Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

32 reviews

tmickey's review against another edition

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Emma just became more and more irritating until I just stopped caring what happened. Charles was also obnoxious, just in a different way. Ultimately I read a spoiler summary and realized the rest of the plot was not worth the time. I hate cheating in books anyway so I was already prepared to DNF if I wasn’t enjoying it.
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hjb_128's review against another edition

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challenging reflective slow-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

3.5

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jasmineandsweetbriar's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A perfect little novel. The prose is fantastic and the mapping out of the tragicomedy is so clever and sensitive to the nuances of human life. I feel so so bad for Charles and Berthe but I could empathise also with the dissatisfaction that Emma experienced. A book for our times, when we are constantly encouraged to yearn for more exotic experiences rather than treasure the people around us. 
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squishmallow161's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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bleuennreads_'s review against another edition

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

3.75

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mazzoccatoadele's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

rip emma bovary you would have loved townie by mitski
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livelaughomo's review against another edition

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reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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caribbeangirlreading's review against another edition

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emotional sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
When it comes to reading foreign novels, translations matter. Adam Thorpe managed to capture Flaubert's language in a way that took my breath away.
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lostinthelibrary's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective sad slow-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

I can see why this novel is so well praised. It is somehow at the same time satirical, realistic and tragic. It is great that a man of that time was able to write such an interesting female character and I can see why it would have caused controversy. Flaubert also perfectly captured small town rural attitudes and practices in such a humorous and heartfelt way. This all makes the book still very readable to a modern audience. 
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tiiiger35's review against another edition

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dark sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Emma - Madame Bovary, is a complex woman, trapped in a life & a marriage she hates. She’s a dreamer, an idealist, a romantic who yearns for overzealous passions. She’s also naive, selfish, greedy, hateful & dishonest. 
Her husband, Charles, in comparison, adores her. She can commit no wrongs in his eyes, he’s eternally faithful, loving & loyal to her. He’s also completely blind to her wretchedness toward him & her unhappiness within their marriage. 

In context, women in the 19th century had so little autonomy & even less opportunities. I emphathised with Emma on that level. It’s clear she was a tortured soul, who was doomed to a life of unfulfillment & misery. She seemed to suffer from chronic depressions & mood disorders that weren’t understood back then. Driven by a desire to find a love so intense, that even her daughter was pushed aside. Yet, right under her nose, unwanted, were the 2 people who loved her endlessly. 

Cruelly, a part of me felt irritated Emma escaped the long term repercussions of her salacious & egocentric actions. Instead, Berthe was left alone in the world, destitute & unloved.
It’s one that will stick with me, but it’s a  sad story with a tragic ending. It must have been a scandalous read for its time filled with debauchery, infidelities, lust & betrayal. 
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