Scan barcode
blueyorkie's review against another edition
5.0
Another uppercut in the total groin: Zola is in great shape. I believe a true masterpiece: The Earth, at least the one that speaks to me the most among Rougon-Macquart!
As always, old Émile is well documented, and one almost feels the land of Beauce under our nose. Here is an excellent tonic and documentary novel, as was the author's intention in writing the cycle of Rougon-Macquart. This tome is one of the four or five best in the sequence, if not a little better, which is saying a lot. Here, Jean Macquart (Gervaise's brother in the Assommoir), hired by the big operator of the area and mayor of the village, Hourdequin, is desperately trying to introduce new farming techniques and faces his refractory workforce.
The Fouan family is the other big pole of the book. It is reminiscent of the original Rougon-Macquart family (see La Fortune des Rougon ) with its flaws and vices. First is the heritage of old Fouan, where we do not know who is the most stingy and the readiest to bleed his family, between the father and the children. His young son, Buteau, is a paragon of avarice, greed, brutality, and harshness (well, it's true; do not look too nuanced here at Zola).
Despite Zola's resolutely polemic turn to his rural fresco, I found all the flaws and the mentality of the peasant world I encountered in my travels on literature in the early twentieth century. Of course, no baseness of this world will be spared, but is it not a vision, undoubtedly disillusioned? Indeed, a slight caricature, magnified or condensed, but primarily suitable, relevant, of the human in the broad sense?
Emile Zola shows us our species stripped of its frail shell of "good manners," this varnish of civilization; it shows us rough, rough, gruff, but without fuss, a little as if you had direct access to what think those who made us smile on the surface. So I leave you to read and dig up rotten bulbs, for which we are a bit prepared.
I award a Special Mention for the character of "the great," old Fouan's sister, a real old wicked woman who enjoys sowing discord. (the role of "the old woman harmful" is a classic Zola and returns in many of his novels; would he have accounts to settle on that side?) and discord within his family while being as loving as an extensive drystone.
I give another Special Mention to the "Jesus Christ" character, the eldest son of the old Fouan, a chronic alcoholic who is determined never to work, an exceptional pyromaniac who offers the author the opportunity to sign a hilarious chapter (part four, chapter 3).
As always, old Émile is well documented, and one almost feels the land of Beauce under our nose. Here is an excellent tonic and documentary novel, as was the author's intention in writing the cycle of Rougon-Macquart. This tome is one of the four or five best in the sequence, if not a little better, which is saying a lot. Here, Jean Macquart (Gervaise's brother in the Assommoir), hired by the big operator of the area and mayor of the village, Hourdequin, is desperately trying to introduce new farming techniques and faces his refractory workforce.
The Fouan family is the other big pole of the book. It is reminiscent of the original Rougon-Macquart family (see La Fortune des Rougon ) with its flaws and vices. First is the heritage of old Fouan, where we do not know who is the most stingy and the readiest to bleed his family, between the father and the children. His young son, Buteau, is a paragon of avarice, greed, brutality, and harshness (well, it's true; do not look too nuanced here at Zola).
Despite Zola's resolutely polemic turn to his rural fresco, I found all the flaws and the mentality of the peasant world I encountered in my travels on literature in the early twentieth century. Of course, no baseness of this world will be spared, but is it not a vision, undoubtedly disillusioned? Indeed, a slight caricature, magnified or condensed, but primarily suitable, relevant, of the human in the broad sense?
Emile Zola shows us our species stripped of its frail shell of "good manners," this varnish of civilization; it shows us rough, rough, gruff, but without fuss, a little as if you had direct access to what think those who made us smile on the surface. So I leave you to read and dig up rotten bulbs, for which we are a bit prepared.
I award a Special Mention for the character of "the great," old Fouan's sister, a real old wicked woman who enjoys sowing discord. (the role of "the old woman harmful" is a classic Zola and returns in many of his novels; would he have accounts to settle on that side?) and discord within his family while being as loving as an extensive drystone.
I give another Special Mention to the "Jesus Christ" character, the eldest son of the old Fouan, a chronic alcoholic who is determined never to work, an exceptional pyromaniac who offers the author the opportunity to sign a hilarious chapter (part four, chapter 3).
franklyfrank's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
d_audy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mxmlln's review against another edition
2.0
Had already read another Zola book, so knew to expect solid writing with no story direction. Was not happy to have to read another one for the book club, especially since all the faults were the same. Basically about a town and one, large, extended family. Nothing else to say, except not to read it.
kiri_johnston's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kiriamarin's review against another edition
4.0
Este obra é uma das melhores da serie dos Rougon- Mcquart do Zola,deixando os ares urbanos e trazendo um drama rural espetacular em retratos humanos em seu apice de perfidia,ganancia animalesca, que movem suas vidas e atitudes por puro instinto de sobrevivencia,tal qual as antigas e primeiras civilizacoes ,vivem uma batalha sangrenta e barbara pela terra,nâo importando laços de sangue ou moralidade.
Esqueça o mito do bom campones,ignorante porem docil ,que Tolstoy traz em algumas das suas obras ou o idilio campestre,lugar de descanso em contraponto a vida citadina, aqui a vida é turbulenta e grosseira .Ainda mais quando a terra é dividida entre uma grande familia ,onde todos são praticamente vizinhas,está pronto o inferno na terra. O intruso neste casulo familiar è Jean Mcquart, irmão da pobre Gervaise,outra personagem protagonista de 'A taberna' , tambem um pobre soldado que abre e fecha a narrativa desta estoria,que busca a tal serenidade rural e se insere no meio destas familia enorme :Os Fouan.
Uma passagem no livro que que sumariza a questao da terra e as constantes tensoes entre burgueses,nobres e plebeus é quando Jean faz a leitura em voz alta pra a familia Fouan de The Misfortunes and Triumphs de Jacques Bohomme',um panfleto ficticio mas baseado em um real pessoa nestas guerras por terras desde a era medieval ate a epoca bonapartista,onde os camponeses sempre levaram a pior na divisao de terras,com fome e morte acompanhadas. Os Fouan são geracoes de familias que cresceram e morreram por essa terra,de lavrar,colher,seu orgulho e sobrevivencia,sua independencia de servos desde a revolucao.
Esta obra podemos ver o extremo do naturalismo de Zola, de uma vaca parindo um bezerro em paralelo a um parto de um bebe indesejado, de incestos familiares,personagens alcoolatras e dominados por paixoes vulgares e boas familias hipocritas que escondem seus negocios sujos...Não hã felicidade ou pessoas boas aqui,apenas como sempre uma brilhante descricao de vidas do interior agricola frances por Zola,que nao poupa o leitore muito menos os seus personagens do pessimismo de viver e morrer por algumas moedas.
Entre tantos personagens fascinantes destaco a tia Mariannne Fouan 'La grande',que já coloco na minha lista de 'mulheres más' favoritas. a unica pessoa que posso dizer que teve alguma satisfacao do inicio ao fim desta estoria,com sua peculiar egotistica e mesquinha personalidade.
Uma grande obra.
Esqueça o mito do bom campones,ignorante porem docil ,que Tolstoy traz em algumas das suas obras ou o idilio campestre,lugar de descanso em contraponto a vida citadina, aqui a vida é turbulenta e grosseira .Ainda mais quando a terra é dividida entre uma grande familia ,onde todos são praticamente vizinhas,está pronto o inferno na terra. O intruso neste casulo familiar è Jean Mcquart, irmão da pobre Gervaise,outra personagem protagonista de 'A taberna' , tambem um pobre soldado que abre e fecha a narrativa desta estoria,que busca a tal serenidade rural e se insere no meio destas familia enorme :Os Fouan.
Uma passagem no livro que que sumariza a questao da terra e as constantes tensoes entre burgueses,nobres e plebeus é quando Jean faz a leitura em voz alta pra a familia Fouan de The Misfortunes and Triumphs de Jacques Bohomme',um panfleto ficticio mas baseado em um real pessoa nestas guerras por terras desde a era medieval ate a epoca bonapartista,onde os camponeses sempre levaram a pior na divisao de terras,com fome e morte acompanhadas. Os Fouan são geracoes de familias que cresceram e morreram por essa terra,de lavrar,colher,seu orgulho e sobrevivencia,sua independencia de servos desde a revolucao.
Esta obra podemos ver o extremo do naturalismo de Zola, de uma vaca parindo um bezerro em paralelo a um parto de um bebe indesejado, de incestos familiares,personagens alcoolatras e dominados por paixoes vulgares e boas familias hipocritas que escondem seus negocios sujos...Não hã felicidade ou pessoas boas aqui,apenas como sempre uma brilhante descricao de vidas do interior agricola frances por Zola,que nao poupa o leitore muito menos os seus personagens do pessimismo de viver e morrer por algumas moedas.
Entre tantos personagens fascinantes destaco a tia Mariannne Fouan 'La grande',que já coloco na minha lista de 'mulheres más' favoritas. a unica pessoa que posso dizer que teve alguma satisfacao do inicio ao fim desta estoria,com sua peculiar egotistica e mesquinha personalidade.
Uma grande obra.