_anns_'s review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
3.0
violacarboni's review against another edition
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
4.5
ipb1's review against another edition
4.0
More sensationalist than naturalist, this reads like a mashup of [b:Crime and Punishment|7144|Crime and Punishment|Fyodor Dostoevsky|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1382846449l/7144._SY75_.jpg|3393917] and [b:The Tell-Tale Heart|24874303|The Tell-Tale Heart|Edgar Allan Poe|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1423755062l/24874303._SX50_.jpg|19034527]. Obviously suffused as always with Zola's optimism and sunny disposition - he must have been the life and soul of any party.
solsticecrown's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
4byul's review against another edition
3.0
C'était mon premier livre de Zola. Outre les nombreuses répétitions, la prévisibilité de l'histoire, l'emploi abusif de certains champs lexicaux, les descriptions écrites des passages morbides (comme le corps de Camille ou encore la personnalité narcissique et manipulatrice de madame Raquin) sont exceptionnelles.
ruta_crnoja's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
ckirkhart's review against another edition
3.0
The ultimate be-careful-what-you-wish-for morality play. Unfortunately, like most stories of this type, the characters are one-dimensional archetypes of vice instead of the psychologically complex human beings that they deserve to be.
alvaflodwall's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
bookishwendy's review against another edition
4.0
Dark, creepy, intense, disgusting...I like. If you want a classic read with adultery, murder, and corpses, try this one. Two desperate, adulterous individuals murder the one person that stands between them. Instead of finding happiness, the couple is haunted by insane terror. The book reads like a ghost story, although by 19th century standards it was labeled a "psychological study." Also, considering that it was written in the 1860's, it is rather explicit and graphic in some places. One thing that annoyed me was that, due to the translation, some words are repeated over and over (because many French words have only one English equivalent). Also, sometimes the changing tenses are hard to follow, as is the chronology of the flashbacks. Nevertheless, I agree with the blurb on the back cover: "This book has lost none of its power to shock!"