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sherrimc 's review for:
Madame Bovary
by Gustave Flaubert
What am I missing? Why is this book so well known and so acclaimed? It was nothing but a depressing slog for me. It's a book I told myself I should read because it's a classic and it's been on my bookshelf for years, but it was never anything but a chore.
Everything about it is so depressing. A husband who is blind (figuratively) and stupid. A wife who is perpetually dissatisfied with her life leading her to multiple affairs and exorbitant spending, none of which make her happy or content. And a cast of side characters who completely failed to spark my imagination or inspiration at all.
Some classics hold up over time. In fact you could argue that that is the definition of a classic. I did not find that to be true with this book. There is humor and characters who are exaggeratedly ridiculous (presumably included for the purpose of adding humor) but they are dated and have not aged well in the years that have passed since the book was written.
The moral of this story: live within your budget, don't read romance novels because they will make you loathe your husband, and never ever let a country doctor in 19th century France convince you that he can correct your club foot with surgery.
Everything about it is so depressing. A husband who is blind (figuratively) and stupid. A wife who is perpetually dissatisfied with her life leading her to multiple affairs and exorbitant spending, none of which make her happy or content. And a cast of side characters who completely failed to spark my imagination or inspiration at all.
Some classics hold up over time. In fact you could argue that that is the definition of a classic. I did not find that to be true with this book. There is humor and characters who are exaggeratedly ridiculous (presumably included for the purpose of adding humor) but they are dated and have not aged well in the years that have passed since the book was written.
The moral of this story: live within your budget, don't read romance novels because they will make you loathe your husband, and never ever let a country doctor in 19th century France convince you that he can correct your club foot with surgery.