A review by oddandbookish
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

5.0

I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher (Canterbury Classics) for promotional purposes. 

 

What a tragic yet captivating tale! 

 

I added this book to my “To Read” shelf on Goodreads way back in March of 2015. Now 9 years later I finally read it and I’m so glad I did.  

 

There is nothing happy about this story, but it’s beautiful and intriguing in its own way. Immediately upon starting, I was pulled right into the story. 

 

Madame Bovary is such a fascinating character. She’s not particularly likable, and that’s precisely why I liked her. She’s a complicated woman who makes numerous questionable decisions, but I find that makes for the most interesting of characters. I found myself constantly thinking about her and what I would do if I were in her shoes. 

 

For a classic, the writing style is easy to read and follow but still elegant. I didn’t have trouble understanding what was going on. The chapters are fairly short which also helps. 

 

I originally was going to give this book 4 stars, but after a few days of reflection, I decided I had to give it 5 stars. This is a story that will stick with me for a while. 

 

Overall, I loved this story and I can’t believe it took me this long to read it. It was well worth the wait!