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Thérèse Raquin

by Émile Zola, Leonard Tancock (Introduction)

3.72 of 5 stars 3.72 · rating details · 5,170 ratings · 405 reviews

One of Zola's most famous realistic novels, Therese Raquin is a clinically observed, sinister tale of adultry and murder among the lower classes in nineteenth-century Parisian society. Zola's shocking tale dispassionately dissects the motivations of his characters--mere "human beasts", who
kill in order to satisfy their lust--and stands as a key manifesto of the French Natu...more

Paperback, 256 pages

Published June 30th 1962 by Penguin Classics (first published 1867)

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Jan 20, 2011 Paquita Maria Sanchez rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: literature

Somewhere within the spectrum occupied by anything from Romeo and Juliet to Tromeo and Juliet, there is a well-trodden path full of whispers, whimpers and piercing screams about the miseries of the love process. Whether you are tragically in love with your enemy's hottie boomdottie tween daughter or banging your best friend's girlfriend in an alleyway behind a bar all 2-minute-meal-style, Jonathan Richman had it almost exactly right when he explained to his (soon to be) adoring fans that "true l...more Somewhere within the spectrum occupied by anything from Romeo and Juliet to Tromeo and Juliet, there is a well-trodden path full of whispers, whimpers and piercing screams about the miseries of the love process. Whether you are tragically in love with your enemy's hottie boomdottie tween daughter or banging your best friend's girlfriend in an alleyway behind a bar all 2-minute-meal-style, Jonathan Richman had it almost exactly right when he explained to his (soon to be) adoring fans that "true love is not nice." As an afterthought to Johnny Boy's sage words, I would like to extend that lyric to include the concept of "true lust." Because there is (sadly, more often that not, though not ideally) a difference. "True Lust" in the sense that I am speaking of is an extension of infatuation, a sudden amorous obsession for another person fueled by the fact that your feelings for this individual (and the ensuing gropings and fornication-sessions) are wrong, dirty, hedonistic, secret, crass, selfish, and therefore exciting. People become bogged down by their lives, relationships go stale, the same old somebody starts to feel like a fly to shoo away, and you start cocking your head sideways in search of something (someone) new to serve as a sort of febreeze bottle for your life, your sense of self-satisfaction, and your general feelings of self-worth. Someone to fill the hole in your heart that really needs to be addressed by serious inner-dialogue rather than things like serial monogamy, cheating, hoeing around and the like. Unfortunately, we self-obsessed, naive, give-it-to-me-now modern folks tend to take the "easy" way out, and so we spread our legs and pray for a miracle, regardless of who and what we may leave in the dust behind us. We direct our own issues toward another individual, projecting our pain onto them as if they are going to absorb it like a sponge, ring it out, and make it all wash away 1, 2, 3. With the exception of a few well-known cases of controversial love gone right (June and Johnny, John and Yoko, etc), what generally happens despite our best efforts to combat it is the wind eventually shifts and the dirt flies back in our faces anyway...and usually with increased density. Oftentimes, the real killer is the guilt. Trust me when I say that sowing romance in the soil of controversy is like watering your seeds with lava.

Well, this is a story about all that, however it is presented through a drastically heightened plot-line. You know, the old "I don't want to give up the money but I want to keep having sex with you all the time and my husband is really just in proper cock-blocking form about the whole thing, so obviously our only option is to kill him" prickly pickly conundrum. Before you get angry at me for spoiling the story, however, keep in mind that this is only the beginning of what transpires. Rather than wasting precious page-space on the elaborate thought-process leading up to this cold-blooded murder, Zola chose to focus his examination more closely on the aftershock of such a decision. The guilt...the way it kills passion, the way it eats you up inside and makes you detest whatever is associated with that acid-feeling in your stomach. You know, like that lover that was so important and true-lovey before. Through a series of brutal exchanges between the two main characters, Zola dissects the rationalizations we use to make shitty decisions which treat people like shit and turn us into shit, leaving us feeling all shitty in the end. Zola's perceptions about both the way we mask our true intentions and the way we rid ourselves of guilt are right on point. He knew. He has played this game before. Everyone has done wrong by someone else for the sake of their own immediate gain. And sometimes, that wrong-doing involves strangling and drowning someone. It will, however, come back to haunt you in the end. I will stop here, as this is about all that I can reveal without spoiling the story. Just know that there is some Raskolnikov-esque guilt-fueled lashing, but rather than directing it at themselves, the two lovebirds turn it on one another. And it gets...ugly. Butchya know...true lust is not nice, after all. Unless it is between two consenting adults who have, you know, actual love and respect mixed in there, as well. In which case by all means lust it up, kids. Get nasty astral. (less)

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Nov 26, 2011 Paul rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: novels

You don't need another Coca Cola
Or the latest Francis Ford Coppola
You don't need a holiday in Angola
You need this novel by Emile Zola
It's raw like a bad case of ebola
It's atomic like gay enola
Not pretty like a gladiola
Or sweet like a tune from a old victrola
He told the truth like the Ayatollah
He was revolutionary like Hizbollah
He never needed no payola
He didn't have a Motorola
He wrote the truth, he was Emile Zola
Like a panel he was solar
Nineteenth century rock and roller
He put Balzac back in his...more

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Apr 03, 2013 Shauna rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-crime

"Sometimes people die," she murmured at last. "Only it is dangerous for those who survive."

First of all, a slow clap for Kate Winslet's reading of Émile Zola's Thérèse Raquin. I can't recommend her rendition highly enough.

A loveless marriage, a turbulent affair, a crime that will haunt them forever. In this novel we follow the story of Thérèse, her lover Laurent's and their descent into madness following their murder of her husband.

Fair warning, there will be scenes of murder, physical abuse an...more "Sometimes people die," she murmured at last. "Only it is dangerous for those who survive."

First of all, a slow clap for Kate Winslet's reading of Émile Zola's Thérèse Raquin. I can't recommend her rendition highly enough.

A loveless marriage, a turbulent affair, a crime that will haunt them forever. In this novel we follow the story of Thérèse, her lover Laurent's and their descent into madness following their murder of her husband.

Fair warning, there will be scenes of murder, physical abuse and slow psychological torture, ending in…something highly dramatic that I won't spoil. Thérèse Raquin is a brutal account of what happens when you throw a cast of deeply selfish egotists with conflicting temperaments together and see how it plays out.

_____________________________________

As a sort of book extra, apparently Interior: The Rape by Degas is believed by some to depict a scene from Thérèse Raquin:

description

Laurent carefully closed the door behind him and remained there a moment, leaning against it, staring into the room with an anxious, confused expression.
A bright fire was burning in the grate, casting golden patches that danced over the ceiling and the walls. The room was thus illuminated by a brilliant, vacillating glow which dimmed the lamp set on a table. Madame Raquin had tried to arrange the room attractively, all white and scented, as though to serve as a nest for young lovers; the old shopkeeper had chosen to add to the bed a few bits of lace and to fill the vases on the mantel with big bouquets of roses. A gentle warmth lingered in the air, with soft odors.

...

Thérèse was sitting in a low chair, to the right of the fireplace. Chin in hand, she was staring fixedly at the dancing flames, and did not turn her head when Laurent entered the room. Wearing a lace-edged petticoat and bed-jacket, she looked particularly pale in the bright firelight. Her jacket had slipped from one shoulder which showed pink through the locks of her black hair.
Laurent took a few steps, not speaking. He removed his jacket and vest. In shirtsleeves, he glanced again at Thérèse, who had not stirred. He seemed to hesitate. Then he noticed the pink shoulder, and bent down to press his trembling lips against that bit of bare skin. The young woman pulled her shoulder away, turning around abruptly. She stared at Laurent with a gaze so strangely mingling repugnance and dread that he stepped back, troubled and uneasy, as if overcome with terror and disgust himself.(less)

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Jan 26, 2009 Tove rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

This was my first Zola novel, and I really liked it. It's the standard bored wife takes a lover, they plot and kill her husband, marry, etc. On the one hand, Therese (wife) and Laurent (lover) are presented as being placid and even lazy, but having their true passionate natures released in the presence of each other. In most love stories, this scenario might be an endearing one of inconvenient love and a cruel world that just doesn't understand, but Zola's usage of harsh words like "crushing," "...more

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May 14, 2009 Mary Crabtree rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-classic-favourites

Very scary, very dark and definitely wonderful. Could not put this down. I learned about evil in this book.

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Mar 29, 2009 Paul Dinger rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is Zola at his best and worst. He can be a great writer of melodrama, you know nothing good is going to come of Therese and her boyfriend, and when it does happen it is still a surprise. Here present also is Zola the scientist who is giving you the elements of crime drama as though he were serving up truth 101. He never saw himself as an artist, yet years later that is the only reason to read him because he was one. It isn't as good as Germinal and La Bete Humain, but it is compelling...more

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Nov 14, 2012 Lisa Kadey rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: translations

EDIT - NOV 2012: I WAS THE MOST PRETENTIOUS 17-YEAR-OLD IN THE WORLD WITH THE WORST CRITICAL FACULTIES AND THIS REVIEW 100% REFLECTS THAT, SORRY EVERYONE WHO KNEW ME THEN (although I still think this book was boring as hell, but "Zola didn't have the technical chops" hahaha WHAT WAS I TALKING ABOUT?!)

Original review below:

It shouldn't be at all surprising that dull and dreary characters make for a dull and dreary book. Every single character is boring, detestable, and thoroughly unrelateable, wh...more

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Oct 06, 2012 Bethan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: regular-fiction

Just as walls are described as slimy and the arcade dark, a fire hot and oppressive, a painting brown and badly done, there seems to be a green tinge about this loamy and gloomy horror of a novel. It's violent, passionate with sexual lusts, love for children, love for pleasure, and is exceptionally melodramatic. The first half especially made me think of the film Ossessione by Visconti. If you enjoy reading about a young couple's descent, this novel is for you.

Some of it I found clunky and not...more

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Jan 23, 2013 Jim Coughenour rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Zola is celebrated for his "naturalism" – which in this book turns out to be as fictive as any other reigning theory of human types. The first half of this short novel is refreshingly lubricious: a woman married to genial invalid meets a "real man" and the filthy sparks fly. The only obstacle to carnal happiness is the flaccid husband, who is dispatched in a vivid, even comical scene. The murderers get away with their crime and then the troubles begin – for the novel as much as for the character...more

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Sep 15, 2012 Jane rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is alive. From the first to the last I saw the story came to life and I was drawn so completely in. It made my heart beat a little faster, and even now I have put the book down, slept and lived through another day, it is still in my head and my heart.

On one hand the story is utterly modern: and it is timeless. It would be so easy to reset in in any period since it was published, and equally easy to take it back through the centuries.

Because this is a story of humanity. Of what people m...more

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Jun 28, 2012 Sean rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review is for the novel as heard by the "A-List" audiobook performed by Kate Winslet. I like Kate Winslet, so I might be a little biased, but her performance in the audiobook was impeccable. Male and female characters alike were wrought with meticulous and convincing detail. So, I give 5 stars to the audiobook recording quality.

I give 3.5 stars to the novel itself. The first half is excellent. The portrait of Therese and the other characters is compelling. It details the hum-drum lives of t...more

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May 17, 2012 Cherrypiie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Most about this book have definitely already been said. I must admit, I wasn't too impressed when I first finished the book; without knowledge about the 19th century society, this book is far from special. I just found the characters extremely selfish, doing everything they can to fulfill their desires and needs. Nor did I find the environments and the characters capturing - Zola is very distant from his characters.

But, since we read this book in school, we ended the task by discussing the book...more

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Apr 12, 2012 Rebeccahowden rated it 3 of 5 stars

Sombre, theatrical and filled with some deliciously gothic images, this is a book that demonstrates how dark the consequences of desire – and how thin the lines between love and hate – can be. Therese, stuck in a dull and passionless marriage to her sickly cousin Camille, discovers life-changing passion and excitement and intensity in an affair with Camille’s friend Laurent. It would be so convenient if Camille were to die – so, consumed by their yearning to be together, Therese and Laurent make...more

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Jan 04, 2012 caractere rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

إميل كاتب فرنسي ونموذج مؤثر بل ورائد الأدب الطبيعي في فرنسا. والذي يعني أن الروائي ليس عليه أن يحرك شخصياته تبعاً لخياله وإنما يختبرها ويخضعها لسلسلة من التجارب ويرصد حركتها الطبيعية دون أن يتكلف في الإنشاء بل ينتقي من اللفظ أبسطه شرط أن يكون دقيقاً ومعبراً عن الظواهر الطبيعية المعروفة . فلا يستخدم الأدب كحرفة فيصنع الكلمات الغريبة والتركيبات المعقدة. الأدب الطبيعي يتعارض مع الرومانسية في إرادة الكائن البشري فهو يرى أن قدرتنا محدودة في تحديد مصيرنا لذا نجد إميل يعمل على تشخيص أفراد الرواية ويبين...more إميل كاتب فرنسي ونموذج مؤثر بل ورائد الأدب الطبيعي في فرنسا. والذي يعني أن الروائي ليس عليه أن يحرك شخصياته تبعاً لخياله وإنما يختبرها ويخضعها لسلسلة من التجارب ويرصد حركتها الطبيعية دون أن يتكلف في الإنشاء بل ينتقي من اللفظ أبسطه شرط أن يكون دقيقاً ومعبراً عن الظواهر الطبيعية المعروفة . فلا يستخدم الأدب كحرفة فيصنع الكلمات الغريبة والتركيبات المعقدة. الأدب الطبيعي يتعارض مع الرومانسية في إرادة الكائن البشري فهو يرى أن قدرتنا محدودة في تحديد مصيرنا لذا نجد إميل يعمل على تشخيص أفراد الرواية ويبين عيوبهم وعيوب مجتمعهم. ويحللهم علمياً معتمداً على نظريات داروين فتظهر الرواية وكأنها سلسلة حتمية سيمر بها أبطال الرواية لندرة الخيارات.
يقف إميل في صف ميشو وإبنه أوليفييه فليس كل مجرم ينام في زنزانة خلف القضبان أو قضى حكمه بعدل. بل أن هناك مجرمين مازالو طليقي السراح وقد يجالسوننا دون أن نلحظ ذلك أو يثيروا الشك. وعلى هذا بنى روايته. لكن هل العقاب الوحيد الذي ممكن أن يناله المجرم هو ما كتب في قوانين الدولة؟!. القدر يتكفل بالبعض. ومن أستطاع بحيلته وحظه أن يهرب ويتخفى من رجال الشرطة فلن يجد المكان الذي يختبئ به من المصير الذي كتب عليه. لن يهدأ القلق .. والوساوس لن تتركه وحده. الشكوك والهلوسة ستنفجر. والخوف إن قاومناه في النهار فلن نقوى على دفعه في الليل.
من قال ان الضمير هو صوت الحق دائماً بل إن النفس البشرية تطوعه وتعميه.. هو تابع للثقة التي تدفع بنا للقيام بعمل دون أن يرافق ذلك أو يتبعه ندم. هو موجود لكن اناني بعد أن يصاب بالصمم فيلهث خلف الرغبة دون أن يلتفت ويصور المستقبل والأيام القادمة بأفضل صورة ويهون المصاعب ليتسنى للنفس أن تمضي خلف رغبتها وتتشجع.
في أوقات شعرت أن الرواية تستعجل الأحداث وفي المنتصف كان كل شيء انتهى. لكن النصف الأخير كرسه اميل زولا ليبحث في ما يخالط الإنسان من قلق ومقاومة. يأس ومحاولة. خوف ومواجهة. كل الإضطرابات
والتناقضات التي يمر بها الكائن البشري الملطخ بالإثم ولم يكفر بعد عن هذا الذنب. لو إطلعنا على خاتمة حياة اميل زولا نجده توفي مختنقاً بغاز أول أكسيد الكربون عندما تسرب من إحدى مداخن المنزل ولكن بعد عشرات السنين يعترف إحدى ساكني باريس وهو على فراش الموت أنه هو الذي أغلق فوهة المدخنة لأسباب سياسية. هل كان هذا القاتل يعاني كما عانت تيريز و لوران؟!.

مدام راكان وتيرز وزوجها كاميلوس وفيما بعد لوران يعيشون في متجر يقع بين شارعين في باريس, مازارين والسين (شارع جاك كالو حالياً*) ولا تشرف إلا على حائط كبير أجذم في مكان قذر رطب. اعتادت العائلة على ضيافة الصحبة الصالحة كل ليلة خميس ليكسروا الروتين الممل فكان ميشو مفتش شرطة وإبنه اوليفييه موظف في إدارة المباحث الجنائية. كذلك جريفيه موظف في إدارة السكك الحديدية والذي يعمل لديه كل من لوران وكاميلوس تيريز المطيعة التي فقدت ابداء رأيها في أي موضوع إما لنمط الحياة الوحيد الذي تعرفه أو لأنها بذلك تكافيء عمتها على الإهتمام الذي قدمته لها ولم يقدمه أحد غيرها. كان على تيريز أن تعتاد العيش بمحمية عمتها ليس لشيء فقط لتواسي ابن عمتها العليل والذي قضى جزء كبير من حياته في نقاهة. لكن الفتاة بجذور جزائرية وطبيعتها النزقة الشهوانية لابد أن تقاوم الحياة الآسنة. وهذا ما حدث حين ظهر لوران صديق زوجها كاميلوس. الشاب ببنية قوية وعنق غليظ وهذا كان كافياً ليسقط كاميلوس الضئيل من اهتمامامتها ومن حياتها تماماً. ملامحها الجامدة ساعدتها لاحقاً في كتم كل العواصف الهائجة في داخلها. ليخلو لها الجو مع عشيقها لوران دون أن يشعر البقية أن كل ما حدث كان مخطط له.
هذه الرواية لا يمكن أن يكون لها مغزى آخر لأن إميل عمد إلى تصفيتها من كل أحداث جانبية لتصفو الرواية لجريمة تيريز ولوران وما يعقب ذلك من عقاب رباني.(less)

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Sep 17, 2011 David Williamson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

There are many things to admire in Zola's first major work, the language, the use of analysis, the metaphor of the paralysed Mother as the reader incapable to lift a finger against these murderers.

But it just isn't as good as other similar books, actually it is rather good, but not in the same class. Zola despises his characters and gives them no charm, the death of God is replaced with the need for him back (if the murderers are not suffering from the guilt of sin, then what is it they are suff...more

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Sep 17, 2011 MJ Nicholls rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: pernod-and-gauloises, novels, pre-1900s, penguin-classics

You know how it is. Your mother marries you to your sexless cousin and in silent defiance you enter a torrid affair with a peasant painter. All those hours spent humouring the dull man in your dreary shop, waiting for your next animalistic tussle with your fiery lover. Then one day, you realise the conventions of early 19thC society are going to prevent you from ditching the boring old blood tie, and you will never be free to give yourself to true love.

God, the boredom! I mean, you can’t even k...more

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Mar 20, 2010 Becky Weaver rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I hadn't read any Zola since _La Bete Humaine_ in college which I don't remember at all. I enjoyed reading Zola much more this time around. A wild and thought-provoking read.

Part of what made the story so satisfying was how he balanced the experiences of pairs of characters. Take Therese and the elder Mme. Raquin. Mme Raquin takes in her brother's child. This is an expression of her nature - kindly, maternal. However, in doing so, she does not take into account Therese's wild, intense, and nerv...more

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Oct 22, 2012 Alex rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: the gravely debauched

Shelves: reading-through-history, 2012

Therese Raquin is Madame Bovary on steroids. The young Zola was impressed by Bovary, and its influence is clear throughout Raquin - but he ratchets every aspect of the story up, for better and...well, really for worse; this isn't as good as Bovary.

Mainly that's because Zola is no match at all for Flaubert psychologically. Bovary is as trenchant a view inside the human brain as I've read outside Tolstoy; laser-focused and brilliant. Zola, by contrast, is muddling about with some almost Medieval n...more Therese Raquin is Madame Bovary on steroids. The young Zola was impressed by Bovary, and its influence is clear throughout Raquin - but he ratchets every aspect of the story up, for better and...well, really for worse; this isn't as good as Bovary.

Mainly that's because Zola is no match at all for Flaubert psychologically. Bovary is as trenchant a view inside the human brain as I've read outside Tolstoy; laser-focused and brilliant. Zola, by contrast, is muddling about with some almost Medieval notions of sanguine (that means optimistic) vs. nervous temperaments. It's all a mess, and unfortunately Zola hammers the shit out of it, and it all feels sophomoric.

On the other hand, once you get past the psychological mumbo-jumbo, it's a fiercely intense book - straining at its sleeves with dread and tension. You thought Bovary had some unlikable characters? You ain't seen nothin'. Raquin's two leads are despicable, irredeemable cesspools of humanity.

Zola is a visual writer. Manet's Olympia, above, isn't crucial to the story, but my footnotes pointed it out several times and I was glad I went and found it, so as a public service, here it is. Note the cat on the right.

More importantly, he describes the alleys of mid-19th century Paris in wonderful sludgy detail, particularly the oozing Seine.

Raquin is shockingly gruesome, especially for its time but even now. Edgar Allen Poe sought consciously to shock his audience, because he thought it would bring him attention: "But whether [the horrific shit] of which I speak are, or are not in bad taste is little to the purpose. To be appreciated you must be read, and these things are invariably sought after with avidity." (Edgar Allan Poe to Thomas W. White — April 30, 1835) The same strategy is at play here. (And it's clear from a shoutout to Poe's obsession with being buried alive that Zola's aware of this lesson.) In the last half of the book, the horror ratchets up to a Grand Guignol level: (view spoiler)

I know some perfectly smart readers who just choose not to handle books about terrible people. Those friends of mine don't like Madame Bovary. (Or Wuthering Heights, for another example.) If you're one of those people, holy shit, do not read this book. But if you like what's in the shadows...here are the things that ooze in them.(less)

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Oct 12, 2012 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Hittade en gammal analys av boken jag knåpade ihop på en svenskalektion under gymnasiet. Slutet faller ganska platt, förmodligen pga tidsbrist. Obs! Spoiler alert!

Analys av Laurent och Thérèse.

Thérèse Raquin och Laurent är de två karaktärer i verket "Thérèse Raquin" som driver handlingen framåt. När deras relation tar fart ökar händelseförloppet i boken, mychet på grund av att man som läsare undrar när de två ska skrida till handling och döda Camille - den ende som står i vägen för deras kärlek...more Hittade en gammal analys av boken jag knåpade ihop på en svenskalektion under gymnasiet. Slutet faller ganska platt, förmodligen pga tidsbrist. Obs! Spoiler alert!

Analys av Laurent och Thérèse.

Thérèse Raquin och Laurent är de två karaktärer i verket "Thérèse Raquin" som driver handlingen framåt. När deras relation tar fart ökar händelseförloppet i boken, mychet på grund av att man som läsare undrar när de två ska skrida till handling och döda Camille - den ende som står i vägen för deras kärlek - . Men vilka är Thérèse och Laurent egentligen? Vilken sorts person kan döda en medmänniska? Den här analysen ska se närmare på Thérèse och Laurents personligheter och egenskaper, samt deras relation till varandra och andra karaktärer i boken.

Thérèse Raquin beskrivs utav Laurent som ful och dyster. Hon är en kvinna hunsad och försummad av sin förmyndare Mme Raquin och sin make tillika kusin Camille, tvingad att leva ett liv i tysthet och ständigt lugn; något som går emot Thérèses natur då halvafrikanskt blod pumpar i hennes ådror.
Thérèse är, opassande nog, full utav kraft och energi - mycket på grund av hennes gener - men detta personlighetsdrag tvingas åt sidan då det inte passar in och anses appropriate i den miljö hon lever i (med en ständigt sjuk man och hans överbeskyddande mor) Thérèse beskrivs som smidig och kattlik men framstår mest lugn, sansad och väldigt allvarlig.

Laurent, mannen som kom att bli Thérèses älskare, är en bondson som lever upp till de förväntningar man har om en sådan; han beskrivs som stor, kraftfull med "feta fingrar och nacke". Han är en lugn metodisk man som vid bokens början sällan tappar fattningen och är väldigt självmedveten. Laurent är en passionerad man och detta är något som han drivs mycket av.
Men även om Laurents jag är fullt utav passion är hans emotionella sida mer underlägsen, och ha nframstår aldrig som sympatisk eller medkännande.

Dessa två karaktärer - Thérèse och Laurent - drivs båda av stark passion och kraft, även om det i Thérèses fall inte märks förrän hon för första gången möter Laurent. Laurent är en katalysator i Thérèses liv som för in något nytt och passionerat i hennes alldagliga monotona liv. Laurent väcker den tills nu sovande passionen och kraften inom Thérèse och detta leder till den starka relationen som utvecklas mellan dem.
Det verkar dock som att Thérèse och Laurents relation i en hög grad baseras på just denna passion; inte på kärlek eller dylika, varma känslor. De är båda djupt passionerade, starka personligheter och tillsammans skapar dessa karaktärsdrag en relation som blir näst intill ohälsosam och skadlig. Thérèse, som till en början tror sig älska Laurent verkar drivas närmare och närmare honom trots att han aldrig låter relationen bli en kärleksrelation, och likaså dras även Laurent närmare Thérèse och blir i till slut besatt av sin bäste väns hustru.
Detta; det faktum att Thérèse redan är gift med Camille som i sin tur är Laurents bäste vän, utgör ett uppenbart hinder i Thérèses och Laurents relation. De båda har en nära relation till detta "hinder" (Camille) även om det i Thérèses fall är mer en syskonrelation än kärleksrelation.
Camille utgör dock inte bara ett hinder för de älskande då han är vid liv (som levande är han beviset på att Thérèse och Laurent aldrig kommer få varandra) utan även efter sin död. Ty samvetskvalen och ångesten som ständigt frambringar Camilles skepnad framför Thérèse och Laurent, är vad som orsakar de två att sakta men säkert dras längre och längre från varandra efter mordet på Camille.
Thérèse och Laurent säger sig känna Camilles kalla, döda kropp ligga emellan dem i sängen om natten - en tydlig symbol för hur Camille utgör ett hinder i deras relation, och står mellan dem även efter sin död. -

Thérèse och Laurent får aldrig varandra på det sätt de önskat. Kanske beror detta på att deras relation verkar vara byggd på "köttets längtan" endast, och inte några djupare känslor likt kärlek eller respekt. Det är snarare deras starka och lika personligheter som driver dem samman.
Dock är det även personligheterna anledningen till den kalla, dystra relation deras förhållande utvecklas till mot slutet. De har aldrig delat någon ömsesidig respekt för varandra: snarare har de sett på den andre som en fysisk ägodel. Detta är något som gör deras relation svagare.
En relation baserat på endast det fysiska verkar inte vara en relation stark not att hålla mycket påfrestningar; vilket deras förhållande inte heller gör efter mordet på Camille. Kanske är Thérèse och Laurent bara menade som älskare, inget mer?

För att återgå till Thérèses och Laurents personligheter, så är det de som utgör grunden för deras förhållande och de val de sedan tar vid bokens slut. Kanske är deras förhållande ett resultat av arv och miljö...(less)

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Apr 29, 2012 Ray Campbell rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2012

In my pursuit of classics, I wanted to read an Emile Zola. This was a quick read. It begins as a romance, becomes a murder intrigue and ends with madness. Zola tells a good story while presenting a point of view and moral lesson. Zola was an important exemplar of the literary school of naturalism and was a childhood friend of Cezanne. His life spans the second half of the 19th century and he is a figure in Paris during the time of the impressionists. All inform his writing which is a little stif...more

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Nov 23, 2012 Mel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 19th-century-fiction, french, translation

Zola tried to defend the "scandalous" nature of this book saying he was writing about characters without souls, human animals, in a very naturalistic way. I see if this was his aim he totally failed as this was melodrama at its best. The dingy, monotonous life of the main character is relieved through an affair with her husband’s friend. It's interesting that Therese is the title character when she doesn't actually speak till about a third of the way into the novel, and then it's a huge monologu...more

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Mar 20, 2012 B-zee rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

Sejujurnya buku ini bagus, dia mengangkat cerita dari sisi yang memuakkan. Ya, saya muak membaca kisah Therese dan Laurent. Meskipun saya yakin bahwa penulis menggambarkan mereka sudah terserang gangguan psikotik, tetapi tak ada empati saya sedikit pun terhadap mereka. Kalau orang menjadi skizofrenia karena perbuatan jahat di masa lalu, lebih baik mereka sembuh setelah bertobat saja. Sungguh meski saya juga tidak terlalu menyukai Camille maupun Mme Raquin, tetapi perbuatan kedua kekasih gelap it...more

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Apr 12, 2013 Anindyta rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

“Sometimes people die,” she murmured at last. “Only it is dangerous for those who survive.” - Therese Raquin

I picked this one because I found out that this one is Zola’s first popular book. I already wrote in this blog, I never read anything about him so I want to begin with everyone’s favorite book. Hopefully, I could join this ‘everyone’ and build a good first impression of Zola.

Therese Raquine is a girl or you can say young woman. Therese Raquine is an orphan girl who’s adopted by her aunt, Madame Raquine. I like her name, Therese Raquine. I didn’t know the meaning of the name, but I could feel the name has its own grace but the name has an inner dark, the mysterious scent which makes me curious about this book.

Therese lives with her aunt and her husband, Camille. Actually, Camille is her aunt’s son, so practically she married her cousin. They live in a small house near Seine, in Vernon. Her aunt is a wealthy former mercer and needs space from the working world to search for serenity in this peaceful house. Although her aunt is happy with their situation, Therese and Camille feel the opposite. They want to move to the busier, happier, and merrier town where they can live happily, not quietly like in the village. So when her aunt agrees with them, the three of them leave immediately to Paris. In Paris, they live in a dark arcade, where they open a shop to make a living. This is supposed to make Therese happy, live free and all, but unfortunately Therese isn’t happy. She hates the arcade, she hates the shop, she hates the new companies who always come in Thusrday to play domino, she hates all of it. But the most hated by her is her husband. He disgusts her. Then one day, come Laurent, the old friend of Camille. He is the tall and strong man. Therese and Laurent become a secret couple and kill Camille for their own happiness.

So, this one is a book about murder. Not about how to solve it, but how to live with it. Most part of this book consists about the life after murder. How Therese and Laurent live and hide their sin from people is the main idea. They live their life with despair and haunted from Camille ghost. Maybe some of you call this a ghost story but I think this is funny. Why funny ? Well, this is my first book which I dislike the main characters so much. Dislike here doesn’t mean that I hate these characters so I don’t want to read this book again. No, this dislike is pulling me farther and farther through this book. This is funny to me because I know what exactly will happen to them, but I’m enjoying their messed up life in words by Mr. Zola. They dreamt of a happy life but get a hell instead, that’s funny. Or maybe I can say…this book is ironic.

I can see Mr. Zola is a clever-clever man. He can make these two young killers suffer in his way. I really like this kind of torture, it’s unthinkable for me before. The way he describe the arcade, the way he told the story, it’s…picturesque. Yes, picturesque. I can imagine my own Therese Raquin and his husband running around in the dark shop. I can see my own Therese Raquin film in my head. And his writing is not hard to understand, it’s light enough to read it in one day.

Anyway, I found some things annoying in this book. First is the character. I know this is about murderer and I’m not expecting the characters will be good, humble, and bla bla person. So I’m not complaining about how Mr. Zola made Therese and Laurent so egoist and evil. But you know, I’m not really like how Zola wrote about the friends of Raquin family. He made them like they are really annoying and don’t care at all to anyone except they have something to do with them. Well, you can correct me if I’m wrong in this but I found it so. I can’t help but feeling sad when I found one book full of evil characters. I just believe there is light in everyone’s shadow.

And the second is about money. Why is there always the amount of salary in every character’s introduction? For example, when Camille introduced his friend. Olivier, the head clerk of Prefecture of Police, worth 3,000 francs a year. And Grivet earned 2,100 francs a year. Is it necessary? Did everyone at that time talk about their earnings so openly like that?

Well, I guess it’s time for me to stop this rambling about Therese Raquin. This is my first read by Emile Zola and I guess I’ll give his other book a shot sometimes. I love his wonderful writings. I guess this book taught me how we always afraid by the one who’s far but not aware of the danger in front of our nose. And yeah, it taught me about karma too.

My rating for the book is 3.5 / 5 (less)

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Dec 28, 2012 Lucrezia rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"Come non assassinare questo povero Camille, questo essere malaticcio e appiccicoso, il cui nome fa rima con camomilla, dopo una simile eccitazione?" (Ferragus)

Niente, questo libro non poteva essere letto in un momento più sbagliato.
Non che mi abbia annoiato ,no, forse sarebbe stano meglio. Nulla mi ha lasciata indifferente, per la prima metà, per lo meno nella seconda si è ripreso un pochetto... Avrei voluto per lo meno provare qualcosa: indignazione , rabbia, gioia, noia... Ma nulla mi limitav...more

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Apr 20, 2012 Steve rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Students of Noir, Zola completists, Cat haters

Shelves: crime-badness-noir, fiction, pulp

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Therese Raquin is not a very good novel. It does, however, have some very interesting parts. If you are a fan of noir fiction, you will easily pick up on some classic elements of the genre: two loser-lovers, a weak and whiney husband, a cast of additional characters that you also don’t like, and an increasingly oppressive atmosphere that blinks No Exit.

For the first half of the book, all these elements mix nicely (or nastily). Therese Raquin, who is part north African, is, as a child, abandone...more

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Jul 05, 2011 Anastasia rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classici, francia, 5-stars

Niente, io amo Zola e questo è un capolavoro.
Ehm, se cercate una lettura piacevole NON aprite questo libro. Thérèse Raquin è un incubo allucinato, irrazionale. Un'analisi eccellente, ma che più di così non si può. E' vero, si scorge quasi una specie di operazione chirurgica nel trattare con i sentimenti dei personaggi. La relazione fra Laurent e Thérèse è una relazione principalmente carnale, mossa dal desiderio. Carne, carne. E' forse una delle parole che rimbomba di più nelle loro menti, olt...more

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Mar 03, 2011 dragonflyy419 rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Theresa Raquin by Émile Zola is a horrifically good book. The afterword of the book states that Zola was attempting to write a novel expressing divine justice instead of human justice. He does this very well. The book is a testament to the worst of human nature.

Theresa Raquin is the story of two lovers Theresa and Laurent who plot and succeed in killing Theresa's husband. The book then describes in great detail the emotional and physical effects a successful murder plot has on the couple. It is...more Theresa Raquin by Émile Zola is a horrifically good book. The afterword of the book states that Zola was attempting to write a novel expressing divine justice instead of human justice. He does this very well. The book is a testament to the worst of human nature.

Theresa Raquin is the story of two lovers Theresa and Laurent who plot and succeed in killing Theresa's husband. The book then describes in great detail the emotional and physical effects a successful murder plot has on the couple. It is a frightening look at the human psyche. Zola took care with this book and created a wonderful look into what happens when two individuals must live with guilt. The two protagonists are anything but likable characters. They are egotistical, remorseless, and lazy. They are constantly looking for the easy way out and we are shown how this is a folly and what their transgressions lead to.

The imagery and descriptions in this book are intense and vivid. The images are never light or happy. Nothing in this story is light hearted.

The characters are very well developed in this novel. Zola creates a remarkable atmosphere. There are the two protagonists who are living a life of anguish and pain over their sinister deed. Then there are the side characters who are often displayed as ignorantly blissful and know nothing of the falsehoods that the reader and the protagonists share.

This book is filled with intense tension and anguish through the characters Theresa and Laurent. The reader is never certain what the next action these individuals are going to take in their quest to gain freedom from their mental anguish. It is a tale that has you riveted to the page and Zola writes so well that often the stresses the characters feel are conveyed so strongly that the reader feels them.

Overall Theresa Raquin is not a light and happy novel, but it is still a great and worthy read. If you are looking for a story that looks into the depths of the worst side of human nature then this is a novel that you should not pass up.(less)

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May 02, 2013 MissSugarTown rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Mon premier Zola, je ne me serai peut-être jamais décidée à lire un de ses livres si je n'avais été encouragée par la blogosphère. J'ai toujours fui Zola et Balzac, pensant que leur style serait trop soutenu et compliqué pour moi. J'ai découvert Zola aujourd'hui avec ce roman, et je suis contente que ce soit celui-ci.

Thérèse Raquin est le premier roman à succès de Zola, il l'a écrit à l'age de 27 ans, avant de se lancer dans sa série Rougon-Macquart qui compte 20 de ses romans.

Cette lecture a ét...more Mon premier Zola, je ne me serai peut-être jamais décidée à lire un de ses livres si je n'avais été encouragée par la blogosphère. J'ai toujours fui Zola et Balzac, pensant que leur style serait trop soutenu et compliqué pour moi. J'ai découvert Zola aujourd'hui avec ce roman, et je suis contente que ce soit celui-ci.

Thérèse Raquin est le premier roman à succès de Zola, il l'a écrit à l'age de 27 ans, avant de se lancer dans sa série Rougon-Macquart qui compte 20 de ses romans.

Cette lecture a été intense, arrivée aux dernières pages j'avais l'impression que j'allais mourir... J'étais en train de déjeuner, et j'en avais perdu l'appétit. Je suffoquais sous la plume de Zola, et j'avais hâte d'en finir. Je crois que j'ai vécu cette lecture comme une possession, j'étais hantée par ce roman, ses personnages et ses angoisses ! Tout au long de ma lecture, je me demandais dans quelle catégorie je classerais ce roman, maintenant je crois bien que ce sera l'horreur.

Zola nous raconte l'histoire de Thérèse Raquin, une jeune fille métisse, de père français et de mère algérienne, dont elle aurait hérité le côté "sauvage" africain... Confiée par son père dès sa naissance à sa tante, elle grandit auprès de son cousin Camille, un enfant chétif et souvent malade. Elle dut subir une éducation bien singulière, qui l'obligea à refouler sa vraie identité durant plusieurs années... C'est ce côté de l'histoire qui m'a le plus intéressée et passionnée dans le roman.

Elle épousera son cousin "par évidence" mais va très vite sombrer dans l'adultère... Et c'est là où la véritable histoire commence.

J'ai trouvé le style de Zola très ordinaire, ce que je veux dire c'est qu'il n'use pas de mots difficiles comme je le craignais, mais sa plume elle, est loin de l'être. Je crois que son talent réside dans sa capacité à nous prendre par la gorge et nous faire vivre ses personnages d'une façon très dense. Du moins, c'est comme ça que j'ai vécu ma première expérience avec Zola.

J'ai découvert avec Zola le naturalisme, et j'ai bien envie d'en lire d'autres, les 20 romans du Rougon-Macquart pourquoi pas ? D'ailleurs, mon prochain Zola, j'aimerai bien que ce soit La fortune des Rougon.(less)

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Apr 25, 2012 Jason rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, novel, classic

An absorbing novel, an early version of a noir. It is a naturalistic "study" of a loveless couple, an affair, a murder, and a descent into madness that, as you might guess, ends badly.

The novel generally has a very tight economy, with four main characters, four supporting characters, very few other walk-on parts, and the majority set in one location. It was considered shocking at the time due to its relatively open depictions of sexuality, crime, and punishment. It still is somewhat "shocking,"...more

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Nov 18, 2011 Annika rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was my first encounter with Zola, and I was quite terrified as well as quite excited. I had been told before hand this was a book that would make me feel bad, and I can only agree.

Zola is one strong story teller, a contempoary writer of that time taking inspiration of the growing field of psychology, strong influences of Freud and Darwin can be seen in the book. As said, it's really a book of it's time, it opens up the mind of the protagonists and puts binoculars before your (the readers)...more

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About Émile Zola

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 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 at the age of 28 had thought of the complete layout of the series. Set in France's Second Empire, the series traces the "environmental" influences of violence, alcohol and prostitution which became more prevalent during the second wave of the Industrial Revolution. The series examines two branches of a family: the respectable (that is, legitimate) Rougons and the disreputable (illegitimate) Macquarts for five generations.

As he described his plans for the series, "I want to portray, at the outset of a century of liberty and truth, a family that cannot restrain itself in its rush to possess all the good things that progress is making available and is derailed by its own momentum, the fatal convulsions that accompany the birth of a new world."

Although Zola and Cézanne were friends from childhood, they broke in later life over Zola's fictionalized depiction of Cézanne and the Bohemian life of painters in his novel L'Œuvre (The Masterpiece, 1886).

From 1877 with the publication of l'Assommoir, Émile Zola became wealthy, he was better paid than Victor Hugo, for example. He became a figurehead among the literary bourgeoisie and organized cultural dinners with Guy de Maupassant, Joris-Karl Huysmans and other writers at his luxurious villa in Medan near Paris after 1880. Germinal in 1885, then the three 'cities', Lourdes in 1894, Rome in 1896 and Paris in 1897, established Zola as a successful author.

The self-proclaimed leader of French naturalism, Zola's works inspired operas such as those of Gustave Charpentier, notably Louise in the 1890s. His works, inspired by the concepts of heredity (Claude Bernard), social manichaeism and idealistic socialism, resonate with those of Nadar, Manet and subsequently Flaubert.

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More about Émile Zola...

Books by Émile Zola

L'Assommoir (The Dram Shop) (Les Rougon-Macquart, #7)

La Bête humaine (Les Rougon-Macquart, #17)

The Ladies' Paradise (Les Rougon-Macquart, #11)

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Quotes from Thérèse Raquin

“They dared not peer down into their own natures, down into the feverish confusion that filled their minds with a kind of dense, acrid mist.” — 5 people liked it

“In cima alla via Guénégaud, venendo dalla strada lungo la Senna, si trova il passaggio del Ponte Nuovo, una specie di corridoio stretto e oscuro che va dalla via Mazarino alla via della Senna. Quel passaggio ha, al massimo, trenta passi di lunghezza e due di larghezza; è selciato di pietre giallastre, consunte, sconnesse, che trasudano sempre un'acre umidità; la vetrata che lo ricopre, tagliata ad angolo retto, è nera di sporcizia.
Nei bei giorni d'estate, quando un ardente sole incendia le vie, un chiarore biancastro cade dai vetri sporchi e si trascina miseramente nel passaggio. Nei brutti giorni d'inverno, nelle mattinate di nebbia, i vetri gettano soltanto oscurità sulle pietre viscide, oscurità sporca e ignobile.” — 1 person liked it

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