"The Abbey" is a novel-chronicle by Emile Zola, which tells about the life of workers in Paris of the 19th century. The main character, Hermenehilda Kuprav, is devoted to work, but drinking and poverty turn her life into a circle of eddies of the Goretska beer hall. The moving story of a woman's journey from a worker to alcohol addiction reveals the psychology of the characters and the social aspects of that time. The author skillfully shows the brutality of the lives of ordinary people and the impact of adversity on their fate. "The Abbey" is an action chronicle that impresses with realism, depth and poignancy, and also reveals the problems of society and human nature.