Therese Raquin

By: Émile Zola

Narrated by: Traci Svendsgaard

In a dingy apartment on the Passage du Pont-Neuf in Paris, Thérèse Raquin is trapped in a loveless marriage to her sickly cousin, Camille. The numbing tedium of her life is suddenly shattered when she embarks on a turbulent affair with her husband's earthy friend, Laurent. But their passion for each other soon compels the lovers to commit a crime that will haunt them forever.

Thérèse Raquin caused a scandal when it appeared in 1867 and brought its 27-year-old author a notoriety that followed him throughout his life. Zola's novel is not only an uninhibited portrayal of adultery, madness, and ghostly revenge but also a devastating exploration of the darkest aspects of human existence.

(P)2006 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Zola's gritty portrayal of his eponymous central character Thérèse [is] a brilliantly radical departure from the simpering female prototypes of Victorian convention." (Los Angeles Times)

Great reader

I loved the story! I loved the reader! She speaks great French without it being overwhelming!

sounds robotic

I like the story but the narrator sounds robotic.
Honestly can't tell if it's a human reader or computer. sounds like Alexa🤔. pretty sure this is computer generated

A great listen

I have enjoyed the book and narrator both. This is the first Emile Zola I have ever read (although saw Germinal in the cinema). 19-century writers knew their job.

Zola is no Dostoyevsky

The author never does attempt an explanation of the remorse that caused the murderers to cease loving one another.

Great Read

The text itself reads like a riveting suspense film. The description and exploration of the human condition through the emotional lens of guilt was compelling. I did not want to stop listening. The performance too of the reader was exemplary. I would certainly listen to this again. This book was a pleasant surprise that I hope others indulge in.

Kill the Sound Effects

I woulod have enjoyed this book alot more if the narrator had simply read the text and not attempted to create voices for the characters - the efforts at this were really hokey, and please, the sound effects (simply awful)

Stop fake accent abuse!!

The actual book is great but I can’t and won’t suffer through fake accents. Why even would a person be speaking with an accent at all? It is understood that they are in France. The narrator is American. We are perfectly capable of making the mental leap without the phony baloney nonsense. It also drones....

Unique story old Paris

This family dilemma takes place in Paris and the cultural aspect is nice. Although the story is unique it dragged on near the end.. Its worth the read if anyone is looking for something not too long.

1800's

Certainly, not a bad story. Interesting that the book survives this long. Humans, are interesting creatures...

Superb Zola

A delicate tale of human emotions, written with sublime skills. Narration is great except for the French accents which falter often. The book is not about French speaking English. This makes the narration indiscernible at times. Wish she kept her calm voice throughout.