Germinal

By: Émile Zola

Narrated by: Leighton Pugh

Germinal is one of the most striking novels in the French tradition. Widely regarded as Zola's masterpiece, the novel describes the working conditions of French coalminers in the 1860s in harsh and realistic terms. It is visceral, graphic, and unrelenting. Its strong socialist principles and vivid accounts of the miners' strikes meant that the novel became a key symbol in the workers' fight against oppression, with chants of "Germinal! Germinal!" resonating high above the author's funeral.

Download the accompanying reference guide.Public Domain (P)2015 Naxos AudioBooks

If Les Miserables was written by Tarantino

Romance, symbolism, copious amount of fucking and swearing and outright modern sensibilities that turn out to be timeless.

Good reading of a great 19th Century novel

Would you listen to Germinal again? Why?

This is great novel that seems to be virtually unknown to American readers. It is both a vivid and convincing account of the everyday lives of miners, as told from within, and the tale of a heroic, doomed strike and a catastrophic mine disaster. Although it is quite long, it is beautifully written, full of complex and engaging characters, and carries the reader forward with great momentum. In this production, it is well read. Among other things, the reader handles the French names comfortably.

What other book might you compare Germinal to and why?

I can think of no 19th Century novel in English that is comparable. It delves more deeply into the texture of everyday lives of working class men and women then anything by Dickens and with fewer illusions. It treats sex, both good sex and bad sex, simply as another fact of the lives of the characters without either euphemisms (other than those used by characters themselves) or prurience. There are no artificial happy endings, but the novel is not dreary.

Deeply moving and dramatic tale read by a phenomenal narrator

A wonderfully narrated version of Zola's intense political and personal drama about French miners, the mine owners and a growing workers' revolution.

Excellent reading of a French classic

This has been a favorite novel for many years. I have read it at least three times, and am now enjoying an excellent rendition by Leighton Pugh (as is true of most Naxos audiobooks, the production is first class). The story centers around the plight of the working class (here, coal miners) of northern France in the second half of the nineteenth century. Zola details their squalid living conditions, inadequate pay, and dangerous work. But the book is not propaganda. Although the owners tend to be selfish, smug, and lacking insight into the workers’ inescapable poverty under the capitalism of that time, Zola never demonizes them. Neither are the workers’ faults ignored. Love, violence, revenge, and sabotage all come into play. The book is probably the best-known and certainly one of the best of the 20-volume Rougon-Macquart series.

A stark comparison

I wish now that I listened to this book when I purchased it years ago. This book is not to be missed.

Vivid story

Wonderfully depicted gritty long suffering (fictional)individuals tell story of Workers of the world unite and foretell the Russian revolution of 1917

Outstanding Narration and Content

It has been a long time since I enjoyed a story as much as this one.

well performed

this is a masterful performance of Zola's utterly depressing tale of the plight of French coal miners in the Second empire. Best audiobook I've ever read.

Incredible Novel—WOW!

This was my first Zola novel and its one of the best books I ever read/listened to. But be warned, it is also hands down the darkest, bleakest novel I ever read! Loved it!

Important literature, but not all aspects

I highly respect Emile Zola, particularly because of his public defense of Dreyfus. I saw a French TV series (with subtitles) of this book before I listened to it, and was sure that the TV series must have made more of the love triangles, the sexuality, etc than the book did, because, well, TV and how sex sells. Well, I was wrong. Even for Zola sex sold. I truly appreciate literature that depicts the condition of the working class, demonstrating the need for unions, workers’ rights, fair pay, and control on the compensation of the wealthy. This book measures up for all of this (it is in many ways similar to King Coal by Upton Sinclair). It does it with a good story. However, I found the depiction of the constant sexual activity of the characters, even in conditions so that people are at the point of death, too much. Yes, I know that people do have sexual relations in awful situations, in concentration camps, in prison ships, etc. But there was too much of it in the story, and the love triangle (if you can call it love and not a lust triangle) is too dominant a part of the plot. Following my listening to this book, I looked at some academic essays (and a thesis) discussing this aspect of the book. Some call it realism. I don’t know. There is also constant drinking, which is probably a sad comment on how too many people in the working classes, even today, spend their hard-earned money. The contrast of the bourgeoisie with the working class is well-done, but there, too, there is an affair that even adds less to the story. I find Zola’s focus on women’s overworked, overused body parts - their hanging breasts, sagging bellies, large bottoms, kind of offensive, as if he has an ideal image of what women should look like, while I don’t recall any depiction of this sort of the men. Sure, the older ones were bent over, but what about their beer bellies? Then, perhaps it is the translation, so that there weren’t enough different phrases, but too many times there are expressions like “better to lie down and die”. OK, I get the point. Or something with be “done with”. Maybe there are more varied phrases in French. It seemed repetitive. The narration is decent, but not fantastic. It’s been a number of years since I listened to King Coal, and I know that Upton Sinclair could very well have been influenced by Zola’s work, but I think I’d say that if you want to listen to one book to be inspired to support the unions, go with Upton Sinclair. Or, read both and compare.