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A review by b0toxdenkirk
Sentimental Education by Gustave Flaubert
Did not finish book. Stopped at 86%.
Embarrassed to admit I DNF at a staggering 80% of the way through the book. Granted, I probably enjoyed it more than most others who threw in the towel--but a woman only has so much stamina and goodwill to give a book, and by God, Flaubert completely exhausted mine.
I'm genuinely disappointed, as the initial plotline of Frederic trying to seduce Mdme Arnoux kept me turning pages right at the cusp of giving up. But right when the book commences Part III, it virtually deserts all character development and suspense in favor of interminable, inscrutable diatribes about the French Revolution. Though I welcome reading books in areas that are not part of my niche, it doesn't generally portend good tidings when the lamentations of a particular historical event completely drop any momentum that had previously built up. It seems as if Flaubert confusingly wanted to write two diametrically opposed novels in one go; a scintillating, passionate romance, and an exhaustive history of a political revolution. As a result, neither idea can be fully developed, and SE is rendered a chore to get through in the 21st century.
I'm genuinely disappointed, as the initial plotline of Frederic trying to seduce Mdme Arnoux kept me turning pages right at the cusp of giving up. But right when the book commences Part III, it virtually deserts all character development and suspense in favor of interminable, inscrutable diatribes about the French Revolution. Though I welcome reading books in areas that are not part of my niche, it doesn't generally portend good tidings when the lamentations of a particular historical event completely drop any momentum that had previously built up. It seems as if Flaubert confusingly wanted to write two diametrically opposed novels in one go; a scintillating, passionate romance, and an exhaustive history of a political revolution. As a result, neither idea can be fully developed, and SE is rendered a chore to get through in the 21st century.