The Ladies' Paradise

Life in an 1860s Paris megastore. As capitalism staggers around on its bunioned feet, waiting for the next self-perpetuating excuse for sickening human greed and useless backbreaking timewasting bullshit in pursuit of Capital to relieve its burden, it’s time to question what we want from an economic......more

Holy Mother of God... I do not know where to begin with this. You see this title, and you look up the book: "Oh, a novel about women and shopping, this is going to be a bore..." Even I had my doubts, and I am an avid reader of Zola, he has yet to disappoint me. And yet, I believe that this may be the......more

Zola's depiction of La Samaritain/Le Bon Marché - Paris' first department stores - is an absolute classic and a wonderfully entertaining read. Incredibly influential on his generation (Manet, etc), it is a photographic record of life in the 19th c as the bourgeoisie started wielding their consumer p......more

Le phalanstère du négoce Le grand magasin Au Bon Marché en 1887 Denise Baudu est arrivée de Valognes avec ses frères pour trouver une place auprès de son oncle après la mort successive de leur mère et de leur père. La jeune femme découvre rapidement que le petit commerce végète tandis que les gran......more