Reviews

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

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astrono9's review against another edition

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informative reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

jess_mango's review against another edition

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4.0

Another classic I finally got around to reading. :)

fbroom's review against another edition

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4.0

I didn’t expect to get hooked to this but I did! It took me two days to finish it all.

** SPOILERS **

Emma has a lot of expectations. She read many romantic novels and fairy tales that she believed were true. She wanted a similar fairy tale for herself. She married Charles but Charles was not it. She went to a ball with Charles where she saw a glimpse of the life she was reading about or hoping to have. She insisted on moving and they moved. Charles wasn’t it or the new town so she spent her energy creating this fairy or unrealistic lifestyle hoping it will somehow bring her closer to her dream but that didn’t work either. She meets Rodolphe who seduces her but he backs out at the end and breaks her heart. She thought it was Leon but nope it’s not him. She remains unhappy.

I mean regardless of her expectations, there is an Emma in each and every one of us. We each have secret dreams, hopes and expectations that we live for. Emma’s expectations were unrealistic. Escaping a marriage in the 19th century is impossible. There weren’t many options. She was unhappy. She didn’t know what to do and she took the wrong path unfortunately.

My first read for Flaubert. Flawless.

michellechien930's review against another edition

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4.0

Madame Bovary is such a well-written book. I wouldn't have read it if not for a school report, and I'm immensely glad that I did. Emma is such an interesting character, and Flaubert was such an incredible writer. There are so many paragraphs that resound deeply with my soul, and I am once more amazed at how writers manage to capture the very basis of human feelings so rawly. Just terrific!

louureadsbooks's review against another edition

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3.0

I gave Madame Bovary ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75 stars! This was a bit of an interesting read. I wouldn’t say it was enjoyable as I almost dreaded reading it. It was actually fascinating reading about Emma’s discontent and her unhappiness though, but the first half of the book was such a bore. It was only in the second half that everything was happening and going on. To be honest I didn’t like how Gustave portrayed Emma; like she was a smart and intellectual girl in general but when it came to her “lovers” she was stupid, “over dramatic”, and was described as unbearably affectionate. Didn’t like the emotional female stereotype but I guess that’s how they were portrayed in those times so pop off Gustave I guess