4.25k reviews for:

Madame Bovary

Gustave Flaubert

3.51 AVERAGE

slow-paced

Charles deserved so much more and so much better than Emma
emotional sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Bıktım artık güçsüz kadın karakterlerden, basmakalıp cinsiyetçi cümlelerden.

first exposure to this was through frauding quizbowl lit questions in freshman year lmao but this is also an incredible book. my favorite genre of fiction is the one about vain narcissistic self-indulgent petty avaricious ungrateful women

I hated everything about this shallow woman and had no sympathy for her character whatsoever. Even as a character study of the times, it held no interest for me. While the writing itself was marvelous, I slogged through the book, bored with the sheer banality of Emma.

The follies of human nature are outlined in Madame Bovary to stir the emotions and sense of justice, but nothing is black and white. Some people stumble along in good fortune's favor while others can never be satisfied or even know the iniquity of their lot.

If you can get past Part 1 without falling asleep or giving up, the story gets slightly better. I found myself pretty bored for the first half of the book.
sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

This book was such a waste of time, I couldn't stand Emma(though I do get what the moral was that we were supposed to take from her story arc, and it's a good moral just done poorly), or any of the other characters, (Charles was an idiot and Rodolphe and Leon were just unlikable and boring to read about). I couldn't get myself to care about any of them or what was going on, and the little side tangents about other characters that didn't add to the plot at all were a chore to read through. Save yourself the time and read Anna Karenina instead(yes I know it's much longer, but it's a masterpiece and definitely worth your time, unlike this one). I only finished this book because I hate dnf'ing books, but I almost did many times. I fear it may have stolen any energy I have for reading for the foreseeable future.