Germinal Readalong

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Do you guys have any unread books that just seem to haunt you? You know the ones. You've been meaning to read it for years, but you never quite get to it even though tons of people have recommended it to you. 

Well for me, that book is Germinal by EmilĂ© Zola and this year I'm actually going to read it! The one word I see the most in reviews of the book is "gripping". I don't know why this one is so intimidating to me, but it is. 

Here's Penguin's summary...

"Etienne Lantier, an unemployed railway worker, is a clever but uneducated young man with a dangerous temper. Forced to take a back-breaking job at Le Voreux mine when he cannot get other work, he discovers that his fellow miners are ill, hungry, and in debt, unable to feed and clothe their families. When conditions in the mining community deteriorate even further, Lantier finds himself leading a strike that could mean starvation or salvation for all."

So if you're interested in reading this one, join Care's Books and Pie and me as we brave this French classic. We'll be posting thoughts as we go on Twitter, Litsy, and Instagram at #GerminalAlong. It will be a very casual readalong, but it will be fun to share thoughts. I will post a wrap-up at the end of the month as well. I hope you'll join us!

To wrap things up, here's a quote from Daniel Radcliff about the book...

“[Germinal] made me realize that when books are considered ‘classics,’ most of the time they’re actually very readable and exciting.”

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for doing this. AND YOU MADE A BUTTON?!?! What a dear you are. xoxoxoxox

Anonymous said...

I'm envious that this will be your first reading of Germinal. It's one of my favourite books of all time. The subject mater is rather depressing but it is authentic since Zola spent time with these mining families and kept extensive notebooks. My overwhelming feeling after reading it was of anger that people were forced to live in such poverty and hardship.

JoAnn said...

So hoping I can join in... life is a little crazy now. My parents are with us a Mom recuperates from hip surgery. I haven't read a page in 2 weeks!

Melissa (Avid Reader) said...

bkclubcare - This will be fun!

bookertalk - I'm so glad you shared that. I can't wait!

JoAnn - I know the feeling! I hope your Mom is healing well. Join us if you can!

Bybee said...

I was on a Zola kick about 3 years ago, and welcome the opportunity to get back to him. Looking forward to rereading Germinal in the readalong!!!

Melissa (Avid Reader) said...

Susan - This will be my first of his books. I'm so excited!