100% NZ-owned | 80,000+ Books In NZ 📚

20% Off 3+ In-Stock Fiction Books | Be in to Win a $1,000 Mystery Box! 🎁

The Beast Within

By Émile Zola
0.0 (0 reviews)
4.04 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating. ( 12,839 ratings, 718 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
In The Beast Within by Émile Zola, the story delves into the psychological and moral decay of a railway worker named Jacques Lantier, haunted by his violent urges. Set against the backdrop of industrial France, the novel explores themes of heredity, madness, and the relentless pressures of modern life. Zola masterfully blends human emotion with the mechanised world, creating a gripping narrative about inner demons and unrelenting destiny.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$2400
Elsewhere:
$2600
AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 3-4 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy Émile Zola's work if you're drawn to gripping narratives exploring the darker aspects of human nature and society. Set against the backdrop of the French railway, this novel delves into themes of obsession, murder, and psychological turmoil, making it an intriguing read for those who appreciate intense character studies and dramatic storytelling.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

The Beast Within

Roubaud is consumed by a jealous rage when he discovers a sordid secret about his young wife's past. The only way he can rest is by forcing her to help him murder the man involved, but there is a witness - Jacques Lantier, a fellow railway employee.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

New translation by Roger Whitehouse for this tale of murder, passion, and possession.

La Bête humaine (1890), the seventeenth novel in the Rougon-Macquart series, is one of Zola's most violent and explicit works. On one level, a tale of murder, passion, and possession, it is also a compassionate study of individuals derailed by atavistic forces beyond their control.

Zola considered this his 'most finely worked' novel, and in it, he powerfully evokes life at the end of the Second Empire in France, where society seemed to be hurtling into the future like the new locomotives and railways it was building. While expressing the hope that human nature evolves through education and gradually frees itself of the burden of inherited evil, he is constantly reminding us that under the veneer of technological progress, there remains, always, the beast within.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

La Bête Humaine by Émile Zola is often praised for its vivid portrayal of human urges and the dark side of industrialisation. Critics appreciate Zola's masterful storytelling and complex characters, highlighting the tension and psychological depth in the narrative. The novel is deemed a quintessential piece of naturalist literature, showcasing Zola's ability to intertwine personal struggles with broader societal issues.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780140449631

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 29 November 2007

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin Classics

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 25.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 199.0mm

Weight: 338g

Pages: 464

Collections

Fiction General Fiction Literary Fiction Penguin Books Penguin Classics Émile Zola

About the Author

Emile Zola (1840-1902) was a French novelist and critic, the founder of the Naturalist movement in literature. Among Zola's most important works is his famous Rougon-Macquart cycle (1871-1893), which included such novels as L'Assomoir (1877), about the suffering of the Parisian working-class, Nana (1880), dealing with prostitution, and Germinal (1885). Roger Whitehouse has taught at the Sorbonne and at Bolton Institute, where he is a research fellow.

Also by Émile Zola

View all

More from General Fiction

View all

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 80,000 books and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.