Customer Reviews

The Drinking Den (Penguin Classics)

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Emile Zola 91840-1902) is one of the greatest French authors of the literary movement called Naturalism. In his many works Zola explores all of French society in graphic detail using slang, profanity, degradation and vice. This 1876 work "The Drinking Den" (the title has been variously translated through the years) is a graphic account of the life of a poor Parisian washerwoman named Gervaise.
Gervaise arrives in Paris with her lover the odious Lantier. He leaves her and their two children for the readily available drinking dens and fleshpots of the City of Light. Gervaise falls in love and marries a reputable roofer named Coupeau. Although Gervaise does not get on well with Coupeau's new family the couple produce a child Nana and live a relatively happy life. All of this changes with dramatic force when Coupeau falls from a roof making it impossible for him to work full time.
Gervaise opens her own laundry but the years take their toll. At the novel's end she dies a drunken obese old woman scorned by society and her family. Their daughter Nana lives the life of a prostitute. Prior to the sad end the unfortuante Gervaise was involved in a seedy menage a trois with Lantier and Coupeau!
In the Penguin translation their are many expletives which are used and scenes of bawdy drunken and brutal behavior. A touching character is a young girl who dies at the age of eight. The girl had been viciously beaten by her father as she sought to protect her younger siblings from his wrathful behavior.
If you want to be cheered up look elsewhere! Naturalism is gritty and shows life without illusion. Zola was a defender of Dreyfus and a champion for the poor. His style is journalistic and almost scientific in the way his characters are examined under the literary microscope he uses with genius.

This book actually kept me awake at night! The story is so dramatic that I would wake up in the middle of the night feeling so sorry for Gervaise. For me reading this book was a similar experience to reading Dickens's David Copperfield, one of my favorite books. It doesn't matter that they were written over 100 years ago, the writing is so vivid that you feel you are getting a picture of the life of the lower classes in England (Dickens) and Paris (Zola).

Zola is not for everyone, it can be difficult to get through at times, but this is definately one of the best in the R-M cycle. Incredibly interesting descriptions of people and Paris. I liked this Penguin translation much better than the Oxford edition (very British).

This is the most depressing book I have ever read in my life. If you read it, be prepared for some pretty heavy stuff. This is not a light read for the beach. However, it was Emile Zola's intentions to show the poor and sad part of life; I would say that he succeeded. Not only is the story itself filled with sad events, but the emotional interaction going on between the characters definitely portrays the less-noble instincts of mankind. For example, the envy and hatred shown between members of the Coupeau family is believable and brings out some of the darker feelings that people have. Also, if you're into alcohol at all, this book will make you look at drinking in whole new light (not a good one). I thought Zola did a good job of making you feel a part of the story, especially if you've been to Paris and know some of the neighborhoods he is talking about. I also learned a lot about what life might have been like back in those days (let's just say the standard of living has increased significantly).

Would I recommend this book? Usually I have a definitely answer to that question when I do a review. However, this book is a bit tricky. I liked Zola's writing, and I feel personally enriched for having read his book. But I can't say this was a "fun" read. It was dark and depressing unlike any book I have ever read. If you're into that kind of thing though, then this book is for you. If you're looking to be cheered up, this isn't the one.