by Émile Zola
Part of Les Rougon-Macquart, book 1
First published 1985
In the Provençal town of Plassans, seventeen-year-old Silvère watches political upheaval grip France following Napoleon III's seizure of power. When Republican insurgents organize resistance, Silvère joins their cause alongside his beloved Miette, a passionate girl who shares his revolutionary fervor. Their romance unfolds against the backdrop of violent political conflict, but larger family forces shape their destiny. Silvère's grandmother, Aunt Dide, spawned two family lines through her children: the legitimate Rougons and the illegitimate Macquarts. Pierre Rougon sees opportunity in the political chaos, while his half-brother Antoine Macquart pursues his own schemes. The brothers' rivalry ignites a bitter struggle for dominance. As the Second Empire establishes itself, Pierre begins his calculated climb toward wealth and influence, determined to erase his family's shameful origins in poverty and crime. This opening volume of Zola's twenty-novel cycle reveals how political transformation creates personal opportunity for those ruthless enough to seize it.
Genres: family, historical-fiction, 19th-century, political-thriller
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Plassans, Provence
Period: Second Empire
348 pages · Paperback · Sutton Pub Ltd