Books On Film | The Paradise

This one comes from a patron at the Tracy Library. 

The Paradise, originally titled Au Bonheur des Dames (The Ladies' Paradise), by Emily Zola was published in English 1883. It tells the story of a young woman, Denise Baudu, who moves to Paris with her younger brothers to become a salesperson at a department store. The reader is given a view into the working conditions of female workers during the mid-nineteenth century as well as being treated to good dose of backstabbing and intrique.

A two season television series based on the novel was recently produced by the BBC and Masterprice (previously Masterpiece Theater). It aired in the UK and the US. If you are a fan of BBC period dramas, like Downton Abbey and Mr. Selfridge, this might be a show and book for you.

Cover courtesy of LibraryThing.