Reviews

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

Only show reviews with written explanations

ionm's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

In a world owned by men, a woman has no chance of survival. Emma Bovary, similar to Anna Karenina, is a woman who decided to take her destiny into her own hands. Her courage for freedom, albeit technically successful in its agency, allowed her a glimpse into independence, whilst bringing condemnation by the society she lived in. Gustave Flaubert in “Madame Bovary” created a character of potent power, defying the reality of his time.

There’s no doubt that this is an excellent example of literary realism. The author trades heroic drama for the monotony of everyday provincial life. We sense with rawness the exasperation one can experience when staring into the soul of a life-style void of art, intelligence and ultimately one lacking any expectation of betterment. Charles Bovary seems content to enjoy the insignificance of such a life, as long as he is besides his loving wife. Emma Bovary, akin to Don Quixote, is enriched by the knowledge of a greater world from the books she has read. Her inability to settle in non-activity is an act of progressive rebellion. Her choice of adultery is simultaneously a rejection of antiquated religious authority and a full ignorance of the societal norms set by tradition. There is no insinuation of sin in Flaubert’s writing, rather the open acceptance of female desire as commonplace is a celebration of realism. Emma loves in order to gain insight into a more meaningful life. Where she fails is in mistaking the ownership of riches as a representation of that meaningful life. This lack of engagement with economic astuteness contributes even further to the naturalism of the novel.

Despite being the invention of a male author, Emma Bovary is an archetypal voice for feminism. The novel is fully dictated by her agency. Even when she is at loss, the root-cause is her confidence, that ultimately makes men assert the power they possess. Critically, this assertion appears as an act of desperation to defend an unequal world, and not as a critique of female action. Flaubert’s perspicacity on the matter was radically forward-thinking, which explains why “Madame Bovary” continues to find new audiences in every generation.

ines_toscano's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

hadeanstars's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

Immensely good. The style reminded me of a French Hardy and Emma Bovary was a facsimile of Eustacia Vye, and since Return of the Native was so important to me, this felt like a homecoming. The novel is brilliantly written, although it creeps up on you until it builds into a crescendo of ruin, and at times I read compulsively, unable to tear myself away from the horror of it all. So many of the characters were brilliantly conceived, the self-absorption of Homais, the callowness of Leon, the docility and simple trustingness of Charles, I was utterly hooked and this story will stay for me for a long time. As for Emma Bovary, she gave me shivers at times because she was so real and reminded me slightly traumatically of someone I know very well. I tore through this in two days. Uncanny and amazing.

astrea's review against another edition

Go to review page

funny informative reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

amybellbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

DNF. Managed just over 2 hours on audible and bailed out. Couldn’t find anything I liked about the book, no the characters or any kind of plot, it’s just a meandering misery!

ankarchk's review against another edition

Go to review page

funny reflective slow-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

5.0

"І тепер Емма не могла повірити в те, що тиша, яка нині панувала в її житті, і була щастям, про яке вона мріяла."

Ця книжка просто втілення фрази: "We support women's rights and we support women's wrongs".

А взагалі вайб цієї історії дуже мені нагадує "Звіяних вітром". Емма зі Скарлет точно були б найкращими подружками :)