A review by xb_bi
Sentimental Education: The Story of a Young Man by Gustave Flaubert

3.0

This was equal parts good and bad for me. There were certain parts that were romantic, humorous and entertaining, and others where I genuinely had no idea what was going on. I think in order to truly understand and appreciate this book, you need quite a comprehensive knowledge of French history (or just to be French in the first place). Frédéric misses out on every opportunity ever put before him in favour of romance, which appears noble on the surface until he has to face the consequences. I liked all the characters and their development, even if parts of the story were either truly dull or just went over my head. Regardless, I was rushing to finish it and move on.
It's hard to know if I liked Flaubert's writing style, because I can never know if the translation truly reflects it unless I struggle through the original French. I was a bit put off by some of the translation choices at the beginning, but I eventually got used to the style.