Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
Madame Bovary is a tragic novel about a young woman, Emma Bovary, who is married to a dull, but kind-hearted doctor. Dissatisfied with her life, she embarks on a series of extramarital affairs and indulges in a luxurious lifestyle in an attempt to escape the banalities and emptiness of provincial life. Her desire for passion and excitement leads her down a path of financial ruin and despair, ultimately resulting in a tragic end.
The 19th greatest book of all time
- Published
- 1857
- Nationality
- French
- Length
- Moderate
- Pages
- 300-450
- Words
- 117,000
- Original Language
- French
- Alternate Titles
- None
If you're interested in seeing the ranking details on this book go here
This book is on the following 67 lists:
- 1st on The 16 Greatest Books of All Time (NYU Local)
- 2nd on The Top 10: The Greatest Books of All Time (The Top 10 (Book))
- 3rd on 200 Books That Shaped 200 Years of Literature (The Center for Fiction)
- 5th on For The Love of Books (For The Love of Books)
- 7th on The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Novels of All Time (The Novel 100)
- 7th on 'The perfect library': the 196 books selected by 133 personalities (XLSemanal and Zenda)
- 9th on El Pais Favorite Books of 100 Spanish Authors (El Pais)
- 10th on The 100 Best Books of World Literature (ABC.es)
- 13th on 50 Classics You Must Read Before You Die (Gyldendal (Denmark Publisher))
- 13th on 100 Essential Books (Bravo! Magazine)
- 14th on The 500 best books of all time from Culture Café users (Culture Café)
- 18th on Our Users' Top 100 Favorite Books of All Time (The Greatest Books Users)
- 19th on The 101 Favorite Novels of 'Le Monde' Readers (Le Monde)
- 20th on The 100 Stories that Shaped the World (BBC)
- 22nd on The 100 Greatest Novels of All Time: The List (The Observer)
- 22nd on The 100 Greatest Novels (greatbooksguide.com)
- 23rd on The Telegraph’s 100 Novels Everyone Should Read (Telegraph)
- 23rd on The Complete 500: OCLC (OCLC)
- 25th on Our Users' Favorite Books of All Time (The Greatest Books Users)
- 28th on Top 100 World Literature Titles (Perfection Learning)
- 36th on Top 50 Books (The Folio Society)
- 37th on Pour une Bibliothèque Idéale (Raymond Queneau)
- 39th on TrueLit's Top 100 Favorite Books (2023) (/r/TrueLit)
- 41st on 100 Must-Read Classics, as Chosen by our Readers (Penguin (UK))
- 42nd on 100 Best Books (Montana State University)
- 54th on The 100 Favorite Books of the French (Lire Magazine)
- 75th on Entertainment Weekly's Top 100 Novels (Entertainment Weekly)
- The Graphic Canon (Book)
- Best Books Ever (Book Depository)
- The Bigger Read List (English PEN)
- Select 100 (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee)
- Great Books (The Learning Channel)
- From Zero to Well-Read in 100 Books (Jeff O'Neal at Bookriot.com)
- The Best Classics (The Times)
- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (The Book)
- 222 Best Books of All Time That Deserve a Spot on Your Bookshelf, With Picks from Bestselling Authors and Indie Booksellers (Parade)
- 75 Books Every Woman Should Read (Jezebel)
- Six Professors from "Esteemed" Universities Favorite Books (Democrat and Chronicle (Newspaper))
- Harold Bloom's The Western Canon (The Western Canon (Book) by Harold Bloom)
- The Guardian's Essential Library (The Guardian)
- Inteliquest's World's 100 Greatest Books of All-Time (InteliQuest)
- The Book of Great Books: A Guide to 100 World Classics (Book)
- Masterpieces of World Literature (Frank N. Magill)
- The 50 Most Influential Books of All Time (Open Education Database)
- Landmarks of World Literature (Cambridge University)
- 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List (1,000 Books to Read Before You Die(Book))
- William H. F. Lamont’s 100 Best Novels (1947) (archive.org)
- The New Lifetime Reading Plan (The New Lifetime Reading Plan)
- What Harvard Professors Think Greatest Books Ever: Top 20 List (1977) (The Boston Globe (Newspaper))
- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read (The Guardian)
- Books That Changed the World: The 50 Most Influential Books in Human History (Book)
- 101 of the World's Greatest Books (1950) (101 of the World's Greatest Books (Book))
- Världsbiblioteket (The World Library) (Tidningen Boken)
- 100 Books, 100 Companions (Zeit Online)
- The Well-Educated Mind (Book)
- ZEIT-Bibliothek der 100 Bücher (Die Zeit)
- Have You Read 100 Great Books? (The Jasper Lee Company)
- W. Somerset Maugham’s Ten Greatest Novels of All Time (Great Novelists and Their Novels)
- The Great Books Podcast from John J. Miller (The National Review )
- The College Board: 101 Great Books Recommended for College-Bound Readers (The College Board, an American not-for-profit organization)
- 50 Greatest Books of All Time (Globe and Mail)
- Top 100 Works in World Literature (Norwegian Book Clubs, with the Norwegian Nobel Institute)
- The Top 10 Feminist Books (Guardian)
- David Bowie's Top 100 Favorite Books (David Bowie)
- 110 Best Books: The Perfect Library (The Telegraph)
- The 100 Greatest Books Ever Written (Easton Press)
- 101 Significant Books (Good Reading: A Guide for Serious Readers)