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L'Assommoir (the Drinking Den, or DRAM Shop)
L'Assommoir (the Drinking Den, or DRAM Shop) | Emile Zola
Widely acknowledged as one of Emile Zola's masterpieces, "L'Assommoir" is a novel immersed in the harsh poverty and relief-giving alcoholism of working-class Paris in the nineteenth century. At the heart of Zola's shockingly realistic descriptions is Gervaise, a mother abandoned by her lover who must learn to survive alone on what she can earn. When she marries the abstemious roof-worker Coupeau and manages to open her own laundry, life is for a while successful and happy. Unfortunately, Coupeau is seriously injured shortly after the birth of their daughter Anna, and his plunge into heavy drinking soon proves ruinous for the entire family. A contemporary commercial triumph, Zola's novel sparked discussion and criticism in both the social and literary realms, establishing the author's international reputation for a masterful use of the French language that devastatingly depicted the tragedy of realism.
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sisilia
L'Assommoir | Emile Zola
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Pickpick

4.5⭐️ In this book, Zola chose the themes of poverty, alcoholism, and domestic violence. Zola being Zola, he didn‘t hold back 😭 My heart broke for Gervaise Macquart 💔 and she‘s been haunting me. I can‘t stop thinking about her.

sisilia “L‘Assomoir is without any doubt the most chaste of my books… I wanted to depict the inexorable downfall of a working-class family in the poisonous atmosphere of our industrial suburbs. Intoxication and idleness lead to a weakening of family ties, to the filth of promiscuity, to the progressive neglect of decent feelings and ultimately to degradation and death. It is simply morality in action.” — Emile Zola 6mo
44 likes1 comment
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sisilia
L'Assommoir | Emile Zola
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I started this book last year but I stopped halfway. I picked it up again recently and I have about 80 pages left. It‘s sooooo sad 😭 I will forever remember Gervaise Macquart 😢

REPollock Haven‘t read this one but I‘ve read a couple other books by him and they were both very sad too. 😢 7mo
sisilia @REPollock That‘s the thing with Zola… leaving the readers damaged emotionally 😑 7mo
BarbaraBB Hmm. Now I want to read it! What does that say about me?! 7mo
See All 8 Comments
Daisey Zola is an amazing storyteller, but so incredibly frustrating and sad. 7mo
Ruthiella OK, you have convinced me to pick my Zola project back up. I‘m reading in the suggested order, the next one will be La Curée. April or May! Watch this space. ? 7mo
sisilia @Daisey Indeed! 7mo
sisilia @Ruthiella That‘s one of my fav. Crazy Saccard! Go for it, Ruth! I have 7 more left… not sure when I can finish them all 7mo
42 likes8 comments
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sisilia
L'Assommoir | Emile Zola
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There‘s a chapter where Zola brought the reader to the Louvre. I enjoyed the mini tour so much I spent a lot of time googling the mentioned artworks

Dilara That's fantastic ! 11mo
IuliaC That's a great collage! 11mo
45 likes2 comments
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sisilia
L'Assommoir | Emile Zola
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Back to Zola (book 13/20). I expect to be emotionally bruised 😅

46 likes1 stack add
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sisilia
L'Assommoir | Emile Zola
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Talking about Zola, I‘m so excited that my next read will be L‘Assommoir. This and the next four books are all about Gervaise Macquart‘s family 😍 The best part of the series!!! But first, let me take a break from Zola. I‘m still recuperating from the last book 😁

TheBookHippie Oh how lovely. ♥️ 2y
batsy Beautiful stack 😍 2y
50 likes2 comments
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Kaag
L'Assommoir | Emile Zola
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First trip to the library sale room since Covid began. Couldn‘t pass up a clean first edition Murakami even though I already have it in paperback, The Kindly Ones was just added to my wishlist over the weekend, G.J. Meyer wrote an excellent history of WWI so I was real excited when I heard about The Borgias (a pet fascination of mine) and it‘s about time I picked up some Zola.

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Daisey
L'Assommoir | Emile Zola
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April was a very different reading month from March. I continued reading with various groups, including keeping up with the #BibleBuddyRead, completing 2 books for the #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead, another #PemberLittens read, our #LitsyBookClub pick, and 4 #1001books. The French novel L‘Assommoir by Zola ended up being my favorite because of its amazingly detailed description of everyday life in Paris.

#ReadingStats #MonthlyStats #BookSpinBingo

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Daisey
L'Assommoir | Emile Zola
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Pickpick

This book is amazingly descriptive, bringing the reader right into the lives Gervaise and her family. The first half was fascinating to listen to and then as things really began to spiral downward it became an increasingly more difficult listen. There‘s so much pain and misery in the lives of these people that Zola so unflinchingly describes.

#audiobook #1001books #translated #France
#Reading1001 BotM April 2022

EvieBee Are you reading through his Rougon-Macquart series? 3y
Daisey @EvieBee No, I‘m mainly reading his books that are on the #1001books list. So far, that‘s been Germinal. Nana is also a group read this month, but I need a break between the two so not sure I‘ll get to it soon. 3y
48 likes2 comments
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Daisey
L'Assommoir | Emile Zola
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I‘m about halfway through listening to this novel, translated as The Drinking Den, and Zola‘s description of the every day life of these working class people in 19th century Paris is so incredibly detailed. I‘m completely drawn into the story of their lives while continually cringing as I see things beginning to spiral out of control. I want so much for Gervaise to turn things around again although I know it‘s not to be.

#audiobook #1001books

BarbaraBB I have send you two books today! 3y
Daisey @BarbaraBB Thank you! I just saw an email that they were on their way as well. 3y
52 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Kristelh
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Daisey I started listening to this yesterday and Zola‘s description completely pulled me in. 3y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 3y
8 likes1 stack add2 comments
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ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled
L'Assommoir | Emile Zola
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Am obsessed with The Paradise on Netflix, so Im starting an Emile Zola novel on dailylit.com. Any other recs for best Zola novel I should start right away?

ScorpioBookDreams I loved this series. Such a shame they cancelled it. 8y
LeahBergen I loved this series, too! 8y
29 likes2 comments