Book Review - Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert

Madame Bovary was the first old classic I read with genuine curiosity. I finished it feeling like it might be the most beautifully written book I’ve ever read. Flaubert’s level of detail is insane, you can almost smell the rooms, see the facial expressions, and imagine the tone of each character’s voice.

The story follows Emma Bovary, a woman trapped between the boredom of provincial life and her longing for something grand. She’s restless, contradictory, sometimes selfish, sometimes naive, and that’s exactly what makes her so human.

Flaubert explores themes like desire, frustration, social appearances, adultery, loneliness, and the emptiness that comes from always chasing something more. His writing feels simple at first, but it’s razor-sharp in precision. Nothing is there by accident.

The pacing is slow, but never dull, it’s intense in its own way. There are parts where you just have to keep going to see what happens next.

In the end, it’s a story about the weight of illusions, the danger of dreaming too much and the cost of not accepting reality. Highly recommended.