Release date is 2021-05-14

Jeroen Hellingman and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net/ for Project Gutenberg

"De drie steden: Parijs" by Émile Zola is a novel written in the late 19th century. The book examines the struggles of its protagonist, Abbé Pierre Froment, a priest who grapples with his faith and the harsh realities of poverty in Paris. Through Pierre and his interactions with the marginalized, the narrative explores themes of social injustice, compassion, and the profound disillusionment with religious dogma. At the start of the story, Abbé Pierre Froment prepares to say mass in the Sacré-Cœur basilica, reflecting on the grim, thawing Paris that surrounds him after a brutal winter. As he encounters fellow priest Abbé Rose, Pierre learns about an elderly man, Laveuve, who is suffering from extreme poverty and hunger. Driven by a mixture of compassion and his own moral struggles, Pierre takes it upon himself to deliver a small sum of money to Laveuve. The chapter sets the tone for Pierre's internal turmoil over his waning faith and the broader social issues he witnesses, hinting at the profound challenges he will face as he confronts both the suffering of individuals and the larger societal structures at play. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

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