The story starts by introducing a particular street or rather arcade in 19th century Paris where the shops and the owners are equally dusty and forgotten by the world. One of the shops is a haberdasher's shop where you see two women, young one and older one as well as a man all spending their days in the shadows among the yellowed bonnets and laces. Therese Raquin is the younger woman who is married to Mrs Raquin's son - Camille, a weakling and a sickly man whom Therese detests. Her husband is in fact her cousin... Read review

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Advantages: Short and emotional
Disadvantages: Not Zola's best

...Born in April 1840, Emile Zola grew up in beautiful Aix-en-Provence, France, before moving to Paris at age 18. Forging himself a career as an art reviewer whilst working for renowned French publisher Hachette, Zola eventually settled as an author and has provide a number of novels which continue to delight and astound to this very day. I do have to mention the fact that, as with a few of the Hesperus Press titles I have recently bought, this book not only covers Zola’s short story dutifully titled For A Night Of Love, but also Nantas and Fasting, all three of which I will review for you my dear Ciao member. For A Night Of Love (42 Pages) Emile Zola’s For A Night Of Love is my first taste of one of France’s most acclaimed writers and has not failed to live up to my expectations. Utterly pleasing in every sense, it tells the story... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: you might decided to read the book
Disadvantages: that I might have put you off reading the book

...During my local hunt through the Oxfam bookshop in Canterbury I came across Emile Zola’s Germinal, a bargain at £1.49. While I like new books, there something about a tatty, well read second hand book, partly they are cheaper than most new books, and maybe because they have been read, and not just for show. To me there nothing worse that a house full of books, which still look brand new, not read and enjoyed, a bit like the Victorian idea of buying books in bulk to fill the newly build library to impress the friends. Anyway back to the book, the book was part of the original Penguin Classics, and was translated by Leonard Tancock. I would not know if this was a good translation, but the book read well, so I am not worried if it the definitive version. For me to understand a book you need to know a bit about the author, and the social... Read review

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