Madame Bovary

Gustave Flaubert's novel (translated by Lowell Bair) is considered by some to be the greatest novel ever written. So, of course, I had to read it (yes, another example of my poor education).

I'm not sure whether it is the greatest novel written, but it did remind me of other memorable books: Angle of Repose (the dissolution of a marriage), Don Quixote (Emma yearns to live out the life she reads in books), and Picture of Dorian Gray (Emma's decay, depravity, and ultimate destruction: how's that for alliteration!). This leads me to believe that this book deserves more than one reading. Luckily, it's only 300 pages.

So, perhaps this review is premature, and I should write again once I have reread the book and/or read some critical analysis. I rarely read analyses, but my edition has some. Plus, the analysis might help me figure out the odd ending (it doesn't end with Emma).