Germinal cover art

Germinal

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Germinal

By: Émile Zola
Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
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About this listen

 A father and three of his seven children work brutal hours in a mine, facing hazards such as landslides, fire, and poisoned air, to scrape together enough money for food. When their lodger, Étienne, shares ideas about a workers' revolt, the family gradually embraces his plans. Soon the settlement is aflame with resolve to strike for better wages and working conditions. Savage and horrifying events ensue as miners clash with management and with each other. With flawless construction and impeccable detail, Zola chronicles the conflicts, lusts, and deprivation of life in the coal fields of 19th-century France.

Published in 1885, Germinal helped establish Emile Zola — an artist of unsparing candor — as the leading figure in the French school of naturalistic fiction. André Gide chose this masterpiece as one of the ten best novels in the French language.

(P)1996 Blackstone Audio Inc. Classics Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Political Spies & Politics Thriller & Suspense Fiction Espionage

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Critic reviews

"Few readers of audiobooks can match Frederick Davidson's remarkable skill....He's equal to the task, rendering this complex, yet worthwhile, novel accessible to all listeners." ( AudioFile)
All stars
Most relevant
At first I was taken aback by Frederick Davis rendering of the text but it didn't take long to settle into his cadence and now I intend to listen to everything he's narrated.

The title, Germinal, comes from French Republican Calendar; the seventh month named from the Latin word 'germen', which means germination - encapsulating the hope for a better life that the principal characters are lead to believe they can bring about through industrial action. That makes it sound rather dry but it isn't.

The story is an epic tale of downtrodden French miners and various other characters that influence their miserable lives to varying degrees. One of the best descriptions of mob incitement and ensuing violence I have read.

A relevant book to ponder in this day and age.

Love the book and the narration

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This is one of Zola's greatest novels: it is a moving depiction of the British mining industry in early industrial France. Davidson deals well with the diverse characters, but his voice as narrator is not particularly pleasing!

An exercise in realism

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Would you try another book written by Emile Zola or narrated by Frederick Davidson?

no

Any additional comments?

a great novel totally spoiled by dreadful unsuitable English upper class drawl and utterly characterless and drab narration. A crime

Unspeakably awful narration

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Germinal was the first novel of Zola that I read, and I loved it. I went on to read everything else of his (in translation). I was looking forward to listening to an old favourite. However, the narration is dreadful and this is the first purchase from Audible that I have actually given up on.

Dreadful narration

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Frederick Davis mumbles in a monotone; it is almost impossible to make such a great novel sound boring but he manages the 'almost impossible'. To be honest I don't think he understands a word of it, he reads as though he's translating from a language he doesn't understand.

Narrator spoils it

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