Chrissie's Reviews > Beast in Man

The Beast in Man (La Bête Humaine) is set in the late 1860s, the end of the Second French Empire, concluding at the start of the Franco-Prussian War. The title makes clear the message and the focus of the book. It is a book depicting a cast of characters brimming over with bestial passion. Not one, not two, but many such characters. In fact every single one of the characters are of this temperament. What is in our heredity will come forth. This is Zola’s message.

There is an additional character, a non-human one, La Lison, a steam locomotive in use on the Paris - Rouen - Le Havre railway line. It is Jacques Lantier (the son of Gervaise) who drives the steam engine. The power of the engine is as a beast too!

Who holds the reins? Is it man under the thumb of heredity? Is it our brains, our intellect, or our emotions? How is the behavior of those holding high positions in society and the government? Who is in control and ultimately is justice attained? These are the topics around which the characters circle.

Zola has a message to deliver. It is through the characters that message is delivered.

I find the characters excessively passionate and evil. I am into realism. Zola priorities the relaying of a message over realism. Of course, there exist evil people. Of course, there exist passionate people, but Zola draws here in this story only such people and he ties passion and evil together . He goes too far, for my taste. The characters are not credible. They have become stick figures, Zola’s puppets pressing upon readers Zola’s message.

I am giving the book three stars because there are sections I do like. Zola draws magnificently the rail industry and the many who work there. What Zola has written of the industry is based on an in-depth study. He weaves in that which is important into the telling of the tale. He does not heap on unnecessary details. His studies enable him to speak naturally and accurately at the same time. To this is added Zola’s talent at drawing exciting episodes. He has a knack for this. Momentum mounts and you cannot look away. There is something in the writing that pulls the reader in.

There are a number of fantastically well written episodes involving the train. My favorite is one where the train is caught in a blizzard.

Peter Newcombe Joyce narrates the audiobook. His French pronunciation is off, but his words are spoken clearly, and he is easy to understand. Although he does dramatize, something I don’t usually like, he does it well. Three stars for the narration.

I like this but I have liked others by Zola more! This is too exaggerated. The characters have lost credibility.

**************
Family Tree:
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Rou...

*******************************

*Thérèse Raquin 4 stars

Les Rougon-Macquart Books:
*(#13)Germinal 4 stars
*(#14)The Masterpiece (L’Oeuvre) 4 stars
*(#12)The Bright Side of Life (La Joie de vivre) 3 stars
*(#17)The Beast in Man (La Bête Humaine) 3 stars
*(#7)The Drinking Den (L'Assommoir) 3 stars
*(#9)Nana 1 star
*(#11)The Ladies' Paradise (Au Bonheur des Dames) TBR
*(#2)The Kill (La Curée) TBR
*(#18)Money (L’Argent) TBR
*(#3)The Belly of Paris (Le Ventre de Paris) TBR
*(#1)The Fortune of the Rougons (La Fortune des Rougon) TBR