November 2025 Au Bonheur des Dames: (1883) (The Ladies Paradise) Ch1-4
Talk Emile Zola Group Read
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2Tess_W
I need to finish my current read and then I will probably begin this Zola early. It seems to be a little longer than the others and with Thanksgiving (US) this month, my time to read will be shorter.
3booksaplenty1949
I read this relatively recently—-with great enjoyment, I might add—-so will not re-read, but will probably flip through to see how exactly it connects with Pot-Bouille. When I read it previously Octave Mouret was just a name.
4Tess_W
Completed chapter 1....many more characters introduced.
Chapters 2-3 Still many new characters being introduced. Financially speaking, I'm supposing that Mouret's store is about a week, at any given time, from closing due to bankruptcy. He openly admits that he sells most things either at a loss or just barely at a profit, that his success lies in volume.
Chapter 4: Much competition for the sale from the commissioned sales clerks at Ladies Paradise. Denise has a bad first day.
I think this book is much more interesting than the last few that we have read!
Chapters 2-3 Still many new characters being introduced. Financially speaking, I'm supposing that Mouret's store is about a week, at any given time, from closing due to bankruptcy. He openly admits that he sells most things either at a loss or just barely at a profit, that his success lies in volume.
Chapter 4: Much competition for the sale from the commissioned sales clerks at Ladies Paradise. Denise has a bad first day.
I think this book is much more interesting than the last few that we have read!
5MissWatson
I started yesterday and finished the first chapter. The descriptions of the window displays are breathtaking.
6MissWatson
Just a thought: does anyone have a copy with endnotes? My French edition frequently refers to Zola’s research into the business (he did this in the 1880s, and thus his descriptions of the stores in the 1860s is occasionally anachronistic), but they do not tell me if Baron Hartmann is modelled on Haussmann?
8MissWatson
>7 booksaplenty1949: Thank you so much!
9labfs39
I'm catching up! This is the last book I'm in arrears, then it's on to A Love Story. I'll try not to fall behind again.
We see much less of Octave in this book than the last. It's interesting that the main character isn't a Rougon/Macquart. I was disappointed that Madame Hédouin isn't in this one, as I thought she was an interesting character and was looking forward to her interactions with Octave. The description of the big sale, on Denise's first day, was so vivid. I also like Zola's comparisons of the store as a giant machine, foreshadowing industrialization and even the assembly line. From what I understand, he used Le Bon Marché as his model for Ladies' Paradise, describing many of the practices they instituted.
We see much less of Octave in this book than the last. It's interesting that the main character isn't a Rougon/Macquart. I was disappointed that Madame Hédouin isn't in this one, as I thought she was an interesting character and was looking forward to her interactions with Octave. The description of the big sale, on Denise's first day, was so vivid. I also like Zola's comparisons of the store as a giant machine, foreshadowing industrialization and even the assembly line. From what I understand, he used Le Bon Marché as his model for Ladies' Paradise, describing many of the practices they instituted.
10booksaplenty1949
>9 labfs39: Whom do you regard as the “main character”?
11labfs39
So far, I would say Denise, although like most of Zola's books, there are many characters floating in and out of the action.
12japaul22
>9 labfs39: I didn't love this one as I was reading it, but a year or so later, I find it's one of the most memorable. The descriptions of the ladies shopping is just unforgettable!
