"They kissed each other again and fell asleep. The patch of light on the ceiling now seemed to be assuming the shape of a terrified eye, staring unblinkingly at the pale, slumbering couple, who now reeked of crime under their sheets, and were dreaming that they could see blood raining down in big drops and turning into gold coins as they landed on the floor."

What a difference a good translation makes! That and a few years of reading books in English in between, because re-reading Brian Nelson's new translation of The Fortune of the Rougons was so much easier. The ending was so unfamiliar that I'm not even sure I ever finished the old one. Now I'm so much more excited to read the series!

This is the beginning of everything. The 1851 coup d'état is looming in the background as a young idealistic couple - Silvère and Miette - is contrasted with the poisonous Rougon and Macquart branches of Silvère's family.

The family's roots are established with mentally unstable Adelaide Fouque, whose legitimate son Pierre Rougon is determined to disinherit his illegitimate half-siblings (their father a drunkard and a poacher) and turns against his own mother. He also schemes together with his ambitious wife Felicité to gain fortune and fame in the town of Plassans. Finally, everything ends in a pool of blood.

The Rougon-Macquart series consists of 20 novels. It's not a traditional family saga, because all the novels are standalones despite the recurring characters, so I don't think it's fair to judge the books in relation to each other too much. Fortune has a bit of an introductory air to it and I know there will be even more interesting stories ahead, but by itself it's a fine novel. Just don't read this as your first Zola.