Madame Bovary is great, especially if you hate Romance. It gives a surprisingly bitter, harsh look at middle class Europe during this time, whatever time it is, I cannot remember. The 1850s? But I do remember that most of the books of this time that I've read are romantic, beautiful love stories that make me want to grow out my hair in fanciful up-dos and court dainty, ponytailed men in tight spandex pants. This book is a bit more bleak. The only problem was, I had a very hard time connecting with any of the characters. I liked the progression of the story and the scenes, but I do not understand Madame Bovary. Like, I don't get what she wants or why she does any of this shit. Why she marries, why she picks the guys she does, why she gives up what she does. I don't feel for her relationships or any of the other characters. I don't read a lot of fiction, but I kept on comparing my relationship with Madame Bovary to my relationship with Anna Karenina. I felt Anna K. was more complex, believable, and interesting. Maybe Tolstoy is just better at pulling the reader into the lives of his characters, while Flaubert just sets up an interesting scene? I wonder if anyone else really related to these characters, especially Madame Bovary.