I've got a little bunch of classics heading your way next - these all seemed to come together for me. As the days got shorter and nights got longer, I felt like delving into something a little more intense (we're caught up to September now - help!).
The debut novel of Gustave Flaubert, this book was first published in a novel form in 1857, after the author was acquitted from an obscenity trial it caused. Madame Bovary follows the story, at first, of Charles Bovary, a poor teenager who is ridiculed at school and goes on to be a doctor. He marries the man that his mother chooses for him, but falls in love with a local educated girl named Emma. When his wife passes away, he begins to court Emma in earnest, and they marry.
At this point, the narrative switches to focus on Emma, who is now Madame Bovary. Bored by Charles' dull appearance and habits, and finding motherhood not what she thought, she seeks an affair with a man named Rodolphe.
The book is a work of literary realism, telling the story of the passions of both man and woman, and the trouble these can create. Although I wouldn't go so far as to say it was an enjoyable read, it was a powerful book. The story-telling seemed almost beyond its time, and it is well worth reading if you want to engage more with classic European novels.
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