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
Ranking Details:
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This scoring system ensures that each book's ranking reflects both its presence on multiple lists and its positions within those lists, providing a comprehensive measure of its acclaim and popularity.
Since this book was first published in 1857, there is a penalty of 0%. The age adjusted score is 4599.0.
This is to prevent newer books from reaching super high on the ranked list of the greatest books of all time. The greatest books should also stand the test of time.
Total Points: 4599
This book was first published in 1857
52 Lists
- score: 157 -- For The Love of Books - 1999 (Weight: 150)
- score: 157 -- The Top 10: The Greatest Books of All Time - 2007 (Weight: 150)
- score: 150 -- Top 100 Works in World Literature - 2002 (Weight: 150)
- score: 144 -- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die - 2006 (Weight: 144)
- score: 142 -- Top 100 World Literature Titles - 2017 (Weight: 138)
- score: 141 -- El Pais Favorite Books of 100 Spanish Authors - 2008 (Weight: 138)
- score: 138 -- Världsbiblioteket (The World Library) - 1991 (Weight: 138)
- score: 137 -- The 100 Best Books of World Literature - 2018 (Weight: 132)
- score: 132 -- William H. F. Lamont’s 100 Best Novels (1947) - 1947 (Weight: 132)
- score: 128 -- 200 Books That Shaped 200 Years of Literature - 2021 (Weight: 126)
- score: 122 -- Pour une Bibliothèque Idéale - 1956 (Weight: 120)
- score: 120 -- The Guardian's Essential Library - 2002 (Weight: 120)
- score: 109 -- The 16 Greatest Books of All Time - 2008 (Weight: 99)
- score: 108 -- 50 Greatest Books of All Time - 2008 (Weight: 108)
- score: 102 -- ZEIT-Bibliothek der 100 Bücher - 2009 (Weight: 102)
- score: 102 -- The Bigger Read List - 2003 (Weight: 102)
- score: 99 -- The New Lifetime Reading Plan - 1999 (Weight: 99)
- score: 96 -- 222 Best Books of All Time That Deserve a Spot on Your Bookshelf, With Picks from Bestselling Authors and Indie Booksellers - 2024 (Weight: 96)
- score: 96 -- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read - 2009 (Weight: 96)
- score: 96 -- Six Professors from "Esteemed" Universities Favorite Books - 1982 (Weight: 96)
- score: 96 -- What Harvard Professors Think Greatest Books Ever: Top 20 List (1977) - 1977 (Weight: 96)
- score: 95 -- 50 Classics You Must Read Before You Die - 2024 (Weight: 90)
- score: 90 -- Best Books Ever - 2006 (Weight: 90)
- score: 85 -- 100 Best Books - 2010 (Weight: 84)
- score: 84 -- 100 Essential Books - 2009 (Weight: 81)
- score: 84 -- Select 100 - 2015 (Weight: 84)
- score: 84 -- Inteliquest's World's 100 Greatest Books of All-Time - 1993 (Weight: 84)
- score: 84 -- 75 Books Every Woman Should Read - 2008 (Weight: 84)
- score: 78 -- The 500 best books of all time from Culture Café users - 2008 (Weight: 78)
- score: 75 -- Masterpieces of World Literature - 1991 (Weight: 75)
- score: 69 -- Entertainment Weekly's Top 100 Novels - 2013 (Weight: 69)
- score: 69 -- Great Books - 2006 (Weight: 69)
- score: 69 -- The 50 Most Influential Books of All Time - 2010 (Weight: 69)
- score: 66 -- The Complete 500: OCLC - 2024 (Weight: 66)
- score: 63 -- 110 Best Books: The Perfect Library - 2008 (Weight: 63)
- score: 63 -- From Zero to Well-Read in 100 Books - 2013 (Weight: 63)
- score: 63 -- Landmarks of World Literature - 2012 (Weight: 63)
- score: 63 -- The Graphic Canon - 2012 (Weight: 63)
- score: 63 -- Books That Changed the World: The 50 Most Influential Books in Human History - 2009 (Weight: 63)
- score: 63 -- The Best Classics - 2006 (Weight: 63)
- score: 59 -- The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Novels of All Time - 2004 (Weight: 57)
- score: 58 -- The 100 Greatest Novels - 2007 (Weight: 57)
- score: 57 -- The Book of Great Books: A Guide to 100 World Classics - 2001 (Weight: 57)
- score: 57 -- The 100 Greatest Novels of All Time: The List - 2003 (Weight: 57)
- score: 57 -- W. Somerset Maugham’s Ten Greatest Novels of All Time - 1954 (Weight: 57)
- score: 52 -- The Telegraph’s 100 Novels Everyone Should Read - 2009 (Weight: 51)
- score: 51 -- The College Board: 101 Great Books Recommended for College-Bound Readers - 2002 (Weight: 51)
- score: 51 -- Harold Bloom's The Western Canon - 1994 (Weight: 51)
- score: 45 -- The Well-Educated Mind - 2003 (Weight: 45)
- score: 42 -- Top 50 Books - 1997 (Weight: 42)
- score: 39 -- 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List - 2018 (Weight: 39)
- score: 39 -- The 100 Greatest Books Ever Written - 1979 (Weight: 39)