Madame Bovary

Penguin Classics

By: Gustave Flaubert

Narrated by: Fiona Glascott

Brought to you by Penguin.

This Penguin Classic is performed by Fiona Glascott, star of Brooklyn, and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. This definitive recording includes an introduction by Geoffrey Wall.

Emma Bovary is beautiful and bored, trapped in her marriage to a mediocre doctor and stifled by the banality of provincial life. An ardent reader of sentimental novels, she longs for passion and seeks escape in fantasies of high romance, in voracious spending and, eventually, in adultery. But even her affairs bring her disappointment and the consequences are devastating. Flaubert's erotically charged and psychologically acute portrayal of Emma Bovary caused a moral outcry on its publication in 1857. It was deemed so lifelike that many women claimed they were the model for his heroine; but Flaubert insisted: 'Madame Bovary, c'est moi'.

Public Domain (P)2019 Penguin Audio

A powerful story

The reader is hard to hear. The story of course is an historical classic that demands more than one listen.

Graceful narrative

I really began to think that in person, Madame Bovary is a good person. I would like to know her. Her friends and family are also endearing.

Irritating French pronunciation

This is Flaubert’s greatest work, but I couldn’t enjoy it because of the way the reader paused before every French word of any length, then launched into an exaggerated pronunciation, clearing her throat on the “r”s - especially Rodolphe- (instead of making a gentle gurgle) and then being careless with how the vowels were pronounced, sometimes pronouncing using English pronunciation, e.g. “fricassEE” instead of “fricassay”. It drove me nuts.

A relevant classic

Is a classic even a classic if it isn’t still relevant? Loved the story. This reading of it made is extremely easy to switch back and forth from audio to reading the physical print.

Not every classic is for everybody

Audiobook Comments:

- The volume of the audiobook was very low, requiring me to turn up my car speaker all the way.
- The narrator had a faint voice at times, making it hard to understand.
- The editing of the audiobook was poor; every new chapter started milliseconds after the last word of the previous chapter.

Here’s a summary of the things I disliked about Madame Bovary:

Slow Pace: The novel’s pacing feels tedious, making it difficult to stay engaged.

Dull Plot: The story lacks excitement or significant action, leading to boredom.

Lack of Insight into Characters: The characters, particularly Charles, don’t express their emotions or thoughts deeply, which limits reader connection.

Neglect of Berthe: Emma’s daughter is largely ignored, with little concern for her well-being throughout the story.

Absence of Regret: Emma doesn’t express regret during her final hours, making her death feel unimpactful.

Unrealistic Lack of Consequences: Emma avoids pregnancy despite multiple affairs, which feels implausible for the era.

Lack of Gossip: Emma and her affairs that lasted years are rarely discussed by others despite living in a small town, which feels unrealistic.

Missing Resolution with the Letter: The fate of Rodolphe's letter is unclear after Emma reads it, creating a narrative inconsistency.

Sympathy Deficit: It’s hard to feel empathy for any of the characters, making it challenging to engage with their stories.

Inappropriateness for School Assignments: It’s surprising that schools assign this book to teenagers, as there are many other engaging options that could foster a love for literature.