Reviews

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

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jane_marduk's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

fuufi's review against another edition

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4.0

Encontré que el estilo de escritura era muy enganchante y para nada aburrido a pesar del lenguaje utilizado. Esperaba tener más dificultades para leer este libro o que se me hiciera muy pesado pero todo lo contrario, estaba tan atrapada en la historia que ni siquiera el tener que leer dos mil notas de pié me detuvo.

Respecto a la historia, partí comprendiendo los sentimientos de Emma porque he pasado por una situación parecida (ciertamente no hablo de matrimonio ni grandes fundos pero xd) pero a medida que avanzaba la historia y Emma estaba cada vez más desconectada de la realidad se me hizo difícil seguí justificandola.
Creo que a pesar del intento de hacerlo parecer blando y sin ambiciones, Charles es mi personaje favorito, el solo quería vivir una vida tranquila y trataba a Emma como quien pone las estrellas en el cielo.

Me hubiera gustado saber que pasó con la niña después de todo pero supongo que no es posible.

Anyways me gustó mucho más de lo que esperaba, definitivamente quedé interesada en otras obras del autor.
(A quien por cierto me enteré que anduvieron demandando o algo así por publicar este libro ya que atentaba contra la decencia moral)

lalawoman416's review against another edition

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5.0

So this is the classics version of Revolutionary Road. Emma Bovary is the depressed, bored housewife of a country doctor. She longs for more out of life and is deeply disappointed with the direction of her life. She wants to dance, wear the latest fashions, and mingle amongst the best of society. At first, she resigns herself to her sacrifice, thinking it will buy her a place in heaven. Her husband, the kindly, portly Doctor Charles Bovary is blind to all that is happening. He believes Emma to be happy and contented. This, of course, serves only to alienate Emma all the more. Emma quickly learns that martyrdom does not come naturally for her and chooses instead to indulge herself. She meets Rudolph and engages in a four year affair with him. She becomes clingy and desperate. She wants to leave to Paris with Rudolph and aggressively pursues that end. Rudolph leads her along but Emma was never nothing more than a passing diversion for him and he leaves her high and dry. Emma throws herself into her depression with the same passion she approaches everything and fall into ill health. Along comes Leon, a man she was attracted to back in her martyrdom days. This time around, she chooses to engage and in doing so, denies herself nothing. She makes extravagant purchases and even becomes so bold as to not come home on certain nights. She lives so lavishly and recklessly her creditors come knocking. Poor Charles has to come to terms with his wife's indiscretions.

On the one hand, this novel was frustrating because Emma is such an unlikeable character. She is weak of character and selfish. She cares nothing of her husband and child and cares only of her pleasures. On the other hand, the novel is so beautifully written and entertaining. Every sentence is like poetry. Flaubert's book is a classic for a reason.

landolphia's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad

4.0

callieswag17's review against another edition

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emotional funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

katiescho741's review against another edition

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4.0

One of the classic tragic french novels about love!
The fact that Flaubert wrote this in third person means we get both sides of the marriage: Emma's feelings of disappointment and ennui, and Charles' love. When Emma has conversations with people other then her husband you get a very obvious sense of ow much more lively they are. As if her husband is smothering her.
Our tragic heroine starts and affair and then acts foolishly out of desperation to be happy. Our modern perspective could get some very sour lessons from this novel, but personally, I love a tragic novel!