The only major fault was the abrupt ending when the tension between the two characters has been developed throughout the book and suddenly the whole thing is quickly finished. Other than that I really liked reading about the setting between a department store flooded with women customers (and middle-class shoplifters) and small boutiques owned by real craftsmen. May not be for all because of the lengthy descriptions about products and the function of the department store but for me it was enough so that I will check more of Zola's work in the future.