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readingoverbreathing 's review for:
Madame Bovary
by Gustave Flaubert
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I guess I've always thought that was a deeply dark, almost sexy book, in the brooding, repressed way that Victorian novels do best. Something, perhaps, like Anna Karenina, for example.
This, however, was not that. It is kind of dark to be sure, and certainly a fascinating portrait of female desire (as seen through the eyes of a 19th-century man), but it reads much more like a moralizing folk tale, a story to warn impressionable young woman of the dangers of seeking the life they really want rather than the role society has put them in.
Am I close? Is that all this was ever intended to be?
In more detail, I really didn't like any of the characters, apart from Charles, the poor thing, and he truly met the worst fate in the end. I found the plot and the timeline, especially in the latter half of the book all a bit hazy.
Also, whatever this free translation I got, I was not a fan of. There is some truly beautiful, evocative descriptive language here, but most of it seemed to be obscured over or bogged down by a level of detachment that I was never really able to push past.
All in all, this was a bit of a disappointment, especially as I'd been looking forward to finally picking this up. As far as must-read classics go, you're better off with Anna Karenina and skipping this one.
This, however, was not that. It is kind of dark to be sure, and certainly a fascinating portrait of female desire (as seen through the eyes of a 19th-century man), but it reads much more like a moralizing folk tale, a story to warn impressionable young woman of the dangers of seeking the life they really want rather than the role society has put them in.
Am I close? Is that all this was ever intended to be?
In more detail, I really didn't like any of the characters, apart from Charles, the poor thing, and he truly met the worst fate in the end. I found the plot and the timeline, especially in the latter half of the book all a bit hazy.
Also, whatever this free translation I got, I was not a fan of. There is some truly beautiful, evocative descriptive language here, but most of it seemed to be obscured over or bogged down by a level of detachment that I was never really able to push past.
All in all, this was a bit of a disappointment, especially as I'd been looking forward to finally picking this up. As far as must-read classics go, you're better off with Anna Karenina and skipping this one.