November 2025 Au Bonheur des Dames: (1883) (The Ladies Paradise) Ch11-16
Talk Emile Zola Group Read
Join LibraryThing to post.
2Tess_W
Mouret appears to wear two masks: he is a ruthless tiger in business, yet a timid, almost tender kitten when it comes to Denise. His feelings for her are sincere. As Denise continues to rise through the ranks of The Ladies’ Paradise, she earns both admiration and resentment from her colleagues. Her ascent seems to mirror the growing power of capitalism in the wake of the Industrial Revolution. By the novel’s end, Mouret undergoes a genuine moral transformation—perhaps the only true redemption we’ve witnessed in Zola’s series so far. One can imagine how challenging it must have been for Zola to “tame” Mouret and have him in love with Denise.
3japaul22
When I finished this (I read it in 2023, so I didn't reread it with the group read), I was shocked to read a Zola novel with a happy ending! I mean, happy for Zola. I really couldn't believe it and wondered if I'd misread something. :-)
I liked this one, but the plot didn't grab me the same way that some of Zola's other novels have. I think it was a bit narrow, with fewer side characters and plots. But the descriptive passages are fantastic and I remember them pretty clearly a few years after reading this.
I liked this one, but the plot didn't grab me the same way that some of Zola's other novels have. I think it was a bit narrow, with fewer side characters and plots. But the descriptive passages are fantastic and I remember them pretty clearly a few years after reading this.
4Tess_W
>3 japaul22: I agree with the happy ending, shocked! Although, I rather liked the fewer characters and plots!
5MissWatson
I have finished it and am surprised that it has 16 chapters in the English translation? My French copy has only 14.
That said, the parts that I enjoyed most were the rise and rise of Mouret’s machine. There is so much in here that is still going on in modern marketing and shopping. The scenes at the grand sales, where the women are in a complete buying frenzy, are great. It’s like they are drunk or high from drugs.
The preface in my copy mentions the Brothers Pereire as a model for Baron Hartmann, but there’s not enough of him in the book to be certain. It seems like they are worth exploring, just as I would like to learn more about the textile industry and marketing of the time.
I am less impressed with the handling of Denise and Octave Mouret. She is the kind of saintly suffering innocent that seems to have walked in straight from the trashy romances of the time (and according to the preface, some critics noted that) and rubbed me all the wrong way. And I didn’t find Mouret’s conversion at the end convincing. I can see him returning to his womanising ways quite soon, when the novelty of having Denise wears off. But I think they will work together very successfully on the commercial side, just like he and his first wife.
That said, the parts that I enjoyed most were the rise and rise of Mouret’s machine. There is so much in here that is still going on in modern marketing and shopping. The scenes at the grand sales, where the women are in a complete buying frenzy, are great. It’s like they are drunk or high from drugs.
The preface in my copy mentions the Brothers Pereire as a model for Baron Hartmann, but there’s not enough of him in the book to be certain. It seems like they are worth exploring, just as I would like to learn more about the textile industry and marketing of the time.
I am less impressed with the handling of Denise and Octave Mouret. She is the kind of saintly suffering innocent that seems to have walked in straight from the trashy romances of the time (and according to the preface, some critics noted that) and rubbed me all the wrong way. And I didn’t find Mouret’s conversion at the end convincing. I can see him returning to his womanising ways quite soon, when the novelty of having Denise wears off. But I think they will work together very successfully on the commercial side, just like he and his first wife.
6japaul22
>5 MissWatson: very much agree with your assessment. I still vividly remember the passages about the department store, the sales, and the women shopping. Shows how shopping can be an addiction! I went to Paris on a vacation not long after reading this and those passages were definitely on my mind as we walked around.
7MissWatson
>6 japaul22: We went to Paris last year and visited the newly refurbished Samaritaine, and I was very surprised to learn from my notes that the original architect, Frantz Jourdain, provided Zola with a complete design for his fictional store.
