This time, it's Emile Zola and his fabulous novel Nana, which takes place in 1880s Paris and follows an opera singer in an era in which the main perk of such a career was to see how many wealthy men one could wrap around one's little finger...

"She was turning into a force of nature and, without any intention on her part, a ferment of destruction; between her plump white thighs, Paris was being corrupted and thrown into chaos."

"She'd made her final move into the messy world of amorous intrigue; her insolent house-warming party was everything she desired: the grand residence was bursting at the seams with men and furniture."

xo, Ernestine