Big Books of 2026

Les Rougon-Macquart Series

20 primary works • 31 total works
This is the series in publication order. In an "Introduction" of his last novel, Le Docteur Pascal, Zola gave a recommended reading order, although it is not required, as each novel stands on its own. You can find Zola's recommended order here: Recommended Reading Order

Book 1

The Fortune of the Rougons
by
3.91 · 8185 Ratings · 696 Reviews · published 1871 · 275 editions
In the small Provençal town of Plassans, the day a…

Shelve The Fortune of the Rougons

    • Rate it:

    Book 2

    La Curée
    by
    3.88     · 6328 Ratings · 504 Reviews · published 1871 · 505 editions
    A la fin d’une chasse, pendant la curée, les chien…

    Shelve La Curée

    • Rate it:

    Book 3

    The Belly of Paris
    by
    3.92     · 7262 Ratings · 677 Reviews · published 1873 · 706 editions
    «Yo vivo en París, abro la ventana cada mañana y m…

    Shelve The Belly of Paris

    • Rate it:

    Book 4

    La Conquête de Plassans
    by
    3.94     · 2275 Ratings · 248 Reviews · published 1874 · 416 editions
    «Il détachait son cheval, dont il avait noué les g…

    Shelve La Conquête de Plassans

    • Rate it:

    Book 5

    La Faute de l'abbé Mouret
    by
    3.60     · 2332 Ratings · 252 Reviews · published 1875 · 577 editions
    Serge Mouret est le prêtre d’un village pauvre, qu…

    Shelve La Faute de l'abbé Mouret

    • Rate it:

    Book 6

    Son Excellence Eugène Rougon
    by
    3.66     · 1909 Ratings · 203 Reviews · published 1876 · 402 editions
    En 1856, Eugène Rougon, un ancien avocat de provin…

    Shelve Son Excellence Eugène Rougon

    • Rate it:

    Book 7

    L'Assommoir
    by
    4.08     · 19251 Ratings · 1124 Reviews · published 1876 · 18 editions
    The seventh novel in the Rougon-Macquart cycle, L'…

    Shelve L'Assommoir

    • Rate it:

    Book 8

    Une page d'amour
    by
    3.67     · 2575 Ratings · 206 Reviews · published 1877 · 12 editions
    «Henri, je vous en supplie... Laissez-moi...» Mais…

    Shelve Une page d'amour

    • Rate it:

    Book 9

    Nana
    by
    3.84     · 27566 Ratings · 1299 Reviews · published 1880 · 504 editions
    Wenn die üppige blonde Nana auf der Bühne des Pari…

    Shelve Nana

    • Rate it:

    Book 10

    Pot Luck
    by
    3.92     · 2664 Ratings · 217 Reviews · published 1882 · 14 editions
    Pot Luck , Zola's most acerbic satire, describes d…

    Shelve Pot Luck

    • Rate it:

    Book 11

    The Ladies' Paradise
    by
    3.98     · 20443 Ratings · 1590 Reviews · published 1883 · 931 editions
    The Ladies Paradise (Au Bonheur des Dames) recount…

    Shelve The Ladies' Paradise

    • Rate it:

    Book 12

    The Joy of Life
    by
    3.90     · 2327 Ratings · 249 Reviews · published 1883 · 2 editions
    Pauline Quenu, the daughter of shopkeepers in the …

    Shelve The Joy of Life

    • Rate it:

    Book 13

    Germinal
    by
    4.20     · 42775 Ratings · 2688 Reviews · published 1885 · 1542 editions
    The thirteenth novel in Émile Zola’s great Rougon-…

    Shelve Germinal

    • Rate it:

    Book 14

    The Masterpiece
    by
    3.98     · 5393 Ratings · 480 Reviews · 311 editions
    The Masterpiece is the tragic story of Claude Lant…

    Shelve The Masterpiece

    • Rate it:

    Book 15

    The Earth
    by
    4.09     · 2538 Ratings · 246 Reviews · published 1887 · 380 editions
    When Jean Macquart arrives in the peasant communit…

    Shelve The Earth

    • Rate it:

    Book 16

    The Dream
    by
    3.55     · 2352 Ratings · 232 Reviews · published 1888 · 10 editions
    Emile Zola's novel Le Rêve (1888) is a love idyll …

    Shelve The Dream

    • Rate it:

    Book 17

    La Bête humaine
    by
    4.03     · 13073 Ratings · 739 Reviews · published 1890 · 578 editions
    Librarian's note: Alternate cover edition of ISBN …

    Shelve La Bête humaine

    • Rate it:

    Book 18

    L'Argent
    by
    3.95     · 2706 Ratings · 244 Reviews · published 1891 · 436 editions
    Dix-huitième volume des Rougon-Macquart, L'Argent …

    Shelve L'Argent

    • Rate it:

    Book 19

    La Débâcle
    by
    4.04     · 1886 Ratings · 185 Reviews · published 1892 · 552 editions
    The penultimate novel of the Rougon-Macquart cycle…

    Shelve La Débâcle

    • Rate it:

    Book 20

    Le Docteur Pascal
    by
    3.73     · 1202 Ratings · 117 Reviews · published 1893 · 502 editions
    A Plassans, berceau provençal de sa famille, tandi…

    Shelve Le Docteur Pascal

    • Rate it:

    Book 1-4

    Les Rougon-Macquart. Volume 1
    by
    4.29     · 35 Ratings · published 1960 · 3 editions
    Homme complexe, romancier prolifique, intellectuel…

    Shelve Les Rougon-Macquart. Volume 1

    • Rate it:

    Book 1-4

    Les Rougon-Macquart, Tome 1: La fortune des Rougon / La curée / Le ventre de Paris / La conquête de Plassans
    by
    4.15     · 34 Ratings · 3 Reviews · published 2002 · 6 editions
    Différences entre Balzac et moi

    Balzac dit que l'id…

    Shelve Les Rougon-Macquart, Tome 1: La fortune des Rougon / La curée / Le ventre de Paris / La conquête de Plassans

    • Rate it:

    Book 5-8

    Les Rougon-Macquart, Tome 2: La faute de l'abbé Mouret / Son excellence Eugène Rougon / L'assommoir / Une page d'amour
    by
    4.00     · 8 Ratings · 1 Reviews · published 1970 · 1 edition
    Saint-Aubin, 3 septembre 1875

    Mon cher directeur,
    Je…

    Shelve Les Rougon-Macquart, Tome 2: La faute de l'abbé Mouret / Son excellence Eugène Rougon / L'assommoir / Une page d'amour

    • Rate it:

    Book 9-12

    Les Rougon-Macquart, Tome 3: Nana / Pot-Bouille / Au Bonheur des Dames / La joie de vivre
    by
    3.78     · 9 Ratings · published 2002 · 4 editions
    Je viens de relire Pot-Bouille avec admiration. Oh…

    Shelve Les Rougon-Macquart, Tome 3: Nana / Pot-Bouille / Au Bonheur des Dames / La joie de vivre

    • Rate it:

    Book 17-20

    Les Rougon-Macquart, Tome 5: La bête humaine / L'argent / La débâcle / Le docteur Pascal
    by
    4.33     · 9 Ratings · published 2002 · 3 editions
    Notes sur la marche générale de l'oeuvre

    La caracté…

    Shelve Les Rougon-Macquart, Tome 5: La bête humaine / L'argent / La débâcle / Le docteur Pascal

    • Rate it:

    Book 5 part 1

    La caída del Abate Mouret [tomo I]
    by
    0.00     · published 1875 · 2 editions
    Tomo I de 8475611559.
    Capítulos I a X

    Shelve La caída del Abate Mouret [tomo I]

    • Rate it:

    Book 13 part 2

    جرمينال - الجزء الثاني
    by
    4.46     · 13 Ratings · 3 Reviews · published 1885 · 14 editions
    '문학동네 세계문학전집' 121, 122권. 자연주의 문학의 최고봉으로 꼽히는 프랑스의 대…

    Shelve جرمينال - الجزء الثاني

    • Rate it:

    Book 5 part 2

    La caída del Abate Mouret [tomo II]
    by
    0.00     · published 1875 · 2 editions
    Tomo II de 8475611559.
    Capítulos XI a XVI

    Shelve La caída del Abate Mouret [tomo II]

    • Rate it:

    Book 11 part 1

    여인들의 행복 백화점 1
    by
    4.67     · 3 Ratings · 1 edition
    <출판사 책 소개>

    세계 최초의 백화점 ‘봉 마르셰’를 모델로, 백화점의 발전상에 따른 사회…

    Shelve 여인들의 행복 백화점 1

    • Rate it:

    Book 11 part 2

    여인들의 행복 백화점 2
    by
    4.33     · 3 Ratings · 1 edition
    <출판사 책소개>

    세계 최초의 백화점 ‘봉 마르셰’를 모델로, 백화점의 발전상에 따른 사회적…

    Shelve 여인들의 행복 백화점 2

    • Rate it:

    Book 13 part 1

    제르미날 1
    by
    4.25     · 8 Ratings · 1 Reviews · 2 editions
    '문학동네 세계문학전집' 121, 122권. 자연주의 문학의 최고봉으로 꼽히는 프랑스의 대…

    Shelve 제르미날 1

    • Rate it:

    Related series

    Series
    Les Rougon-Macquart
    20 primary works • 20 total works
    Series
    Three Cities Trilogy
    3 primary works • 3 total works
    Series
    Les Quatre Évangiles
    3 primary works • 3 total works
    Series
    Stories for Ninon
    2 primary works • 3 total works
    Series
    Os Rougon-Macquart
    10 primary works • 10 total works