Publishers like to go with what they know when it comes to getting people to buy their books. I loved it and hope to listen to it again soon.Scanning through the covers for this, which must be the most famous of Zola's novels, it was no surprise to find reproductions of just about all the well-known French paintings of sexually-alluring females there are.
Zola is a compelling novelist, although it must be said there’s little humor in his dire view of Parisian society. My solution was to download the text of the novel - there are plenty available, both free and paid - and look up the names while listening to the first few chapters until I became familiar with them. Many chapters are crowded set-pieces with dozens of people, and I often found it hard to distinguish the names. “Nana” can be a tough listen for someone (like me) who doesn’t have the hang of French pronunciation. The relentless focus on Nana’s beauty leads to the devastating final paragraphs of the novel. A visit to a dive turns out to be an introduction to same-sex relationships - again without ever saying so in quite so many words. For example, Nana needs 400 francs to pay a debt she leaves for two hours she returns with 400 francs in an envelope.
Zola is never explicit about sex, but it leaves unmistakable traces in every chapter. Though she spends most of the novel in the keeping of Count Muffat, she strings a number of other men along, leaving behind her a trail of suicidal and financially ruined former lovers. She tries to parlay this into a career as an actress, but though her physical form enchants Parisian audiences, her acting and singing are somewhat lacking (to put it mildly). She is a prostitute with an almost hypnotic beauty. Nana, although she takes great joy in life, has little awareness or concern for the effect she has on others. The characters are individuals, not just by virtue of external mannerisms and speech, but through a deep perception of their motives and failings. Zola has the curious ability to write about things he finds detestable - like drunkenness and prostitution - with great compassion and a brilliant eye for the telling detail.
“Nana” is a tragic story, beautifully written. I hope there are more Zola novels to come, especially with Leighton Pugh as narrator.
With this production of “Nana,” Naxos provides another excellent entry in its series of 19th century classics.
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