Welcome to Litsy!

One of my issues with 19th-century novels is how many of them began life as serialized publications. When you get paid by the word, you're going to use a lot of words, and while I don't begrudge anyone trying to make a living, even a writer of Balzac's level can't make me care about the topography of the Indre River valley for four whole pages. The first 50-75 pages of this were like literary Ambien, but there were enough compelling parts...

I knew, we knew, that what we were experiencing was anything but the grand historical event, the vain, colossal judicial spectacle that we all had good reason to fear at the beginning. No: this was something else: a unique experience of horror, pity, proximity and presence. It was only very late in the day that I realised that the white box resembles a modern church, and that something sacred had been taking place there.
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Image: BBC news site

5⭐️ I expected Germinal to be crazy, but I didn‘t expect it to be THIS crazy. Zola went all out. His graphic descriptions could be horrific at times, and he pulled his readers to experience it along with the characters. Coal mining is a messy business, and working as a coal miner is basically living in hell. Pour in the disparity and conflicts between the bourgeoisie and the workers, and you‘d get an unforgettable read.

"To explain society through a theory of individual happiness expressly sought at the expense of others is a lethal doctrine, the harsh connotations of which drive man to believe everything he secretly gains, without the legal system, society, or individuals perceiving the damage done, is properly and duly acquired."

This book may be a slog, but there are some great (and painfully relevant) quotes scattered throughout.

If you‘re into sexual power games and revealing the seedy under-belly of the upper crust, you should probably read Dangerous Liaisons – maybe just check out a few Wikipedia pages on pre-Revolution French nobility, if you‘re not already familiar ahead of time. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/dangerous-liaisons-pierre-choderlos-de-lacl...

He has an enormous practice; the authorities treat him with consideration, and public opinion protects him.
He has just received the cross of the Legion of Honour.
#MadameBovary #GustaveFlaubert #lastline #closingline #book #books #bookfeature #bookfeatures #bookfair #bookfan #bookfan #bookfandom #bookfever #bookfanatic #bookfrenzy #bookgeek #bookgeeks #Fiction #Classics #France #Lirearture #Romance #19thCentury #Novels #HistoricalFiction 💟💟💟💟

My December pick. #NF #12booksof2024

#25alive #winter

@Eggs @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

October was another low-volume reading month for me, so the competition was pretty thin. But Manon deserves it: a work I liked much more than I expected to do.

#12Booksof2024
@Andrew65