A Love Story

Hélène Grandjean, an attractive young widow, lives a secluded life in Paris with her only child, Jeanne. Jeanne is a delicate and nervous girl who jealously guards her mothers affections. When Jeanne falls ill, she is attended by Dr Deberle, whose growing admiration for Hélène gradually turns into mutual passion. Deberles wife Juliette, meanwhile, flirts with a shallow admirer, and Hélène, intent on preventing her adultery, precipitates a crisis whose consequences are far-reaching. Jeanne realizes she has a rival for Hélènes devotion in the doctor, and begins to exercise a tyrannous hold over her mother.

The eighth novel in Zolas celebrated Rougon-Macquart series,A Love Storyis an intense psychological and nuanced portrayal of loves different guises. Zolas study extends most notably to the city of Paris itself, whose shifting moods reflect Hélènes emotional turmoil in passages of extraordinary lyrical description.