Reviews

The Fortune of the Rougons by Émile Zola

andyru's review against another edition

emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

tom84629's review

dark sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

drskaninchen's review against another edition

4.0

I already enjoyed reading two novels in the Rougons-Macquart series. This first installment of the series describes a family, dealing with an uprising of republicans against the French monarchy. While the young Silvére en Miette show genuine inocence, the rest of the world (with exeption of his uncle Pascal) are driven by greed and feelings of revenge.

Zola's style of writing is excellent and I felt drawn into his world from the first page. The characters are interresting, even though they are sometimes for from sympathetic. This said however, I have to give a warning. This is not an uplifting book. It has scenes of astounding cruelty and a very dark worldview. You will need to call a friend, to cheer you up after this. That said; it is a novel which will make you glad that you have read it. It will give you a personal view into the lives of an extraordinary family, in a small French town.

showell's review against another edition

3.0

Truly vast amounts of exposition and relatively little dialogue compared to modern novels. I remember reading Germinal about 20 years ago. I assume it also had long swathes of exposition, but I don't remember it bothering me then. But I was reading almost exclusively Victorian novels at the time, and the difference in the narrative structure wouldn't have seemed so obvious.

nnjack68's review

dark sad medium-paced

4.0

mk92's review

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

cruzsg23's review

dark emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

5.0

Stunning achievement. A mixture of humor, history, and horror as greedy, selfish people scheme patiently for decades in order to attain wealth and power. Along the way, a republic dies as Napoleon III takes power. Zola's observations about human nature remain sharp and relevant. I see many parallels to the US in 2024. This book reminds me why fiction can feel more powerful and true than non-fiction: it can be both condensed and more detailed than a history book, with characters the reader comes to know as people, resulting in a deeper impact when each one meets their fate. I'm tempted to dive right into the next installment of Zola's 20 novel series.

rubyy2008's review against another edition

adventurous informative reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

cellassis's review against another edition

4.0

Un très bon roman grâce auquel nous suivons l'épopée de Pierre et Félicité Rougon à la recherche de la gloire et de la fortune... Les personnages sont détestables à souhait, mais je ne peux pas nier le fait que j'ai beaucoup apprécié les voir monter leurs machinations. Un livre méconnu de Zola que je recommande autant pour son aspect historique que pour le plaisir malsain que l'on a à voir ces affreux jojos courir après la fortune.

bonnyflo's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional informative reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0