WeBuzz
Reader discussion: Madame Bovary
Public reader discussion about Madame Bovary in the WeRead Catalog by Gustave Flaubert.
Hardcore Literature Club 101
By happy-laurel61
I’ve been thinking about joining this online book club that’s put together by a classics person who went to Oxford. Has anyone here tried it? I’m a little on the fence because it all seems paywalled, and there isn’t much info besides basically “join the Patreon.”
That said, the 2025 reading list actually looks really good. Anyone know if it’s worth jumping in now vs waiting until Jan 1? Like, do you just subscribe right away and start with the first book, or is there a point where everything kicks off in January?
French readers: Do you enjoy Madame Bovary?
By orangeBear
Kinda surprised I don’t see this “classic” brought up that much here, even though it seems like it had a big impact on literature. I feel like other major 1800s books (like *Anna Karenina* and *Crime and Punishment*) get talked about a lot more.
Not sure if it’s because the English translations are kind of weak, or if the book just didn’t hold up as well as the others. If anyone read it in French, I’d love to hear what you thought about it.
Madame bovary
By ivycreek
I gave it a shot but ended up quitting after like 250 pages. I just couldn’t push myself to keep going, it felt really boring to me. Does anyone actually enjoy this book?
Also, I might’ve been getting annoyed with her as I read, and I couldn’t really stand the character.
I think the boredom thing is the issue—once it hits, it starts to sink into the whole novel.
Should I read Madame Bovary?
By Couplet-Yarn39
I’ve had Flaubert’s *Madame Bovary* on my list for a while. I mostly picked it up because Nabokov mentioned it as one of the best bits of prose he’d ever seen, and then I kept running into more people recommending it too.
But after just getting through the first few chapters, I’m not totally sure how I feel. It’s kind of… up in the air for me right now.
Does anyone have thoughts or suggestions on whether it’s worth pushing through?
Gustave Flaubert apparently once said: "Madame Bovary, c'est moi". I understand him. 🧐
By Green
Sag doch Deutsch du… Bastard?
Marginalia-Madame Bovary (Evergreen)
By Precheck-Bookish10
Which translation are you talking about? Might have to do a side-by-side thing. Also, I’m not totally sure if this is the “best” one, but the stuff about Madame Bovary being this huge translation challenge keeps popping up. There are links like the Gutenberg one for the Marx translation, and it looks like there are versions in French too. Plus, people mention checking local libraries for print/audiobooks/ebooks. Not sure what to trust, but I’ll probably look at a few options and see what fits.
Our August read is Madame Bovary, a novel that influenced Dostoyevsky-If you would like to join us!
By ionCastle
So is this August your personal “crisis of dissatisfaction”? Like, do you suddenly find your husband kinda boring, your life feeling small and not very exciting, and you’re telling yourself some romantic delusion will fix everything? Also… are you trying to sneak a “forbidden” read onto your bingo card? Maybe dust off that rusty French? Or are you just the type who goes all in for Flaubert—like, the writer-writer who apparently took a whole year to knock out 90 pages? And does your beach reading suddenly need a Second Empire vibe? Honestly, I’m also wondering if I’m kicking myself for not grabbing this back in 2017.
Anyway, I guess it’s time to hang out with Emma Bovary again in *Madame Bovary* by Gustave Flaubert, his debut from 1856.
This book, about a woman trying to live beyond her means to escape the emptiness of provincial life, got roasted for obscenity when it first ran in *La Revue de Paris* (Oct–Dec 1856), and then there was that whole trial in Jan 1857. After Flaubert was acquitted in Feb 1857, it blew up and became a bestseller by April when it came out in two volumes. It’s supposed to be one of the big realists and now it’s basically considered his masterpiece.
And we’re doing it together Fridays in August, with the chapter breakdown starting Aug 5 (Section I, ch 1–9), then Aug 12 (Section II, ch 1–9), Aug 19 (Part II ch 10–15 and Part III ch 1–3), and Aug 26 (Part III ch 10–15). It’ll be in translation unless you’re reading French along with us, and there are options and extra info in Marginalia.
I’m honestly *tellement ravie*!
Madame Bovary thru I.4
By StarSteady98
This sidebar still looks outdated—can’t tell if it’s been updated in a while. I’d just use the newest interface to find info about r/bookclub.
[ANÚNCIO] Próxima leitura: Madame Bovary, por Gustave Flaubert | Início das discussões: 4 de outubro, CHAMADA PARA VOLUNTÁRIOS PARA A MEDIAÇÃO (+info nos comentários)
By hardcoverStorm
Só dá pra gente fazer a leitura certinho se tiver alguém mediando em todas as semanas, né? E cada mediador pode, se quiser, pegar mais de uma semana. Se você quiser ficar com uma semana que ficou livre, é só comentar aqui embaixo!
Oi, gente! Tá aí o cronograma da leitura de *Madame Bovary*, do Gustave Flaubert (que ganhou na 15ª votação do clube de leitura).
- Semana 1: 04/10 — Parte 1: I – VIII. Mediação: u/baianinhasistemas
- Semana 2: 11/10 — Parte 1: IX – Parte 2: V. Mediação: u/G_Matteo
- Semana 3: 18/10 — Parte 2: VI – VIII. Mediação: u/mcliuso
- Semana 4: 25/10 — Parte 2: IX – XII. Mediação: u/Ok-Direction-7885
- Semana 5: 01/11 — Parte 2: XIII – Parte 3: II. Mediação: u/holmesbrazuca
- Semana 6: 08/11 — Parte 3: III – VI. Mediação: u/SoufeHecht
- Semana 7: 15/11 — Parte 3: VII – XI. Mediação: u/mcliuso
- Semana 8: 22/11 — Feira Literária
A gente conta com todo mundo conforme a disponibilidade de cada um. Boa leitura!
What do you love about Madame Bovary?
By Sail-Watches46
I studied literature too, and I usually really enjoy the classics. I just finished James’s *Portrait of a Lady*, and honestly it’s probably one of the best books I’ve read in a while. The characters all feel kind of layered, and a lot of the small moments seem really careful.
But I’ve been reading it alongside *Madame Bovary*, and now it’s feeling way more straightforward—almost too obvious—like it doesn’t have the same kind of subtlety. I know *Madame Bovary* actually influenced James, so maybe I’m judging it unfairly.
So is this just personal taste, or is there something I’m not seeing? What do you think actually makes *Portrait of a Lady* so good?
Online book club
By Prologue_Pink
Not sure if this fits what you’re into, but our Classics & Oldies online book club is looking for a few new people. We mostly read the older stuff—some past picks have been *Lost Illusions* (Balzac), *The Leopard* (Lampedusa), *Rebecca* (du Maurier), *Madame Bovary* (Flaubert), *Middlemarch* (George Eliot), *The Age of Innocence* (Edith Wharton), and *Waiting for Godot* (Beckett). We’ve also done *The Threepenny Opera* (Brecht), *The Fortunes of War* (Olivia Manning), and *The Turn of the Screw* (Henry James), plus more. Usually it’s fiction, but sometimes we’ll do non-fiction or plays too.
We’ve just started *Death in Venice* by Thomas Mann. If you’re interested, send me a message and I’ll share a link so you can take a look and see if it’s a good match.
Just finished Madame Bovary, wanted to share some lines I liked...
By Notices_Careful2
I usually jot down a handful of quotes from whatever I read, mostly so I can go back later, even if it’s just for nostalgia. These are a few from *Madame Bovary*—maybe they’ll make you want to try it. I won’t pretend it was all smooth sailing; some parts dragged for me, but I never really doubted how good Flaubert’s writing is. And by the end, it hit me way more than I expected.
“...none of us can ever say exactly what we need, or what we think, or how we feel, and our words are like a cracked kettle—still somehow we try to make music, even when what we really want is to move the stars.”
“...putdowns of the people you love always push you a little further away from them. Don’t handle your idols too much—their shine ends up on your hands.”
“...when they’re young, every respectable guy has at least a brief moment where he thinks he could have huge passions and big dreams. Even the most lukewarm libertine has probably pictured themselves with a sultan’s wife, and even a notary’s got scraps of a poet stuck inside him.”
Classic books vs contemporary
By snow-story5
Has anyone else had trouble switching between older classics and more modern stuff? I really love Moby-Dick, Crime and Punishment, Madame Bovary, Lolita, Bleak House, and Sherlock Holmes, so it’s kind of disappointing to me that it feels like fewer people are picking up the classics anymore. I’d like to chat with other readers about newer books too, and maybe get out of my usual lane.
Honestly, the last bunch of modern fiction novels I tried have left me pretty let down. Things like Station Eleven (Mandel) and Piranesi (Susanna Clarke) were supposed to be big, award-winning books, but I was only mildly entertained at best. They’re also much shorter, and the writing didn’t feel very challenging. To me, they were too short to really get any solid character development, and the plots felt kind of weak. I’ve got Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell sitting in my To Be Read pile, but after Piranesi I’m really hesitant to start it. I do have Pillars of the Earth though, and I’m hoping that one is more rewarding.
So do you all have a strategy for bouncing between genres/time periods, or do you pretty much stick with one lane? I will say there are some modern authors I used to love (it’s been years since I read them), like Michael Crichton and Tom Clancy. Even if their books don’t stay with me forever, I always had a lot of fun reading them—which I can’t say for Piranesi.
Thanks for listening and for any thoughts!
[Scheduled} Madame Bovay Discussion III
By patienceNeutron3
Welcome back—also wow, this whole part feels like it’s basically begging for some kind of scandal/indecency lawsuit, right? 😅
And I didn’t expect all the extra stuff about Flaubert and Louise Colet, but it does make the Rodolphe/Emma gifts and that whole “revenge” poem angle feel way more loaded. I’m kind of amazed she stayed so supportive while he was working on the first novel, and then it all just… turned ugly later. Plus, I had no idea she actually wrote a whole novel about him. Didn’t last like *Madame Bovary*, but it sounds like it could still be a fun side read.
Anyway, onto the questions. I’m honestly all over the place with this section. Like—does Rodolphe actually think about leaving with her, or was he just stringing her along until he bailed? And when he writes that breakup letter… I don’t know, it made me feel gross and second-guess everything.
Also Charles trying to fix Hippolyte’s club foot and it turning into an amputation—does that change how I see Charles and/or Emma? I feel like it should, but I’m not totally sure yet.
Emma’s breakdown after Rodolphe betrays her also makes me wonder how much is in her head vs just everything piling up. And then Charles makes these choices while she’s recovering—going into debt, taking her to the theater, even pushing her to stay another night with Leon in Rouen. That part made my jaw drop. Is he trying to help her, or is he making it worse?
Then Leon’s back and suddenly ready to move in again—so is this actually better for Emma, or just the same mess with different names? And do you think the attraction feels real now or just “same pattern, new guy”?
And the last chapters with Pere Bovary’s death, the Leon love holiday, and everything with the power of attorney—what do you think Emma’s really doing there? Like what’s the endgame?
Anyway, I’ve got questions too and I’m definitely eager to talk more with everyone next week.
‼️ I’m torn between 3 choices
By FootnoteCat
Hey 👋
I’m kinda stuck deciding what to read next. I’m finishing *Don Quixote* right now, but after that I’m choosing between:
- *Madame Bovary*
- *In Cold Blood*
- *One Hundred Years of Solitude*
If you had to pick just one for the next book, what would you recommend? I don’t really care much about genre, but I do like stuff that gets you thinking—like the whole idealist vs realist thing in *DQ*.
Part of me also wonders if I should just go for *Finnegans Wake* even though I’ve heard it’s a whole project sitting on my table… 😅
I guess I’ll read all three eventually, I’m just trying to decide what I’d grab tomorrow. Also, it’s funny how everyone seems to be suggesting all three, so maybe they’re all worth it?
Thanks for any thoughts on my indecision.
Should I read Gustave Flaubert in any order?
By annotationcrescent
This seems like a place where people talk about the classics—like plays, poems, novels, short stories, essays, and even the old ballads and epics. You can do analysis or criticism, or talk more about the history of the work or the author, and the social/political stuff around when it was written.
What’s the longest time it took you to finish a book?
By basil_yarn
In college I took a Comp Lit class and the anthology we used had *Madame Bovary* in it. I started it, but before I could finish the course ended and I sold the book back. I told myself I’d grab it from the library and finish later. Then I ran into the whole translation issue—I tried a few times and couldn’t stick with it because it was different from what I’d read before.
Fast forward like 15 years and I finally found the exact anthology from my class. Took forever, but I did end up finishing *Madame Bovary*.
Has anyone else had a really huge gap like that between starting a book and actually finishing it?
Just finished reading Vargas Llosa's "The bad girl". That's a good way to show a toxic relationship. What you guys think about the book?
By IslandSleepy
Honestly, it’s mostly about the title.
I finished the book and kept thinking, “yeah, I get what he’s dealing with.” I’ve been in a toxic relationship before, but his situation feels way worse.
That said, I’m not totally sure the narrator is trustworthy. Him running into the same “bad girl” in different countries and making her out to be this awful person just feels a little off to me.
So yeah—what did everyone else think of the book?
For those who have read good/multiple versions of "Madame Bovary," which English translations did you find to be the best?
By cipherSail937
I’ve been flipping through a couple different translations of *Madame Bovary*, and it’s kind of wild how a few lines I really liked can hit totally differently depending on the version. Does anyone else have a go-to translation they trust the most or one they’re really fond of?
Madame Bovary, Gustave Flaubert [translated by Francis Steegmuller] (Kobo, $1.99)
By Starlight_Mist
Also, the Eleanor Marx-Aveling translation looks like it’s in the public domain here in the U.S., and you can grab it for free from Standard Ebooks.