The Fortune of the Rougons

'The Fortune of the Rougons' is a novel, first published in 1871. Is the first novel in Zola's monumental twenty-volume series 'Les Rougon-Macquart'. It contains a lot of background information about many characters that appear in the later novels. The novel takes place in the fictional Plassans and represents the history family in time of the coup d'état of Louis-Napoleon in December 1851. The author describes the influence of historical events on the family's relations and small town of Plassans.
'The Fortune of the Rougons' became one of his most notable literary works representing the extensive version of the Second French Empire, so you have a great opportunity to enjoy it.