Therese Raquin
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“Zola's blunt, unprettified representation of the most sordid elements of life—infidelity, murder, madness and suicide—seemed revolutionary in the context of his time. Especially remarkable was Zola's gritty portrayal of his eponymous central character Therese, a brilliantly radical departure from the simpering female prototypes of Victorian convention.”—Los Angeles Times
In a dingy apartment on the Passage du Pont-Neuf in Paris, Thérèse Raquin is trapped in a loveless marriage to her sickly cousin, Camille. The numbing tedium of her life is suddenly shattered when she embarks on a turbulent affair with her husband’s earthy friend, Laurent. But their passion for each other soon compels the lovers to commit a crime that will haunt them forever.
Thérèse Raquin caused a scandal when it appeared in 1867 and brought its twenty-seven-year-old author a notoriety that followed him throughout his life. Zola’s novel is not only an uninhibited portrayal of adultery, madness, and ghostly revenge but also a devastating exploration of the darkest aspects of human existence.
Translated by Ernest Vizetelly.
 Write a Review of Therese Raquin
  
Half Thrilling, Half painful, June 02, 2007
Reviewer: learnoutloud
from Los Angeles, California
Emile Zola builds a lot of suspense and passion in the first half of this novel with dark acts of infidelity and murder. All the gritty details of Paris are revealed as Thérèse and Laurent dive into their hidden love affair, and the build up to the murder is all quite believable. But once the murder is done with, Zola spends the rest of the story punishing the murderers relentlessly as the shutter through fits of madness and pain hoping to die. It becomes quite tiresome and predictable. Good narration Tracy Svensgaard who's able to pull off the French accents quite well when she's speaking the dialogue of the characters.
- LearnOutLoud.com Product ID:
T021081
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Audio CD |
7 Discs |
0786170263 |
9780786170265 |
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Cassette |
5 Tapes |
0786145870 |
9780786145874 |
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Literature
European Classics
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