read: 25.07.18 - 29.07.18

book: Sentimental Education

author: Gustave Flaubert

blurb: It follows the amorous adventures of Frederic Moreau, a law student who, returning home to Normandy from Paris, notices Mme Arnoux, a slender, dark woman several years older than himself. It is the beginning of an infatuation that will last a lifetime. He befriends her husband, an influential businessman, and as their paths cross and re-cross over the years, Mme Arnoux remains the constant, unattainable love of Moreau's life. Blending love story, historical authenticity, and satire, Sentimental Education is one of the great French novels of the nineteenth century.

review: This is a book that I have had on my shelves forever and one that I've needed to read for ages. And seeing as I haven't read a proper classic novel in what feels like months I decided to pick this up when I was in France.

I did really enjoy this book in a very different way to the way I enjoyed Madame Bovary which is one of his other novels. I liked the references to the revolution in this book, and the way history was woven into the central plot to add another dimension to the novel other than the romance. I did find the character of Frederic to be quite annoying with his over-the-top obsession with Madame Arnoux, but overall I liked the way the story went.

The writing was easy enough to get into, but lacked the lyricism that I associate with Flaubert's writing. Overall, it was a good read, and one I may pick up again.

rating: 8/10