Madame Bovary

by Gustavo Flaubert

411 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1985

About the author

Spanish version of Gustave Flaubert name

Reviews

[Meli Hdez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would give this book five stars for the beautiful, unpretentious but carefully crafted prose. It's written in a way that makes you look at one beautiful detail you wouldn't easily appreciate, and love it. I've tried reading other classic books from this time, and frankly could not endure the avalanche of descriptive words and tangents, which is not the case in Madame Bovary. Sometimes it feels like you are watching an artsy film where there's a sudden change in perspective or a camera switch, I don't know how to explain it better.
There's quite a few moments that just make you laugh at the ridiculous situations and character whims, which I think is because Flaubert was trying to make fun of romantic novels. Madame Bovary has the highest romantic standards, and that makes her go to great lengths in the search for an unreachable ideal.
Here's the spoiler and the negative critique: Although I am not expecting a French man from the 19th century to provide an egalitarian novel, I find it very hard to ignore that this is basically a tragic satire or cautionary tale about a woman's ambitions, desires and beliefs. Again, all characters in it are flawed, the story is told from a very progressive standpoint for its time by an evidently masterful writer; with brilliant insight on society, politics and religion. All that said, it gives me mixed feelings.
All in all, I would recommend not to miss it for the unique experience, as it is definitely a controversial masterpiece.

[Claracristela · Rating 2 out of 5]

Que cosa más pesada de señora. Que alguien califique esto de realismo es patético. Por mucha empatía que una intente tener con el s.XIX estos personajes están hechos de cartón piedra, o negro o blanco. La constante insatisfecha, que no es capaz de entender que el dinero al final se acaba; el marido idiotizado que sólo ve lo bueno de su señora y no adivina la cornamenta que se le empotra en las puertas; los amantes egoístas que se aprovechan de las ilusiones romanticonas de la mujer y luego la dejan a su suerte. Hasta el boticario ambicioso es una caricatura de la burguesía que medra en la Francia postnapoleónica. En fin había que leerlo porque se supone que es un clásico…

[Oti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pues me he hartado de reír, lo siento por la señora Bovary y sus múltiples desgracias. Desde la caricatura que hacen del pobre médico hasta las ideas de bombero de la gente del pueblo para intentar que el buen hombre destaque en algo. Y luego claro, las locuras de esta señora que no tiene una idea buena en toda su vida y lo bien que sabe rodearse de gente de la peor calaña. Lo mejor del libro, ese paseo larguísimo en un carruaje, pero largo, largo, largo...

[Cibernetes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una obra maestra que te provoca la reflexión.