Germinal Readalong

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 Emilé 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.”