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Liked It1 of 1 members found this review helpful “I feel quite fortunate, reading this just after Anna Karenina as it allows a nice compare and contrast and might have made me appreciate it more since they themed so alike. Both books are about women, who cheat on their husbands and find something their marriage didn't give them in an affair with...” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“Should be on everyone's Classics shelf”
Jean N wrote this review 5 hours ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“A good one to re-read every few years, always a new perspective after various life happenings take their tolls..”
Melissa R wrote this review yesterday. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
0 of 1 members found this review helpful“The subject matter was boring but there were some good bits in it.”
Jane R wrote this review 3 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Not bad at all. Slutty Victorian drama queen.”
Sarah L wrote this review 6 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I was prepared to dislike Madame Bovary immensely. Anna Karenina is one of my favorite novels, and I’d heard the two books juxtaposed so many times that it seemed that a reader typically likes one and not the other. This novel is so close to perfect that it is almost impossible not to like, however.
Peach wrote this review 9 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Materialistic, shallow and often hysterical, Emma Bovary is one of the most unlikeable heroines in fiction. She cheats, lies, and manipulates. Her “romantic” infidelities are more cliché and vulgar than the bourgeois life she is trying to escape. I suppose it’s possible to excuse Emma as being driven by an overactive romantic imagination, but part 3 of the novel completely exhausted my sympathy for her.
I read an English translation of this book. From what I have heard, the original French is quite different, and because of this the English translations vary quite a bit.”
“A terrible story of fantasy verses reality and how that changes the lives of everyone around those with distorted visions of love. Or, more simply, a woman who has read too many 'passionate and blissful' stories of love to be happy in her own marriage so she whores herself out to romance. I believe this belongs on the shelf with Don Quixote and Northanger Abbey and look forward to re-reading this in the future from a more critical standpoint.
Andi K / Lady Klemm wrote this review 10 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
The full-length review I posted on my blog...
I just finished reading Madame Bovary by Gustav Flaubert, yet another piece of literature addressing the theme of fantasy verses reality. This piece of work should join the ranks of Cervantes’ Don Quixote and Austen’s Northanger Abbey as all the main characters read novel after novel and for some reason become all goofy stupid because of it. Don Quixote is quite funny, though annoying, in all his follies and delusions; Catherine visits the Abbey and acts quite the silly little girl. Emma Bovary on the other hand is a different kind of delusional altogether, she is not funny in her silliness, there is no part of her antics that bring any kind of nostalgic giggle to my heart. Emma Bovary has confused the fruitless passion of romance novels with what she wants for her life, and unfortuneately for all involved, that kind of love is not realistic, long-lasting, or even truly desireable. There is so much more to love than what she sells herself short for.
While reading Madame Bovary and coming to these conclusions, I couldn’t help but compare this theme to the realities of today – to the fad that is known as the Twilight Saga. Since I first read Stephenie Meyer’s books I have told people that the story-line of the Twilight Saga is terribly frustrating because it sets unrealistic and pitiful standards on the beautiful thing that is love. Not to say the books are inherently bad, they were entertaining and held my attention until the end, but there are so many things young men and women should understand when sitting down to read these novels. Well, one thing specifically: Edward is not real. Jacob is not real. These boys do not exist, they will never exist. And truth be told, they act don’t act like real men, and in the end, even if they did exist, you would be unsatisfied. Beware of expecting the wrong things and becoming the next Madame Bovary, wench of all wenches.
Below is a review of Twilight my sister Nikki Dawn Bratton wrote:
As a woman, I am captivated by the emotional suspense that Stephanie Meyer artfully crafts as this classic romance unfolds.
Classic, you say? Falling in love with a vampire? Yes, classic. As Bella Swan’s desperate desire builds and unravels, it is increasingly clear that the imminent danger in this novel is not so specifically falling in love with a “vampire”. If it were, then the plot would be too fictional to strike so much fear in my heart. It would be too fictional to draw in so many female fanatics ready to ride the thrilling emotional roller coaster.
No, vampires don’t make this story scary – it’s the classic romance driven by the understanding that love is some uncontrollable force that you “fall” into. A young reader being shaped and impacted by this novel will gain the following detrimental (and false) insights on life and love:
True love is uncontrollable. Like Romeo and Juliet, Edward and Bella are drawn to each other. For Bella the mystery behind Edward Cullen is so intriguing that she cannot help but be drawn to him. By the time she finds out who he really is, she states simply “It doesn’t matter” because she is already hooked.
Love is about risk; therefore, the greater your willingness to risk, the greater the love. Bella’s desire to be close to Edward supersedes all her inhibitions. The danger he presents becomes irrelevant to her.
A woman’s emotional attraction and sensual stimulation are the best tools she has for determining how much risk is right for her to take. This is the only determining factor in how much she should “love” a man who has caught her attention. Bella seeks no counsel from her her family, her friends, or anyone else. Her response to Edward is purely and solely based on her own inward thoughts, desires, and emotions.
The understanding that it is right for a woman to give as much as she deems correct. Bella constantly reminds Edward that it is her choice and her desire to be with him despite the danger. To this end, Edward concedes.
The scariest thing about this book is that it is shaping the hearts of young readers because culture largely already agrees with the underlying elements of classic romance novels. When you break it all down, it’s another story of an ordinary girl who notices something extraordinary in a man and offers him her whole heart for the desperate desire to be something other than ordinary to him – regardless of the cost. There is nothing fictional about such a scenario. Just the happy ending that satisfies our feminine longings.
The problem with this is what those insights lead to:
Women being unprotected and willing to enter secret relationships when they are captivated by something they see as extrordinary.
In this “fictional” love story, Bella’s inside information and personal experiences with Edward, unknown to all others, play out thrillingly. However, real life rarely packs the same sort of thrills. Just as Bella’s life hangs on Edward’s ability to control his own temptations, so are the lives of so many young ladies. They secretly place their hearts in the hands of young men who are struggling with their own secret addictions and temptations.
Men taking advantage of young girls willing to give themselves away out of emotional desire.
Although Edward knows and states that he is not good for her, she insists on being with him regardless of what logic or self-preservation dictate. Although our fictional hero, Edward, is able to resist the temptations that he feels, this is often not the case in the real world.
Women who cannot be satisfied with a real man, full of all the human flaws, not crafted on the pages of a romance novel. With this picture of romance in her head, will any man every really be worthy of a woman’s life long devotion? Edward’s captivating smile and chiseled body are immortal. Edward’s emotional attraction to her is a mirror of her own feelings. The total package is not reproducible outside the pages of a fictional romance.
Therefore, your chief concern when analyzing the cultural impact of Twilight should not be teens intrigued by vampires. It’s the “love” story that will eat them alive.
In short, read Twilight and New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn to your hearts content. Inwardly swoon all you want, but please, please, please, read Flaubert’s Madame Bovary as soon as you do. Get acquainted with Emma Bovary and understand her weakness for all affairs and selfishness, and remember that is not a road you want to take. Real love, real passionate and blissful love is patient, kind, does not envy, does not boast, is not rude or self-seeking, is not easily angered and keeps no record of wrong. It’s also a daily choice and a lot of hard work. Do it right and you will see the fruits of your labors. Do not expect butterflies and tingles every time you look at the object of your affection, but don’t be so certain that they ever completely desist either.
I love my fantasies, but I know I cannot be so involved in them to find reality boring. Books are awesome, but real life is the ultimate treat.
”
“A book about very little except the narrative judgement of adultery. ”
teacherreid wrote this review 13 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This is the first work by Flaubert that I have read. I find this a wonderful work given the inner working of the mind of a sensible, though amorous, woman, who succumbs to adultery, even though she does not accept her husband's love. Madame Emma Bovary, when finally experiences the financial bankruptcy, commits suicide forcing her husband, Monsieur Charles Bovary too to die with extreme longing for her.
Mohan Jadhav wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
What I liked most in Flaubert's work is the incisive and rigorous analysis of the psychology of Madame Bovary when she is passionate with both Monsignors Leon and Rodelho. The description of the French countryside in the late 16th century and of the thinking and self-criticism of Madame Bovary regarding the prevailing morals of the society is extremely wonderful. No wonder, this work is considered the best of Flaubert's!”“read it for french class and really didn't like the adultery and depressing ending.”
JPF wrote this review Saturday, November 21 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
