It was time for a classic, so I chose Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert. Like with any classic, it takes a bit to settle in with it, getting used to the language and style of writing. I always have to concentrate on them a bit more, so that I don't read two pages and realize I have no idea what happened in them. This one wasn't too bad with the superfluous style and language typical of 19th century European literature. Emma Bovary is unhappily married to a "devoted, clumsy provincial" [good description on the back of the book!] doctor. To revolt against her mundane life, she has affairs and buys a lot of things on credit, which, of course, leads to her demise.Flaubert uses excellent language to describe the downfall of Emma throughout the novel--she never loses her dreams of ecstasy and love, but they put her out of touch with reality. All the characters were weak-minded and selfish, to some degree, so their individual outcomes were not surprising. Pieces of the story were slow--mostly all the descriptions of society's little events that did not seem to have much role in the story's progression. But, these gave a more complete view of the environment surrounding the characters, so that they weren't just set against an empty backdrop. Overall, not too bad...seemed like a typical English class book (though my high school was seriously lacking in the English department, so I, of course, never had to read it).
