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A review by lyratoulon
Nana by Émile Zola
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
"There she stood, by herself, amidst all her treasures, with a whole horde of men grovelling at her feet. Like those dreaded monsters of old whose lairs were littered with bones, she was walking on skulls and surrounded by cataclysms."
This is the first piece of naturalist literature I read and it made me completely fall in love with the style. Nana Coupeau, a streetwalker turned high class prostitute during the end of the Napoleon III’s reign, rises from the lowest dregs of society to a life of luxury through exploitation of her lovers . Monstrously self centered she breaks everything she touches and leaves all who dare to love her in pieces . Despite her vicious opportunism, she’s a character you can’t help but love even in the moments you despise her. Furthermore, she’s a character you can’t help but understand. The naturalist writing evokes every sense and leaves nothing to the imagination. At the end of 450 pages you’ll feel as though you’ve experienced Nana’s world perfectly but from the perspective of standing on a cold Paris street in 1870 looking through a window to watch a high society candlelit party descend into something much more sinister.
This is the first piece of naturalist literature I read and it made me completely fall in love with the style. Nana Coupeau, a streetwalker turned high class prostitute during the end of the Napoleon III’s reign, rises from the lowest dregs of society to a life of luxury through exploitation of her lovers . Monstrously self centered she breaks everything she touches and leaves all who dare to love her in pieces . Despite her vicious opportunism, she’s a character you can’t help but love even in the moments you despise her. Furthermore, she’s a character you can’t help but understand. The naturalist writing evokes every sense and leaves nothing to the imagination. At the end of 450 pages you’ll feel as though you’ve experienced Nana’s world perfectly but from the perspective of standing on a cold Paris street in 1870 looking through a window to watch a high society candlelit party descend into something much more sinister.