Reviews

La bestia umana by Émile Zola

lostlibraryofatlantis's review against another edition

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5.0

La Bête Humaine nous place dans le contexte de l'univers des chemins de fers à la fin du XIXème siècle. Nous rencontrons Jacques Lantier, un jeune homme qui éprouve un mal étrange, à chaque fois qu'un rapport charnel se produit entre lui et sa femme, une folle envie de tuer naît en lui. Il préfère donc fuir sa femme avant de passer à l'acte. Jacques se sent apaisé uniquement lorsqu'il est aux commandes de sa locomotive qu'il affectionne d'ailleurs plus que la gente féminine. Un beau jour, Lantier et sa femme assassinent Grandmorin un personnage important. Après un court procès, la justice accuse et condamne Cabuche, un marginal sans qu'il ne puisse faire quelque chose pour empêcher cela...
L'univers du chemin de fer est admirablement restitué dans le roman, avec tout naturellement les innombrables descriptions qui font la force des autres romans de Zola, la locomotive prend également une place très importante dans l'histoire car la machine devient presque un être humain, d'ailleurs le titre même "la Bête Humaine" n'a certainement pas été choisi pour rien... J'ai beaucoup apprécié ce roman car d'une part la lecture n'est pas très complexe, l'histoire est véritablement intéressante et voir comment la machine peut prendre le pas dans l'esprit d'un homme... Je recommande vivement ce roman à tous les passionnés du genre !
Pour vous mettre l'eau à la bouche, Zola nous offre une fin des plus magistrale.

creta's review against another edition

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tense slow-paced

3.0

cindymajor's review against another edition

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4.0

Une de mes lectures obligatoires favorites en littérature au cégep. Lu d'un bout à l'autre avec grand plaisir.

raindropxox's review against another edition

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

5.0

This book was so interesting, I loved the exploration of the criminal mind and morality. I found Zola’s writing of Jacques and his internal struggle  fascinating, and liked how it really explored the dark side of humanity. I love books that convey characters as human, with flaws, and felt that I could relate Jacques’ characterisation (not in his exact actions and thoughts, obviously haha, but in the way it is described and how he feels at war with himself and his inner demons). I loved Jacque as a character, not just with the way he was written, but I desperately wanted things to turn out for him, something I didn’t expect at all when I read the blurb that introduced him. The Beast Within evoked a lot of emotion in me, I felt moved at some points, disgusted at others, and shocked, in suspense, etc etc! If you are looking for a dark, twisted and horrific tale that exposes the darkest thoughts and actions of humanity, with a fluid and complex concept of morality, I would recommend this book! But be warned that it is a lot and not for everyone! 

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bookeen_la_rouquine's review against another edition

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4.0

une très bonne intrigue, une belle vision du côté sombre de la nature humaine. une écriture. ....est-il de besoin de la décrire?
mais malgré tout ce roman ne fera pas partie de mes préférés de zola

retrophrenologist's review against another edition

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challenging dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

nalia1991's review against another edition

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dark informative mysterious reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

kozumethan's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

i would need to read it again for a more accurate rating but based purely on my subjective perception and the memories i keep of it, i can only say it’s great because it deeply inspired me for the years to come. also i loved jacques as a character. it deals with very compelling topics and disturbing human desires. however it’s very long and sometimes extremely slow-paced so you really need to love reading in itself to enjoy it i think   

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nnjack68's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

Ridiculous ending. 

maddapat's review

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4.0

Zola è uno dei pochi autori "classici" che riesce a farmi ridere quando si parla di delitti