170. Bouvard et Pecuchet

Bouvard et Pecuchet
Gustave Flaubert
1881
Around 350 pages

Oh, Flaubert.  What a disappointment.  I really thought after all his betrayals he would at least end on a high note.  We should have just stopped after Madame Bovary and A Sentimental Education.  I hesitate to be too hard on this one, as it was unfinished.  Who knows, maybe he was planning on scrapping most of it or rewriting chapters.  One would hope.

Bouvard and Pecuchet are two Parisian copy clerks.  They are basically the same, the only difference being that Pecuchet is a virgin.  After meeting once, they instantly become "close friends" (I guess it's too early to discuss the homosexual undertones here).  When Bouvard inherits a sizable fortune from his uncle/dad, he and Pecuchet decide to move to the countryside together (again, I think at this point we are just supposed to call them "dandies").  While there, they explore almost every academic pursuit they can think of, including medicine, botany, history, writing, literature, education...the list goes on and on.

I am sick of dealing with men who think they know everything in my real life; I really don't want to have to read about them too.  I appreciate that Flaubert was paying homage to picaresque novels, but the joke got old pretty quickly.  Personally, I was pleased when Pecuchet contracted an STD; couldn't he have written more about that?

I have no idea why this was included on The List, so I will have to check my copy for an explanation when I get home.   In any case, I highly recommend skipping this.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

Flaubert claimed to have read over 1500 books in preparation for writing this novel.  Well...did he have a blog about it?

Received lukewarm reviews.  Ahem...what?  That's...shocking.

UP NEXT: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson.  I have read this one already so expect another review shortly!

157. The Temptation of Saint Anthony

The Temptation of Saint Anthony
Gustave Flaubert
1874
Around 260 pages

Well that was truly horrendous. I never expected anything like that to come from Flaubert.  I feel more betrayed than when the man I was in love with chose another woman over me.  After all, I trust my books far more than I have ever trusted men.

Where to begin on this "novel."  It is actually written in the form of a play script, so I don't know if it can be rightfully called a novel.  It is clear from how fantastical it is that it could never actually be performed so perhaps writing it in that format was some kind of Joycean stylistic choice to convey....something.  I have no idea.  The "story" follows Saint Anthony as he tempted by a myriad of things over the course of one night.  I think.  My knowledge of early church/Roman history isn't great.  I really had no clue what was going on and Flaubert didn't seem that troubled to let people in on anything if they didn't get the references.

I felt like I was reading Maldoror 2. Some of the images in this story were truly horrific, like when Flaubert walked us through the castration of some crazy guy.  I could not believe that this was the same Flaubert who delighted me with Madame Bovary and A Sentimental Education.  It felt like it was written by an uber religious Russian hermit.  According to Wikipedia, Flaubert worked on this novel "fitfully" for most of his adult life.  Wow. I hope I can forgive him for this and remember the good times.  It will take a lot of healing to get back to that place.

RATING: *----

Interesting Facts:

Has overwhelmingly positive reviews on Goodreads.  I find that mind boggling.

Before this, I read Kazuo Ishiguro's Remains of the Day.  Absolutely beautiful.

UP NEXT: The Hand of Ethelberta by Thomas Hardy.  Back into the safe, warm embrace of Hardy.

144. Sentimental Education

Sentimental Education
Gustave Flaubert
1869
Around 500 pages

I was very excited to get my hands on more Flaubert since I, like most people, was only familiar with him because of Madame Bovary.  I wasn't overly thrilled by this novel but I don't blame Flaubert.  When you have a main character as insufferable as Frederic Moreau, there is little the author can do in way of consolation.

Frederic Moreau is a young countryman who desperately wants to make it in Parisian society but lacks the courage to really try.  He falls in love with Madame Arnoux but is unwilling to do anything about it.  In fact, he meets quite a few women that he barely has the courage to speak to.  In the second half of the novel, he is a bit more courageous but also loses a bit of his kindness.  All this is going on during the 1848 French Revolution, although Frederic rather passively watches from the sidelines, despite the involvement of many of his friends.

God, I hate this character.  Frederic was constantly getting in the way of his own happiness because of his cowardice.  Therefore, he was getting in the way of my happiness by never letting anything interesting happen in his own life.  I would have loved to hear about his affairs with married women or his adventures in the Revolution.  But no, Frederic wouldn't allow that.  Of course, this didn't stop Frederic from admiring himself.  At one point, he gazes in the mirror at his reflection for quite a few minutes because he thinks himself so handsome.  I am 90% sure I have dated this man.

So is this novel still enjoyable, even with such an insufferable character?  Barely.  I always enjoy Flaubert's writing style, but I was definitely ready for this book to be over.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

Praised by Emile Zola and George Sand.

UP NEXT: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy.  This is a big one, but thankfully, I've already read it so you won't have to wait nine years for a post.

116. Madame Bovary

Madame Bovary
Gustave Flaubert
1856
Around 500 pages

This is an old favorite of mine and one of the most classic-y classic novels on The List (that's the technical term).

Emma Rouault marries Charles Bovary, thus condemning herself to the dull provincial life.  Emma then kind of transforms into a Desperate Housewife and chaos ensues.

Emma is one of my favorite heroines (can I call her that?) of all time.  I myself am often romantic and would prefer to live in a fantasy world of my own creation than face reality.  Emma stands for any woman who has ever dreamed that her life is going to play out like a romance novel.

I personally love stories that have to do with bored people.  For starters, the story rarely is dull (that would be a bit of a mindfuck actually).  Additionally, the characters are usually completely unpredictable, which makes for a fun read.

A great novel, but keep a box of tissues handy!

RATING: *****

Interesting Facts:

Sorry for the short review.  I have so much to do that my head hurts.

Said to be influenced by Balzac.

Trailer.  Oh my god this acting is horrifying:

UP NEXT: Adam Bebe by George Eliot