description: The seventh novel in the Rougon-Macquart cycle, L'Assommoir (1877) is the story of a woman's struggle for happiness in working-class Paris. At the center of the story stands Gervaise, who starts her own laundry and for a time makes a success of it. But her husband soon squanders her earnings in the Assommoir, a local drinking spot, and gradually the pair sink into poverty and squalor. L'Assommoir was a contemporary bestseller, outraged conservative critics, and launched a passionate debate about the legitimate scope of modern literature. This new translation captures not only the brutality but the pathos of its characters' lives.
language: French
title: L'Assommoir
titlecomplete: L'Assommoir (Les Rougon-Macquart, #7)
characters: Coupeau, Goujet, Virginie Poisson, Claude Lantier, Auguste Lantier, Étienne Lantier, Gervaise Macquart, Nana Coupeau
genres: Literature, Classics, School, Novels, 19th Century, France, Roman, Historical Fiction, French Literature, Fiction
ratings_count: 16130
places: France, Paris
series: Les Rougon-Macquart
publisher: Adamant Media Corporation