Page of Love

Author: (French) Zola, translated and annotated by Zhou Yingmei / Liu Li
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-02
Features: The young woman Elena and her husband and daughter move to Paris. Before even setting foot on Parisian soil, her husband dies suddenly in a hotel. From then on, she lives as a widow in Paris, relying on her frail and sick daughter Jeanne. Their old acquaintance, Father Jules and Monsieur Ronde, the two brothers, often visit them. Jeanne loves her mother deeply but is extremely jealous and cannot tolerate her mother sharing her affection with others. Elena also loves her daughter very much, especially when she dedicates all her love to her during Jeanne's illness. In the neighboring house with a garden, lives the Deberle family, the doctors. Because of the medical treatment for Jeanne, the two families become close friends. Unexpectedly, Elena develops an irresistible infatuation for the gentle doctor, and the doctor also becomes obsessed with Elena's beauty. Father Jules tries to help Elena break free from her closed-off life, to find a suitable father for Jeanne, and strongly recommends his brother Ronde. But Elena dislikes Ronde and is filled with longing for the Deberle doctor. Jeanne suffers from a hereditary mental illness and is very sensitive to the love between her mother and the doctor, becoming extremely jealous. Their suppressed desires grow stronger over time. One rainy afternoon, Elena hastily goes out and pushes Jeanne, who keeps begging to go with her, to the ground. Jeanne feels that her mother no longer loves her, is mentally traumatized, and falls ill after catching a cold due to lack of care. The doctor is helpless, and Jeanne eventually dies out of hatred. The death of her daughter makes Elena realize the infidelity in her feelings and is filled with immense grief. After burying her daughter, Elena returns to Marseille and marries Monsieur Ronde, who has always faithfully waited for her, two years later, starting a new life.