Oliver’s Reviews > Germinal > Status Update

I've been reading this audiobook for some time. It's a novel best enjoyed in bits. The desolation of the working poor (which is obviously Zola's point) can be overwhelming to the reader. Another reader has the right idea -- cut 150 pages and you'd have the same story. It's interesting how different the story is compared to The Assommoir but equally as vivid. Aggressively long, but draws you in completely.