Madame Bovary (1857) by Gustave Flaubert

 Roland's choice

Theme: Infidelity

READ: Madame Bovary (1857) by Gustave Flaubert

There was a lot of love for Madame Bovary. Some really loved it others were more taken with certain sections. 

Roland wants to break free

Madame Bovary is very good on the day to day detail, and relative dreariness, of provincial French life in the 1830s. Flaubert parachutes the reader straight into the community and creates a vivid picture

The characters are credible and Emma Bovary is well drawn, and with far too much time on her hands to repent her disappointing marriage to the bland, stolid Charles. Her lack of options and frustration with this predicament lead, famously, to reckless affairs and consumerism with particularly tragic results. The novel is one long, slow car crash.

As with many books of the era, the tale is drawn out with an awful lot of extraneous detail yet still peppered with some memorable moments, beautiful writing, and a powerful atmosphere. 

Nick 8 / Tristan 8.5 / Nigel 6 / Keith 6 / Roland 9 / Robin 6 / Hamish 8

LISTEN: Hard Steppin' (2009) by Ikebe Shakedown

Ikebe Shakedown and their Hard Steppin’ EP were something none of were familiar with. Some loved their driving afro-funk, horns and wakka-wakka guitars others felt it a bit meh. You pays yer money etc etc 

WATCH: Leaving (2009) directed by Catherine Corsini

Roland still wants to break free

A somewhat improbable film about infidelity and its repercussions. When a wife is unfaithful to her husband, he cannot accept it. She wants to leave and move in with her new lover. He stops all financial support, and ultimately blackmails the wife into staying with him. It all ends tragically. None of it stands up to scrutiny. 

All that said, some of us were thoroughly enjoyed it, not least Nick who thought it our best film for many a moon

HBG endorse it: 10 January 2024 - 8 February 2024

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