LibriVox recording of The Jolly Parisiennes and Other Novelettes by Émile Zola. (Translated by George D. Cox.) Read in English by MaryAnn; Lisa Reichert; KHand; Michele Fry; Indu Nair; Brandon Weston; Beth Thomas “The Jolly Parisiennes” by Émile Zola is a very clever, brilliant and interesting romance of a “grande passion” with an undercurrent of political intrigue. The plot is ingenious both in conception and execution, while the tone of the novel is exceedingly bright and vivacious. A peculiar phase of Parisian society is most agreeably dealt with. The heroines, Louise Neigeon and Berthe Gaucheraud, are very jolly ladies indeed, but they never forget that they are ladies, even in their merriest and most eccentric moods. They are handsome, graceful and captivating, tempering their seeming recklessness with the refinement of education and luxury. No wonder the young provincial hero, George de Vaugelade, was bewildered in their society and utterly lost his head. The other characters are a Countess with well-attended receptions; Felix Budin, a rather blasé young Parisian; Gaucheraud, a fat politician; and Monsieur Neigeon, a shadowy Deputy. “The Jolly Parisiennes” is a novel that everybody will read and relish. Several other novelettes by Zola are also in the volume. They are int eh genuine Zola style, strong and interesting every one of them. - Summary by the Publisher For further information, including links to online text, reader information, RSS feeds, CD cover or other for
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01 - The Jolly Parisiennes - I. Two Charmers
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The author
Émile Zola
Émile Édouard Charles Antoine Zola (, also US: ; French: [emil zɔla]; 2 April 1840 – 29 September 1902) was a French novelist, journalist, playwright, the best-known practitioner of the literary school of naturalism, and an important contributor to the development of theatrical naturalism. He was a major figure in the political liberalization of France and in the exoneration of the falsely accused and convicted army officer Alfred Dreyfus, which is encapsulated in his renowned newspaper opinion headlined J'Accuse...! Zola was nominated for the first and second Nobel Prizes in Literature in 1901 and 1902.