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circe_08's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Besonders schlimm erscheinen mir jene Menschen, die sich nach Madame Bovarys Tod daran bereichern wollen und Monsieur Bovary ausnehmen. Zu Lebzeiten der Madame nutzt auch der fahrende Händler ihre Naivität aus und stürzt sie in einen Berg aus Schulden.
Graphic: Death of parent, Suicide, Sexual content, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
nineinchnails's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
i did get a little bored in the middle since i’d assumed the fun was over for our titular character (and the pacing of this was pretty strange) but she got a second wind and i ended up loving it!! emma had no redeeming qualities that i can recall but she was really engaging to read about and i found myself empathising with her, especially towards the end. she came across as quite naive and disillusioned so i had a lot more vitriol for rodolphe on account of his shameless manipulation of her. he wasn’t the only man to take advantage of her naïveté and it was both gratifying (because she was pretty awful) and frustrating to watch it happen as the reader.
the copy i read had a section at the end of “explanatory notes” which was referenced to constantly throughout and it massively contributed to my enjoyment since i ended up learning so much about 19th century france and flaubert himself. it was genuinely really interesting and i had no idea just how advanced medicine was in those times. i don’t think i agree with the moral of the story (from my interpretation) but i still really enjoyed this. no plot little character development just vibes but the vibes were gorgeous. i loved the setting and the prose was incredibly pretty.
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Pregnancy, Abandonment, Classism, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Grief, and Mental illness
Minor: Child abuse, Sexual content, Fatphobia, Vomit, Antisemitism, Racism, and Racial slurs
Child neglect and Prostitution/Sex workroxyunderscored's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Suicide, and Infidelity
Moderate: Sexual content and Medical content
Minor: Death of parent
vincef's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Blood, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, Classism, Suicide, Sexism, Racial slurs, Murder, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Mental illness, Infidelity, and Ableism
Moderate: Medical trauma, Medical content, and Gaslighting
Minor: Pregnancy
nachtvlucht's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Suicide, Gore, and Grief
Moderate: Medical content, Medical trauma, Sexism, and Sexual content
Minor: Child abuse
mollmccaff's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Infidelity, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Grief, and Vomit
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Classism, Sexual content, and Abandonment
Minor: Racial slurs, Eating disorder, and Death of parent
mercedes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
(Spoilers below!)
One of the most common criticisms I've seen is precisely the reason I was so captivated by the story—that Emma Bovary has a comfortable life, a devoted husband and loving child, and she detests them both. She isn't a nice or agreeable person, she has no valid reason to hate her spouse, she hates him solely because he is dull, because their life isn't reminiscent of the sentimental romance books she reads. He worships her, never wants to leave her side when she becomes unwell, and has all the patience of a saint. Every so often she tries to commit to the loving housewife act, and quickly grows tired of it, pushing herself further into despair. Eventually she's drawn to more extreme methods of regaining any amount of happiness, and is tempted into affairs, while at the same time spending all of her husband's money on clothes and furniture for the house, anything to satiate her gluttony and imitate the high society life she dreamed of.
I think the most distinct aspect of Emma's downfall was her unrealistic ways of romanticising a life she couldn't ever lead and in overly relying on these dreamlike ideas as if they were fact. We see this first early on, before and directly after she marries Charles Bovary. Because married life with Charles isn't exactly what her idea of marriage is, it's almost immediately ruined in her mind.
I thought this book was incredibly interesting and I don't think people should be put off by the low ratings or of the fact it's primarily about infidelity. I don't like the topic of infidelity much in fiction but I didn't find this uncomfortable to read about at all.
Graphic: Suicide and Infidelity
Minor: Sexual content