The Flood

by Emile Zola

Published 1 January 2004
Sixty-two-year-old Louis Roubieu sees his family's long-awaited prosperity as a reward rained upon him by God for years of arduous toil on the land. Yet it is the very abundance of God's rain, initially observed from the window of their imposing farmhouse, which comes to pose a dire threat to not merely their livelihood but their very lives.


Jean Gourdon's Four Days

by Emile Zola

Published 1 January 2009