The Ladies' Paradise cover art

The Ladies' Paradise

Au Bonheur des Dames

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Ladies' Paradise

By: Émile Zola
Narrated by: Leighton Pugh
Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $34.99

Buy Now for $34.99

About this listen

Zola’s The Ladies’ Paradise (Au Bonheur des Dames, 1883) plays out in a colossal and opulent Parisian department store of the same name. Its owner, Octave Mouret, builds his innovative, upmarket women’s fashion empire at the expense of the city’s smaller, traditional shops.

A self-declared manipulator of women, Mouret not only plays on his female customers’ personal insecurities and social aspirations to keep his takings high, but also exploits his mostly female staff who work long hours in harsh conditions. After a difficult start, one young recruit, Denise Baudu, ends up giving Mouret much more than he bargained for.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

Public Domain (P)2021 Naxos AudioBooks UK Ltd. Classics
All stars
Most relevant  
Really enjoyed the original story of the French department store that the BBC's English version of The Paradise was based off.
Multiple characters and interweaving storylines follow the central characters and drama with a dose of humour, The Ladies' Paradise was entertaining and with themes completely relatable in the 21st century. The performance was also very good, bringing the French characters to life.

A performance which brought the 19th Century novel to life

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
don’t really like the book, had to read it for school but the audio made the book bearable lol

good audiobook

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.