The Ladies' Paradise

The Ladies' Paradise is the story of Denise Baudu, a young, lowly woman from Valognes. She arrives in Paris with her younger brothers and starts working as a saleswoman at the titular department store. It is an account of the store's inner workings from Denise's perspective, including 13-hour workdays, the low-quality food, and the basic accommodations for the female staff. Several conflicts in the novel arise from each employee's struggle for progress and the petty disputes and gossip among the staff. French writer Emilie Zola has depicted the women as modern in the novel. The department store is presented as a place where female customers can live out their fantasies and impulses. For female employees, it offers the possibility of financial freedom. There are several characters with their own story. Their stories will fill the readers with sympathy, anger, sorrow, comfort, and many different emotions as they move forward with this story.