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30th out of 276 books
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302 voters
The Ladies' Paradise (Les Rougon-Macquart #11)
The Ladies Paradise (Au Bonheur des Dames) recounts the rise of the modern department store in late nineteenth-century Paris. The store is a symbol of capitalism, of the modern city, and of the bourgeois family: it is emblematic of changes in consumer culture and the changes in sexual attitudes and class relations taking place at the end of the century. This new translatio...more
Paperback, 480 pages
Published
September 1st 2008
by Oxford University Press, USA
(first published 1883)
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Life in an 1860s Paris megastore. As capitalism staggers around on its bunioned feet, waiting for the next self-perpetuating excuse for sickening human greed and useless backbreaking timewasting bullshit in pursuit of Capital to relieve its burden, it’s time to question what we want from an economic system here in the West. A completely equal distribution of funds is impossible since people are cash-hoovering greed machines who will stab their mothers to get a bigger pie slice. Communism is unpo...more
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Two stories, one the coming of the modern world, capitalism and consumerism, and the other, the poor peasant girl marries money. An alternative title could be All About Shopping.
Interesting to see how the shop assistants in the first department store in Paris (the Ladies' Delight was modelled on the Bonmarche, the real first store) were treated as servants. They lived in dormitories, had curfews, were expected to be chaste and could be fired for anything - or nothing - at all. Interesting also...more
Interesting to see how the shop assistants in the first department store in Paris (the Ladies' Delight was modelled on the Bonmarche, the real first store) were treated as servants. They lived in dormitories, had curfews, were expected to be chaste and could be fired for anything - or nothing - at all. Interesting also...more
13 likes · like · see review
This one deals with the monstrous effects of capitalism in France's Second Empire. Zola modeled The Ladies' Paradise after Bon Marché, a Paris shop which revolutionized consumer culture by acting as a sort of indoor bazaar, where one could find housewares, furniture, cloth, readymade clothing etc. in one place rather than traveling all around Paris to different little independent shops--like a mall, but all owned by the same company. Okay, fine, like a Walmart (with real silk). Workers assigned...more
Au début, j'ai éprouvé quelques difficultés à me plonger dans ce roman, de nombreux personnages y sont présentés et on les suit alternativement. Mais en fait, ce qui m'intéressait vraiment c'était de suivre Denise.
Denise la mal-peignée, qui en prend plein la tête mais ne bronche jamais, et bien qu'elle ne baisse jamais les bras et fasse preuve d'une certaine force de volonté, elle m'agaçait à rester là sans rien dire et à ne jamais s'affirmer. J'aime les personnages forts, qui savent se défendre...more
Denise la mal-peignée, qui en prend plein la tête mais ne bronche jamais, et bien qu'elle ne baisse jamais les bras et fasse preuve d'une certaine force de volonté, elle m'agaçait à rester là sans rien dire et à ne jamais s'affirmer. J'aime les personnages forts, qui savent se défendre...more
The Ladies' Paradise (Les Rougon-Macquart, #11) used to be one of my all-time favorite books. In my teenage years. And now I remember why. Of course, it's the lurve.
In this novel, Denise, a lowly sales girl working at a huge department store, snags a husband who is this store's rich playboy owner, Octave Mouret. Somehow, what seemed uber-romantic to me at 13, isn't any more now. You see, Denise basically gets her man by not putting out. Octave is used to getting any woman he wants, but Denise,...more
In this novel, Denise, a lowly sales girl working at a huge department store, snags a husband who is this store's rich playboy owner, Octave Mouret. Somehow, what seemed uber-romantic to me at 13, isn't any more now. You see, Denise basically gets her man by not putting out. Octave is used to getting any woman he wants, but Denise,...more
7 likes · like · see review
so far this is my second favorite of the Rougon-Macquart series (after The Sin of Abbe Mouret). clearly i am predisposed to the Mourets (who descend from both family lines through a marriage of cousins) since this one involves Octave, brother of Serge (who was the priest in the other book). unfortunately i read this one out of order because i couldn't get my hands on Pot-Bouille, to which this is apparently a direct sequel. i'm a little disappointed about that, but i enjoyed this so much that i...more
I read this as part of a college course on France after the Revolution. This is the story of a young country girl who must find work in the city at a time when the industrial revolution was creating a commercial revolution in the methods and scale of selling goods. The narrative revolves around the opening and prosperity of a hugely successful department store, the predecessor to the Bon Marche in Paris, that is putting smaller traditional shopkeepers out of business. As the smaller shops go und...more
I had high expectations on this novel. Could have something to do with BBC's adaptation. I won't say I was disappointed but I wasn't really happy either. I blame BBC.
The novel is set in the late 1900 century Paris. Denise and her two younger brothers comes to Paris to make a living after their parent's death. She was hoping to get help from her uncle, but as it turns out, a large department store has opened just opposite the uncle's shop and all the smaller shops around this "monstrosity" are on...more
The novel is set in the late 1900 century Paris. Denise and her two younger brothers comes to Paris to make a living after their parent's death. She was hoping to get help from her uncle, but as it turns out, a large department store has opened just opposite the uncle's shop and all the smaller shops around this "monstrosity" are on...more
Jun 14, 2011
Marija
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Marija by:
Tatiana
Shelves:
classics
“But he felt stronger at Henriette’s, knowing how the possession of a shared mistress brings men together and softens their hearts. That the two of them should be there, wrapped in her beloved scent, having her at hand, ready to persuade them with a smile, seemed to him a guarantee of success.”
Oh boy, what a line! Octave Mouret loves mixing business with pleasure, using his seductive charm to help ensure that he always gets the upper hand. His Parisian department store adopts that same essence,...more
Oh boy, what a line! Octave Mouret loves mixing business with pleasure, using his seductive charm to help ensure that he always gets the upper hand. His Parisian department store adopts that same essence,...more
This book is truly a classic, and the whole time I was reading it, I was reminded of those summer reading lists that I always had in high school, full of lofty tomes that looked dusty and boring but when I knuckled down into them, they would suddenly refine my lazy summer of peaches, sunshine and secret cigarettes. Brideshead Revisited, Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Sister Carrie... these are the ones I remember curling up in a deck chair with, glass of lemonade in hand. Books like these give us pu...more
Zola ouvre une réflexion sur la culture de consommation naissante pendant cette période de l'histoire de Paris et de l'Occident à travers le grand magasin, Au Bonheur des Dames. Avec des symboles et de belles descriptions toujours détaillées, Zola transforme une épisode de l'histoire économique en aventure romanesque et intrigue amoureuse . Attention à la description du grand magasin; c'est souvent avec un langage organique ! À ne pas manquer; un texte rare de Zola où il s'agit d'une conclusion...more
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This book defiantly makes it in my top 20 for books. I loved the way in which Zola used the metaphor of a machine for The Ladies Paradise and the beautiful imagery in which to describe the shop itself and it's workings. I found this book interesting considering many of the techniques are common practise today, and that everything said in that book back then is still relevant and is still happening in today's society. I love that this book has such a strong heroine in Denise in which I found so e...more
Dec 18, 2012
Pierre E. Loignon
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
litterature,
sociologie
Lorsqu’on prend en considération la série des Rougeon-Maquart, on observe que la popularité de certains des vingt romans évolue à travers le temps.
Il y a de ces classiques dont le succès instantané demeure stable. C’est de cas de Germinal, chef-d’œuvre de Zola, qui restera sans doute toujours le plus lu, mais aussi de L’Assomoir et de Nana qui ont toujours été très populaires.
D’autres bouquins semblent plutôt faits pour leur époque, en dehors d’elle, comme des poissons hors de l’eau, ils ne resp...more
Il y a de ces classiques dont le succès instantané demeure stable. C’est de cas de Germinal, chef-d’œuvre de Zola, qui restera sans doute toujours le plus lu, mais aussi de L’Assomoir et de Nana qui ont toujours été très populaires.
D’autres bouquins semblent plutôt faits pour leur époque, en dehors d’elle, comme des poissons hors de l’eau, ils ne resp...more
2 likes · like · see review
With its ironic title promising peace but all about the chaos of change and competition, this book is about the rise of a fictional department store, a huge edifice run by a man very shrewd in the ways of making money. Mr. Zola created a book that told about a specific time and place in the world, a Paris bursting with new ideas, innovations and the smell of money. In great detail, he tells about the lives of every person touched by the mega store that is opening: the small neighborhood artisans...more
It was really hard to give this book 3 stars (instead of 4) because I really think that it is a culturally significant piece of literature. Here Zola anticipates not only the coming of the modern age, but the rise of commercialism. Mouret is the ultimate capitalist, and we see through him the way in which that marvel of 20th century consumerism--the department store--was originally conceived. It prefigures Wal-Mart's destruction of rural small businesses. It shows how merchandise moguls played t...more
Zola’s vivid descriptions of Paris in the nineteenth century are stunning. If you love Paris and are interested in French History, I would recommend this book. Among other things, this book (about the development of one of the first department stores in Paris) is an epic battle of the sexes between capitalists/men and consumers/women; as well as a love story between the groups. It is also a classic story of the power of capitalist innovation, which brutally leaves behind less innovative capitali...more
I don't know enough about Zola himself and his attitude toward the war between men and women or the conventions of the late 19th century novel to say anything insightful. The story seems to be about the poor but honest and virtuous orphan shopgirl who leaves the countryside to make her way in Paris. by maintaining her standards, of course, she triumphs - no suspense there. The real center of the book, however, is the department store the Ladies' Paradise of the title. I have to say I loved this...more
There is much to praise about this outstanding novel, the 9th in Zola's Les Rougons-Macquart series. It works on so many different goddamn levels that it is hard to reduce it to a brief review. This is the story of the first department store in Paris, and really in the world. It is the story of the birth of advertising, rampant consumerism, and astonishing greed (with a little aristocratic kleptomania thrown in). The monstrosity's owner, Octave Mouret, is a shameful womanizer who has built the s...more
The mid 19th century was a pivotal moment in the history of Paris. With the rapid development around the city, people of the age has endured all sorts of precarious social changes. The Ladies' Paradise entails a story in the midst of the period.
It is not hard to understand why Emilie Zola is seen as one of the most appreciated author in Europe of the 19th century, as his understanding and depiction of the social changes is astute and masterfully rendered in The Ladies' Paradise. Although the ri...more
It is not hard to understand why Emilie Zola is seen as one of the most appreciated author in Europe of the 19th century, as his understanding and depiction of the social changes is astute and masterfully rendered in The Ladies' Paradise. Although the ri...more
The Ladies’ Paradise was one of those books I meant to read, expected to love, but never quite got to for a long, long time. Now I have finished reading, I am inclined to say that the verdict is flawed but fabulous.
Let me explain.
The story begins with twenty year-old Denise Baudu and her two young brothers arriving in Paris from the country. Denise has done her best for her brothers since their parents died, but she was struggling, and so she came to Paris to take up the offer of help and suppor...more
Let me explain.
The story begins with twenty year-old Denise Baudu and her two young brothers arriving in Paris from the country. Denise has done her best for her brothers since their parents died, but she was struggling, and so she came to Paris to take up the offer of help and suppor...more
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In the movie “Wordplay” a difficult answer in one of the final crosswords was Zolaesque. I had no idea what it meant. Ladies’ Paradise was a great way to experience Zola’s writing – his rich, almost documentary-style descriptions of the details of the everyday life of his characters. The main female character Denise arrives in Paris with her two young brothers with little money and few prospects. She manages to survive by taking a job in a giant department store called the Ladies’ Paradise. Zola...more
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Strabordante, straripante, grandioso: sono gli aggettivi che mi vengono immediatamente da accostare al libro appena letto. Sono stata incerta fino all’ultimo sulle stelle da assegnargli perché da un lato la lettura è stata pesante, dall’altro mi ha comunque appassionato. La pesantezza è dipesa dalle accurate e approfondite descrizioni del grande magazzino Al paradiso delle signore, aperto al centro di Parigi, che Zola analizza con una ricchezza di particolari che viene da chiedersi quante ore ab...more
Kheb me laten vangen op de goodreads fora: een aantal onaangekondigde spoilers konden geen grotere verwachtingen scheppen over het verhaalverloop! Ik vraag me af op welke manier ik het boek zou hebben opgevat indien dit niet het geval was. Maar gedane zaken hadden geen keer...
Ik heb de grote ontknoping dan maar naar de achtergrond van het verhaal verwezen (spoiler sloeg echt op de allerallerlaatste pagina, godgeklaagd!) en me gaan focussen op de culturele schets die Zola zo kundig maakt over Par...more
Ik heb de grote ontknoping dan maar naar de achtergrond van het verhaal verwezen (spoiler sloeg echt op de allerallerlaatste pagina, godgeklaagd!) en me gaan focussen op de culturele schets die Zola zo kundig maakt over Par...more
Apr 13, 2012
Lawrence A
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
book-club-selection,
fiction
Wonderful novelistic rendering of the rise of the big department store in late 19th century Paris, and how this development of retail capitalism changed the physical and social landscape of a modern city. Zola describes the expanding retail establishment as if it were a machine devouring up the small shops and shopkeepers who cannot hope to compete with it, and as a machine that sucks in inputs (merchandise and customers, as well the customers' money), and spews out delivery trucks and "satisfie...more
Mar 27, 2013
Emi Nogueira del burgo
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
de_época
Reconozco que me entró curiosidad por el libro después de ver la serie 'The Paradise', a las pocas páginas queda claro que a parte de haber unos grandes almacenes de por medio, la historia se parece en más bien poco.
El libro se centra mucho en el gran cambio que hubo en la sociedad al aparecer estas grandes tiendas: cómo afectaba al pequeño comercio, cómo iba añadiendo departamentos nuevos, las estrategias que iban inventando para atraer a más y más clientes (los escaparates, las rebajas, los sa...more
El libro se centra mucho en el gran cambio que hubo en la sociedad al aparecer estas grandes tiendas: cómo afectaba al pequeño comercio, cómo iba añadiendo departamentos nuevos, las estrategias que iban inventando para atraer a más y más clientes (los escaparates, las rebajas, los sa...more
L'assommoir, non merci. Zola, non merci?
Et bien non, à ma grande surprise, je l'ai dévoré, pour une fois, c'est presque joyeux, on plonge dans une univers merveilleux, entre couleurs, matières et décorations, on se délecte de ces descriptions interminables.
Oui, il y a toujours la noirceur de Zola, oui on a les petites boutiques écrasées par ces grands magasins, mais, pour changer, on constate sans se sentir obligé de compatir. C'est le premier Zola où, n'étant pas plongé dans un pathétique éc...more
Et bien non, à ma grande surprise, je l'ai dévoré, pour une fois, c'est presque joyeux, on plonge dans une univers merveilleux, entre couleurs, matières et décorations, on se délecte de ces descriptions interminables.
Oui, il y a toujours la noirceur de Zola, oui on a les petites boutiques écrasées par ces grands magasins, mais, pour changer, on constate sans se sentir obligé de compatir. C'est le premier Zola où, n'étant pas plongé dans un pathétique éc...more
A story written over 100 years ago that can relate to the modern day reader, is one worthy of the term "Classic".
The plot revolves around the success and expansion of The Ladies' Paradise department store. Mouret, the owner, is determined to woo his female customers using not only the most obtuse and blatant types of consumer marketing such as over the top window displays, but also utilizes subtle techniques such as the location of departments within the store and overcrowding at the entrance t...more
The plot revolves around the success and expansion of The Ladies' Paradise department store. Mouret, the owner, is determined to woo his female customers using not only the most obtuse and blatant types of consumer marketing such as over the top window displays, but also utilizes subtle techniques such as the location of departments within the store and overcrowding at the entrance t...more
I really enjoyed this novel- it tells the story of Mouret, an ambitious, Parisian playboy who succeeds in growing his store into Paris’ first mega department store. He succeeds by using a couple of time-tested capitalist tricks: 1) he fools the consumer into buying things they don’t need (while making them feel empowered for it) and 2) he controls his poorly paid staff by creating a system that keeps them busy competing against each other instead of building strength in numbers. I kept waiting f...more
Me ha gustado mucho. Me leí este libro por que ví la serie "Galerias Paraíso" "basada en este libro" mas que basada podían decir inspirada de una manera lejana por que apenas se parece. Gracias a @Teresa Esteban que me recomendó el libro, argumentando que era bastante mejor que la serie y nada tenía que ver. Me ha sorprendido las técnicas comerciales del paraiso, desde los obsequios, publicidad, marketing... Parece que hablen de cualquier tienda actual. También me han gustado mucho las descripci...more
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Émile Zola was an influential French novelist, the most important example of the literary school of naturalism, and a major figure in the political liberalization of France.
More than half of Zola's novels were part of a set of 20 books collectively known as Les Rougon-Macquart. Unlike Balzac who in the midst of his literary career resynthesized his work into La Comédie Humaine, Zola from the start...more
More about Émile Zola...
More than half of Zola's novels were part of a set of 20 books collectively known as Les Rougon-Macquart. Unlike Balzac who in the midst of his literary career resynthesized his work into La Comédie Humaine, Zola from the start...more
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“Crever pour crever, je préfère crever de passion que de crever d'ennui !”
—
4 people liked it
“Denise était venue à pied de la gare Saint-Lazare, où un train de Cherbourg l’avait débarquée avec ses deux frères, après une nuit passée sur la dure banquette d’un wagon de troisième classe. Elle tenait par la main Pépé, et Jean la suivait, tous les trois brisés du voyage, effarés et perdus, au milieu du vaste Paris, le nez levé sur les maisons, demandant à chaque carrefour la rue de la Michodière, dans laquelle leur oncle Baudu demeurait. Mais, comme elle débouchait enfin sur la place Gaillon, la jeune fille s’arrêta net de surprise.”
—
1 person liked it
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