Book dossier

Au bonheur des dames

by Émile Zola

Translated into English titled "The Ladies Paradise". BBC did a series on Masterpiece Theater.The novel tells the story of Denise Baudu, a 20-year-old woman who comes to Paris with her younger brothers and begins working as a saleswoman at the department store Au Bonheur des Dames. You read about the inner workings of the store from the employees' perspective, including the 13-hour workdays, and the bare lodgings for the female staff. Many of the conflicts in the novel spring from each employee's struggle for advancement and the malicious infighting and gossip among the staff.Denise's story is played against the career of Octave Mouret, the owner of Au Bonheur des Dames, whose retail innovations and store expansions threaten the existence of all the neighborhood shops. There's also a love story.