Émile ZolaThe Belly of Paris

Not Zola's best work by a long shot, but mostly a good read. The many pages of description, though typical of the era and of Zola's late style, end up feeling overindulgent. I read this book in small portions, and found myself frequently bored and even agrieved by the endless word-pictures of mountains of produce and hoards of marketers. It felt as though I'd hired Zola as a guide to Les Halles only to find him pesky and insistant, always tapping me on the shoulder and urging me to look at all the colors and smell all the odors and hear all the babble. The story ended up more interesting as a period piece than as literature. But it's entertaining and worth the effort.But I owe no thanks to the editors. This edition as so full of typos, misprints, and other errors, sometimes more than one per page, that I have to question whether the translation itself is scholarly. A greater work might have sent me to the French to double check the translation, but this book just isn't worth the effort.If you're considering where to start with Zola, look first to L'Assommoir or Therese Raquin. They are more rewarding.

I happened to be in Paris itself when I read this book as part of a book club assignment. I think reading it in its locale probably added a star to my rating as some neighborhoods and parts of Paris still look like they did when this story took place. Zola is a great story teller and I felt real empathy, dislike and exasperation for most of his characters. I felt like I was reading an annex to "Les Miserables," which I think is a 5-star book. This book is part of a saga that Zola wrote throughout his career and I would be interested in reading some of his other works. When I find myself in France again....

When we read a book originally published in another language, much depends on the quality of the translation. Mark Kurlansky's accurate and readable English version is one of the best translations I've ever read from French to English. The novel itself starts slowly and I only persevered because I was reading it for a book group. About a third of the way through I was drawn into life of the Halles neighborhood and enjoyed the rest of the book. I plan to read more Zola if I can find a translation as good as this.

wonderful book, full of evocative descriptions of life in Paris in the 1850's - worth reading for the descriptions of food and food preparation alone, not to mention the personal glimpse into the politics and conditions of the times...

Although this book was assigned as part of my writing class, it is one of my favorites. Zola is amazingly realistic in his discriptions, and blends political philosophy with poetic prose in a way that makes the book impossible to put down. Even if you are not that into literature, The Belly of Paris is definitely worth a read.

With a terrific introduction to Zola and his work(s), the translation of THE BELLY OF PARIS is an excellent one! I am certain I will be referring to it many times over not only with studehts but for my own knowledge. I read most of the book while in Paris and that made the book even more impressive and noteworthy.Dr. Alan-Clarke Hudson

Classic which I liked

I'm not a foodie, so the descriptions of food were overlong for my tastes. The humor and quality of writing were wonderful.

Intersting story well written. With great visuals for a book...lol

ZOLA! FOOD ZOLA! YAY!