Les Zola

by Méliane Marcaggi, Alice Chemama (Illustrator)

En 1864, Emile Zola est encore jeune pigiste chez Hachette. Discret mais brillant, il rêve de devenir écrivain. Il rencontre auprès de ses amis, figures artistiques majeures en devenir (Cézanne, Monet, Manet, etc.), la vivante et énigmatique Alexandrine, alias Gabrielle, devenue modèle afin d'échapper à sa condition d'ouvrière. Mutuellement séduits, ils entament une relation amoureuse qui se conclura par un mariage tardif. En plus de sa vie, elle partagera avec Zola son histoire personnelle tragique, et celle de son milieu de naissance misérable, qui servira de terreau à l'une des plus grande saga littéraire, politique et sociale de la seconde moitié du XIXe siècle : les Rougon-Macquart. Dans ce contexte, un troisième personnage viendra compléter ce trio, Jeanne Rozerot, la mère des deux enfants de Zola...

Genres: Bande Dessinée, Comics, Graphic Novels, Nonfiction, Biography, Adult, Art

116 pages, Hardcover

First published August 30, 2019

About the author

Méliane Marcaggi grew up in a village in the Vexin area of France, in the intellectual, non-conformist world of her parents. She moved to Paris, thinking she'd become an actress. She acted in several plays, but then began to thirst for her own projects. With two friends, she became director of a small Parisian theatre. In parallel, she began directing and writing her own award-winning plays. All the while continuing to act, she began to write more and more. She's written screenplays for short films, TV productions, and feature films. Les Zolas, published by Dargaud in 2019 (Europe Comics, 2020) is her first foray into graphic novel writing.

Reviews

[Roman Clodia]

The art in this is fabulous! Chemama cleverly references paintings such as Manet's Déjeuner Sur L'herbe and the work of Cézanne in her palette and other visual cues, to draw attention to the way they influenced Zola's naturalism and approach to writing. Flashbacks are toned and shadowy to indicate memories - it's all beautifully done.

The text takes secondary position to the artwork in telling the story, I'd say, and uses Americanisms ('quit doing that', 'mom') that are amusingly out of place in C19th Paris!

The plural of the title is wonderfully apposite, and though the narrative is, perhaps inevitably, not deep, it does provide an excellent introduction and overview to Zola's fascinating, if troubled, life. An engaging and beautifully rendered graphic text.

Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC via NetGalley

[Geoff]

Gorgeous watercolor art mixed with a straightforward relationship drama / bio of the life of author Emile Zola, his wife Éléonore-Alexandrine Meley, and his mistress Jeanne Rozerot. The comic doesn't focus on Zola's books, or his fame, or even the Dryfuss affair that ruined his reputation in his time and made him a soaring example of justice and tolerance in ours. Instead it focuses on the domestic, and how this trio of interesting individuals navigated their love and feelings in and around society's mores. It's a really interesting story, but the pacing and dialog somehow made it seem straightforward and conventional.

**Thanks to the author, artist, publisher, and NetGalley for a fre copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Histoire et fiction]

La bande dessinée Les Zola aurait pu s’intituler "Alexandrine Zola". Cette biographie en images du grand écrivain français Émile Zola (1840-1902) est un effet avant tout un hommage rendu au rôle crucial, et pourtant méconnu, joué par sa femme Alexandrine tout au long de sa carrière littéraire.

Issue d’un milieu très pauvre, Alexandrine est orpheline avant d’avoir atteint l’âge adulte. Elle travaille sans relâche pour sortir de sa condition et devient la muse des peintres Cézanne et Manet sous le pseudonyme de Gabrielle. Femme libre, elle finit par céder aux avances d’un "petit poète italien" désargenté aux grandes ambitions littéraires. Émile Zola est fasciné par la force de caractère de cette jeune femme qui lui fait découvrir la misère sociale des bas-fonds parisiens. Ce décor servira de toile de fond à plusieurs de ses romans les plus célèbres comme Nana, Germinal ou l’Assommoir.

Malgré la résistance de sa mère, Zola finit par épouser Alexandrine, dont les origines modestes sont parfois source de railleries dans les milieux littéraires. Malgré les épreuves que traversent le couple (l’impossibilité pour Alexandrine d’avoir un enfant, l’infidélité de Zola, la condamnation et l’exil suite à l’affaire Dreyfus…), Alexandrine reste un soutien indéfectible. Après la mort de son mari, elle va même jusqu’à se battre pour que les enfants de son mari et de sa maîtresse puissent porter le nom de leur père.

La jeune dessinatrice Alice Chemama, dont Les Zola est le premier album, évoque sous des traits faussement naïfs le Paris haussmannien dans lequel les taudis ouvriers côtoient les grandes maisons bourgeoises. L’utilisation d’une large palette de couleurs et la technique d’aquarelle contribuent à renforcer l’émotion ressentie à plusieurs moments clés du récit, même si les personnages n’ont pas un visage forcément très expressif.

Le récit est par ailleurs informatif. Il évoque sans pédagogisme excessif la façon dont l’œuvre de Zola s’inscrit dans le contexte littéraire, économique, social et politique de l’époque. En tant que représentant du courant réaliste, Zola adopte une approche presque « documentaire » dans ces romans. Il se voit même accusé de « pornographie », ce qui n’empêche pas la série des Rougon-Macquart d’être un grand succès en librairie.

On regrette toutefois que le contenu de plusieurs controverses artistiques et politiques dans lesquelles Zola a été fortement impliqué ne soient pas un peu plus approfondies. Les fameuses soirées de Médan, ou encore la brouille entre Zola et Cézanne, sont ainsi surtout évoquées du point de vue de leur impact sur la vie privée des Zola. Pour en savoir plus sur le fond des débats, il faut se référer à d’autres ouvrages – dont certains sont utilement référencés à la fin de la bande dessinée.

[Jazzy Lemon]

A graphic novel told in beautiful artistic watercolour panels of the life of Zola. It opens up with Édouard Manet working on his painting Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe. A tender and touching account of Zola's climb to fame and the three women in his life - his mother, his wife, and his mistress.

[Oneirosophos]

Absolutely recommended! Very strong biography!!!

[Christine]

"The Zolas" is an utter delight from start to finish.

Emile Zola is a late 19th century French author famous for his "Rougon-Macquart" cycle and later involvement in the defense of Alfred Dreyfus. ("J'accuse," remember that? This is the guy.) I honestly didn't know much about his life apart from those two big headlines. But this graphic novel isn't about Zola'. It's about his married life with a woman just in the background, hidden from view.

Alexandrine, a/k/a Gabrielle to her artist friends, was a washer-woman who posed for paintings in Belle Epoque Paris. That is where we start the story: with a Manet painting you've almost certainly seen on television and postcards: "The Luncheon on the Grass." And there, behind the principal figures in the forest clearing, is a woman standing up to her shins in water, wearing a shift, her head lowered, self-effacing, just there. Not often remembered. (At least, I didn't remember her.)

Through Marcaggi's compelling take on the struggling writer and the wife who supported him in all his hesitant ambitions, Emile and Alexandrine develop a beautiful, intimate, and compelling partnership. Chemama's art, with its expressive faces and gorgeous compositions, brings the Belle Epoque and the characters' complex relationships to life. I couldn't stop staring at the panels. Every fragile moment gets its due.

And then the third woman enters. The last of the titular Zolas. To the extent Marcaggi takes some creative liberties with Zola's life, I will say this: it may not be 100% accurate, but it makes for a gripping story, much more interesting than your typical "man gets famous and begins a relationship with a younger woman unbeknownst to his wife." This version creates an Emile Zola deeply conflicted by his double life, even before his marriage. He's one thing by night and another by day. Half a day here, another half there. It's always a life in portions and awkward reconciliations. That's what makes the ending so moving (but I won't spoil the last line).

Absolutely recommended, either in French or in English. "The Zolas" reads like a dream and you won't be able to put it down. Anyone with a soft spot for Zola, the Belle Epoque, or family drama should pick up this book. I can't wait to get a copy on my shelf.

I received a free eARC of this graphic novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Jessica Haider]

Earlier this year, I read my first book (Germinal ) by 19th century French author Emile Zola. So, when I saw this graphic novel biography of Zola listed, I figured I would check it out.

'The Zolas' starts when Emile Zola is an adult living in France and pursuing a career as a poet. He runs with an artistic crowd including painters Manet and Cezanne. It is through this group that he meets Gabrielle, whom he develops a relationship with. After they become close, she tells him her true name was Alexandrine and she was orphaned at 10 and ended up getting pregnant at 17 but gave up her baby. Zola isn't concerned about her past and marries him. She is a muse and encourages him in the writing of his novels. They go on walks together in the grittier areas of Paris so that he can get inspired.

I didn't know much about Zola's life before reading this graphic novel so I found it interesting. The book reads like fiction but is biographical. It definitely kept me reading. The artwork was excellent. It looked like it could have come from the likes of Cezanne or Manet...soft and colorful, the artwork has a post-impressionist vibe (said by me, who is not an expert re: art). I highly recommend this book especially to people who enjoy reading non-fiction graphic novels.

What to listen to while reading (or taking a break)
Classical works by Wagner (because apparently Zola likes to mention him in his books a lot)

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Radwa]

English Review Below.

لم أكن قد قرأت أي من أعمال "إيميل زولا" ولا أظن أنني متحمسة لها فعلا بعد قراءة هذه الرواية المصورة عن حياته. أكثر ما أكرهه في الكتب هو محاولة فرض فكرة أنه لا بأس بالخيانة الزوجية. تركز هذه السيرة على حياة "زولا" العائلية والنساء المختلفات في حياته، بين أمه وزوجته التي بذلت مجهودا خارقا ليتمكن من تكريس نفسه للعمل الأدبي وعشيقته التي أنجبت له طفلين. أسلوب الرسم كان لطيفا وكان أشبه بأسلوب لوحات الألوان المائية، لكن لا أحب القراءة عن الخيانة الزوجية ولا أتشجع لقراءة كتب تمجد الخيانة الزوجية بهذه الطريقة.

Well, I hadn't read anything by Zola and I'm really discouraged now after reading this graphic novel biography of him. My first pet peeve is romanticising adultery, even if that's what actually happened in real life (I don't even know if that's the case). In this graphic novel we focus on Zola's domestic life with his mother, then with his wife who did everything she could to enable him be the big literary star he was, then his mistress who bore him his children. It shows his "conflict" in later years between the two lives, but he cheated on his wife, and once again, I hate romanticising that.

The art style is distinctive, in first chapter it looks like water-coloured paintings and gradually becomes more realistic as the chapters go by.

I thank Netgalley for the digital ARC

[Karine Mon coin lecture]

Mon billet sur le blog: http://moncoinlecture.com/les-zola-ma...

[Aeroyou]

JUSTICE POUR ALEXANDRINE!!!
La vraie star du couple Zola finalement!!! Dis leur bien ma reine!!!

J’ai par ailleurs fortement apprécié les nombreuses références picturales dispersées dans la BD, mais aussi des fonds de décor et des phrases qui rappelleront au lecteur attentif l’œuvre du célèbre écrivain.

[Theediscerning]

File this with the other staid, painterly graphic novel biographies, where something a bit more fresh and energetic may have been wanting. It's not at all bad, script-wise – once you have actually worked out which one is Zola you get to see the French superstar author's life, with his domineering mother, the captor(s) of his heart and all his artistic friends; and the narrative drive, especially if you don't know the story, is a fine one. Visually, with these watercolours, that fit the times he was living in but not the dynamism, modernity and shock value the book claims his writing had, we're not on such safe grounds. I know it was the days of hirsute whiskers and similar clothing but I hate having to re-read beginnings of books just because people look the same, and at least twice the style allows Mrs Zola to gain about ten dress sizes from one frame to the next.

So it ends up being, once more, the subjects that we have to thank – Emile Zola, the Victorian-era author we don't really know enough of unless we've studied him, or are French, his wife, and – well, that would be telling, but he certainly had a knack of gathering very understanding and forgiving women about him, if this is anything to go on. I liked the way the script soon let the initial spread of footnotes lapse, and didn't go the whole hog of dropping every single book title of his into proceedings (indeed, Therese Raquin is never once mentioned), and this reads lightly, without signs of too much gloating about the amount of research it took. As I suggested, it's a story few of us will know much about, and it's a very good one in the end. So while I quibble about it looking so canonical, so antique and so formulaic Victorian, it still has enough to appeal to readers of graphic biographies.

[Sassenach]

Avec cet album au dessin un peu naïf mais très agréable, on se plonge dans la vie de Zola, que je ne connaissais que très peu. C'est passionnant et ça donne envie de lire ou relire son oeuvre ! Et j'ai été pleine d'admiration pour les femmes qui sont décrites au fil des pages.

[Blanche]

Magnifiques dessins, scénario bien ficelé, et (en ce qui me concerne) découverte de la vie privée d'Emile Zola. Une bonne manière de commencer l'année !

[Alex E]

A biography of Emile Zola's life, and how his relationship(s) encouraged and supported his art.

Méliane Marcaggi gives us an engaging story about how Emile met Alexandrine, and how their life was a result of, and the catalyst to his work. Not that his work had to do specifically about his life, but just the fact that Alexandrine was able to give him a happy life for him to feel comfortable and be able to write what he wanted. His body of works speaks for itself, but I really appreciated Marcaggi's story about what may have happened at home, behind closed doors.

Of course, this being Zola and late 1900's Paris, we get many cameos from famous painters and writers, but the story never strays far from the Zola's, to the point where the book really feels like a book about their marriage and relationship... until Jeanne comes into the picture. And yet another fascinating turn of events makes Zola's life even more interesting and shows us how the culture and societal rules play against the arrangement that becomes their life - meaning the fact that Zola is married yet has a mistress who has his children.

It's all very beautifully rendered by Alice Chemama, who gives us beautiful water colors that are presented in a straightforward yet subtle style, that goes perfectly with the tone of the book. Where Marcaggi's story is told almost in a dry and candid way, the art is also shown in much the same vein, with the lines containing the water colors in a tight, neat style. I really enjoyed the art of the book.

I definitely recommend this for people who obviously like Zola, but also like a straightforward biographical tale set in Paris in the late 1800's. This book is a charming look at an interesting life during those times.

[Crisna]

Before I read "The Zolas" I admit I hadn't known much about Émile Zola apart from the fact that he was the author of "Germinal".

And even though we could think this graphic novel talks about his life, it is not difficult to notice that the foccus is, actually, his wife, Alexandrine.

And this is made clear from the very beggining. In fact, she is introduced to us a few pages before Zola enters the story, and we get to know her previous life, but not his.

That was unespected, but also quite positive. After reading, I noticed it is quite easy to go online and learn more about him, but not as much about her, and even less about the importance and influence she had on his work and success, and also the things to which she gave up for him.

The illustration has a watercolor style that fits perfectly the story of a couple that was always so close to some of the most famous painters of their time.

It was a great read, and made me eager to deepen my knowledge about their life and Émile Zola's work. I thank NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for this honest review.

[Dustyloup]

Gorgeous illustrations, history focused on details without getting stuck in them, so the narrative thread flows smoothly. Alexandrine is an amazing woman who adapts and changes throughout the book. The artist did a great job of showing her going through the aging process and gaining weight over the years. Emile and Alexandrine's marriage was a product of its time. These days she probably would've divorced him to get his money and to get back at him. But then again, she defended his name even after his death and made it possible for his children to carry his name. You'll learn or reinforce your knowledge of the Paris art and political scenes (Zola's relationship with early impressionists, the Dreyfus affair ..) by reading this and will learn about two women doing the best they could in the situation. Jeanne doesn't have much of a personality in the book compared to Alexandrine, but I'd gather there's a lot less documentary material on her.

[Cyril N]

J'adore Zola, et j'étais content d'en savoir plus grâce à cette BD. Je retiens notamment le soutien dont sa femme a fait preuve pour lui permettre d'écrire, et le délicat équilibre entre sa situation bourgeoise suite à son succès et son discours dans ses romans où il dénonce cette bourgeoisie. L'affaire Dreyfus permet de bien voir qu'il est resté un homme engagé malgré son évolution sociale.

[David Lefebvre]

Cela prenait 2 femmes pour faire mieux connaitre les 2 « derrière » Zola. Si l’une fut la muse puis la gérante, l’autre fut l’amour. Superbement peint, avec douceur, pour une vie loin d’être ordinaire.

[aroace]

Description: I knew who’s exactly Emile Zola, but I only recognized one of his books – The Joy of Life – as I didn’t get myself to read any of his works yet, and this comic-style biography of him helps me to immerse deeper into his poetry-spoken and sensual life. Some of those parts in this comic makes me blushed, as it took me back where ‘eroticism’ was a sole subject in art – where some people criticized for displaying publicly - and poetry. It’s all started with a budding romance between Zola and Gabrielle at the evening’s dance party, and she showed her passion for poetry and short stories. On the 17th of March, after he's done with his job with Lamartine at the Hachette advertising offices, he’s started dating her and drinking beer until he’s intoxicated. Things getting hotter with their very first kiss, but when he’s trying to lay her down on her bed, he accidentally tipped the washbasin and bonked his head on the top wall! At the second time, Zola wanted to know her deeply or else, he threatened her that he’ll leave immediately, but she doesn’t have the heart to tell him who’s exactly her. Gabrielle’s grandmother – Caroline – gave birth to her mother – Alexandrine – when she’s at the young age of 17, and she took her to the Founding Hospital, but after hearing the nun’s preaches, she cried bitterly and decided to keep Alexandrine. Sometime later, Alexandrine grew up beautifully, but her mother died of cholera at the age of 27. Her fate was sealed just like her mother, but she took the opposite road – giving her daughter – Gabrielle - away to the same place. Zola didn’t look disgusted, but rather fondly towards her and they made love afterward. One day, he decided to marry her and bringing her to meet his mother, but she looked down upon her, as she’s born as illegitimate. In January 1866, the couple moved to l'École-de-Médecine, where Zola receives his first task for Le Petit Journal – his first step to become a sensational novelist, also Gabrielle’s support and enthusiasm too drove him what he’d wished to be. On the 31st of May, 1870, they finally got married and on their wedding night, Zola wants to focus on his work before having children. But, there are some exchanged gossips among the women, that she didn’t bore any child yet. Work after work, support after support, the decision was made by Zola that he’s ready to be a father! Unfortunately, she’d have a miscarriage and they decided to move to Médan on 18th of May, 1878 – Zola’s mother died afterward. So, to overcome his sadness, he fully devotes into his unfinished work on Pot Luck, The Ladies’ Paradise, and The Joy of Life. In April 1888, there’s a new housemaid – Jeanne – came to seek a job with the Zolas, and Gabrielle was very elated to see her outstanding recommendations – via her former employers. But she’s very timid and afraid of Zola somehow! One day, after resting herself on her bed, Gabrielle wants her to accompany him with his daily walks or his fishing trips. Soon, his weight receded, but having an affair with Jeanne. To distract his wife from the issue, he told Jeanne to resign from her position and brought her into a small apartment – she’s getting pregnant later. To make things better for him, Jeanne, and their children, he rents a house on the other side of the Seine, and he’ll be looking through his telescope from the Zolas’ residency. Their children finally were born into this life – Denise and Jacques – but after Denise was born, Gabrielle finds out in a letter that Zola cheated behind her and rushes out to find who’s the ‘woman’ that Zola having an affair with. There, she finds Jeanne breastfeeding her son and she started to smash and tore all of her belongings! Back to her residency, she’s put into rest, but unfortunately, she couldn’t take off her anger and sadness. When she’s back to her feet, Zola’s been working with his final volume of the Les Rougon-Macquart, and she told him that she’s ready to meet his children, but in three conditions – he’ll be with her every morning, during their meals and early afternoons until teatime, he’ll let her see them twice a month and looking after for their education, also traveling. In September 1897, he wrote an open letter to the President of France, as he’s accusing the government of Anti-Semitism, and the unlawful jailing of Alfred Dreyfus. In the next year of the 13th of January, his reputation getting worse by the public chants of curses, boos, sabotages to both of his families and boycotting his works. On the second trial, the judge finally puts him into exile and leaving Gabrielle behind. Things going different for her, as she studies hard all of the evidence and the legislative texts – because of her, he returned safely to Paris. The comic ends on the 18th of September, 1908, where Zola and Gabrielle survived the toxic fumes in their sleep, but he’s been murdered later.

[Ilana]

The Zolas by Méliane Marcaggi - text - and Alice Chemama - beautiful illustrations - made it for a perfectly loveable hour of reading and food for the eyes for several literary and intellectual reasons.
First, the painted-like illustrations of this graphic novel are a full feast for the eyes. The choice of pastel colours and the minutiae of every installment are worth a prize. Second, for the quality of the writing reducing Zola´s long and adventurous life - both as a human and as a writer - to a couple of lines while keeping the essential of the story. A story that includes his wife, Alexandrine, as a full character. With a life that inspired some of his characters in the Rougon-Macquart series, Alexandrine was a simple woman, without education, but a supporter of his works and furtrher on, of his intense social and political engagement - particularly during the notorious Dreyfus Affair after he authored J´accuse denouncing the lack of evidences in accusing Alfred Dreyfus, a general in the French Army of Jewish origin, of espionage. Zola had a more or less secret life as well, which involved two children fathered with Jeanne Rozerot, his misstress. To her he dedicated the last volume of Rougon-Macquart, Le Docteur Pascal, a fact that no matter how open his relationship with his wife become, was for sure not an easy burden for his wife. After all, she was the one who was on his side during all those years of writing, during which he turned from a poor copywriter for Hachette into a successful writer.
In the end, after Zola´s accidental death, the two women are portrayed together in the book as partners involved in raising Rozerot´s children, but the truth as it was is probably different, at least for coming to terms with the reality of this double life.
Personally, this book took me back to my teenage years, when I had the chance to read Zola in the original French. Zola took his inspiration as journalists do - or used to before the Google searches - going out on the streets, checking the pulse of the markets and observing people on the move. The realism of his books that were often prohibited by the Ministry of Interior were due to their rough description of the life as it was during the intense process of industrialism that involved changes of fortune and a challenge to the personal relationship and everyday life psychology. From the mundane, the journalist was extracting facts and further describing in the news reports. The writer was able to create stories out of nothing that were rooted in the reality, but whose characters were imaginary.
Besides Balzac, Zola was the original inspiration for my writing - although I haven´t returned to those writings ever since - and even as a graphic novel, While following the texts and illustrations of this book, I welcomed the thoughts and questions, old and new, about my intellectual roots.


Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

[EyrisReadsTheWorld]

Gorgeous artwork. The story was very well told.

Emile Zola lived through the 19th century and was the founder of the Naturalism, a literary movement embracing determinism, detachment, scientific objectivism and social commentary. His most famous work is the Rougon-Macquart series that contains 20 books. If you don’t know about it, you should definitely look at it, most of the books are classics of the literature and are still used in schools. It depicts five generations of a family under the Second Empire in France.

The graphic novel The Zolas shows Emile’s Zola life but more importantly, it gives a really interesting explanation of what his personal life was like and who were the women in his life and the role they played. I have to admit that I didn’t know anything about him except his literary work so I learnt many things. The story was simple and easy to follow. Every information given in this graphic novel can be found online as it is biographical but the art is just amazing and it really makes the characters come to life again. I loved the way the story was told. There are not a lot of lines, hence highlighting the artwork even more, but it just says the essential. I absolutely recommend this graphic novel, especially if you are interested in non-fiction comics or if you just want to know more about Emile Zola’s personal life.

I got this graphic novel on @netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Rawiyah]

Avant de lire cette jolie BD, je n’avais lu qu’un seul roman de Zola, Germinal. Je ne savais presque rien de sa vie perso, alors cette BD m’a vraiment fascinée. J’ai adoré découvrir tout ce qu’Alexandrine a fait pour lui et l’influence qu’elle a eue dans sa vie. Et puis, l’histoire de son engagement, son activisme, et sa famille pas du tout conventionnelle… franchement, j’ai appris plein de choses.

C’était une lecture vraiment révélatrice. Le choix des couleurs, le style, la mise en page… tout est hyper immersif et vraiment superbe. L’art est magnifique, il capture parfaitement l’époque et transmet bien les styles artistiques de cette période. Visuellement, c’est un régal. J’ai beaucoup aimé ce portrait biographique, à la fois touchant et passionnant

[Danni]

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book in return for an honest review.

What it's about:

The story of Émile Zola, his wife, mother and his mistress.

Pros:

The art by Alice Chemama was beautiful. I was is immersed into this beautiful world where the art felt vintage (in a good way) and was very appealing to my eyes and I ended up reading this in one sitting even though I only planned to read a little part of it due to a headache.

I knew nothing about Émile Zola and his family so this graphic novel was a welcome delight, especially as it takes over quite a long period of time. It gives depth and information about instances in history I had no knowledge of and actually want to learn more about in the future.

Cons:

Now, this could just be my eyes but I found the writing a little bit difficult to read due to the script and size, however, after zooming in on the script, it wasn't too bad.

Rating
4⭐

Would I read it again:

Yes!

Would I recommend it:

Yes, especially for history folk or fans of The Zola family

https://www.dannisbookreviews.com/pos...

[Déa]

Une bonne BD, les dessins sont superbes et très travaillés (les jeux d’ombres et de lumières et mille autres petits détails !) et l’histoire m’a permis de découvrir Émile Zola mais aussi son incroyable femme !
Clairement sans elle il ne serait pas allez bien loin, ou différemment. Quelle vie !
Au final leur façon de former un couple est assez moderne.
La seule chose qui me manque est une chronologie à la fin, ça aurait été bien, car je ne connais pas non plus les événements parcoeur (pour l’affaire Dreyfus par exemple).
Ça reste un survol donc, mais c’est très intéressant et se lis très bien.

[Sylvie P]

Une BD biographique sur la vie privée d'Emile Zola, de sa rencontre avec sa compagne puis épouse Alexandrine (qui figure en arrière plan du tableau "le déjeuner sur l'herbe" de Manet) jusqu'à son entrée au Panthéon. On comprend dans quel contexte il a écrit la saga de Rougon Macquart (grâce à Alexandrine qui lui a fait fait toucher de près la vie des personnages qu'il décrit). On en apprend plus sur sa 2e famille et sa condamnation à l'exil pour avoir défendu Dreyfus contre Félix Faure.
Un livre intéressant et instructif, avec de jolis dessins aux couleurs contrastées selon les épisodes plus ou moins heureux de la vie de Zola.

[Laurelas]

Une BD bien jolie (j'ai beaucoup aimé les dessins) qui raconte les grandes lignes de la vie de Zola, mais surtout sa vie intime - une façon intéressante d'aborder le personnage qui a écrit la série des Rougon-Macquart.

On y perçoit vivement l'influence de sa femme Alexandrine (autrefois connue sous le nom de Gabrielle) sur son œuvre et sa vie, et on salue sa force de caractère, allant jusqu'à accepter dans sa vie la maîtresse et les enfants que Zola aura eu avec cette dernière.

Difficile de tout raconter d'une vie à travers une BD, mais cet éclairage sur la vie intime de l'auteur est intéressant et rend hommage aux femmes de sa vie (mais surtout Alexandrine).

À découvrir !

[Mana]

What a brilliant book! Well written and with beautiful art. Marvellous!

Graphic novel shows life of Zola and his family, and most of all the influence of women in his life. We can see that without wife's support and her determination he couldn't be the writer he was. She sets aside her life and in many ways her happiness to honour his career.

An ode to Alexandrine Zola.

[Anne]

Bien. L,emphase est mis sur l,importance dans sa création de sa femme Alexandrine. Et la finale, qui fait que la femme et la maitresse se respecte, la reconaissance de la paternité de Zola. Et les liens avec l'oeuvre. Même chose que les liens avec les impressionistes, Manet et Cézanne. Assez traditionnelle, mais avec de la profondeur.

[Delphine Pernot]

Il faut bien lire les cadeaux qu'on fait à ses copines quand on dort trop souvent chez elles. La bd est sympa, on apprend que Zola était un peu un salopard misogyne et la vie qu'il menait.
Petit plus pour les dessins vraiment sympas.

[Sarah Holz]

The artwork so perfectly captures the Impressionism of the time that I was more than willing to let the straightforward biographical nature of the story sit in the background while drinking in the pictures.