Sentimental Education Audiobook

" What can I say? This is one of the greatest novels ever written. Along with Ullysess it is the greatest portrayal of life as we know it that has ever been attempted. It is one of the foundations of the modern novel and it is a quantum leap beyond the novels of its day. The idea of putting an unheroic everyman at the centre of a novel which focusses upon undramatic, normal events and barely pays attention to the revolt of 1848 is revolutionary, and is in direct contrast to Les Miserables. Sentimental Education is far superior. This is the real story of our lives. The ending is both justly celebrated and devastating. "

" A book to read in Spring. "

" Blah, blah. My God, did this book have a plot? Can Frederic quit whining? Can you make it to the end without puking? "

" Ever read a book that is grueling to get through for various reasons, but you persevere and keep on reading in the hopes it will get better? That's how I felt with this book, only it didn't get better...it got worse. This is perhaps the one and only classic literature novel I've read to date that incensed me for a few reasons. The characters are completely self-absorbed and unlikeable. They constantly make poor choices throughout the entire novel and not once did I feel any compassion for their struggles because they never learn from their mistakes nor do anything to redeem themselves. There is no growth or progress. Very irritating and depressing for the reader. Throw the reader a bone, if even a small one. This is a novel of absolute hopelessness and not taking responsibility for one's choices in life...the terrible choices the characters make vs. the ones they could have made to be happier, more successful,etc. Ugh. "

" Not sure if I can explain this correctly. At once boring and entertaining. Flaubert has a knack for a beautiful turn of phrase. This main character is awful, however. "

" Pretty good story. It reminds me why you just can't fully trust the French. Just kidding. "

" this wa smy first flaubert read and there was something about it which did not endear me to this author... "

" Recommended by Allen Ginsberg. I'm reading it now. "

" I like this book a lot, and it's rich circa-1848 Paris setting doesn't hurt at all. But what I love most about it is the ending, which is surely my favorite ending of any book, ever. "

" I wish I had read this when I was a teenager. Specifically, a teenage boy. "

" I was hoping that this book would be as good as "Madame Bovary" but I was pretty disappointed. I couldn't get into the story and it was overall boring. "

" Not the best Flaubert I ever read. "

" Madame Bovary gets so much attention that people think of Flaubert as a one-book wonder, but they forget he wrote this amazing book, in its own way as great as the better-known one. "

" An enjoyable read, perhaps my favorite of the last two years. "

" What can I say, Flaubert just isn't my thing, though his sense of realism is incredible. I read this book while entrenched in a full semester of Manet's artwork, and it was just too much for my unrefined sensibilities. "

" All around this is a decent read. Nothing over the top... It's sort of like watching seinfeld. ya ain't learning much, but when you gotta go to the bathroom, ya still wait til the next commercial. except instead of a commercial it's the end of the chapter. "

" Read the short story version. "

" The main character's lack of will runs parallel to the glut of contemporary poets whose ambition is found everywhere but in the act of making works. "

" Okay, not Flaubert at his best, but it is a marvelous send up of the artist as a young dilettante. What was our young hero doing in the middle of a revolution? Lusting after women. Looking for the perfect beauty. How we waste our youth! "

" A more difficult read than Madame Bovary, but what a wonderful exposition of Flaubert's mind, of what he sought to achieve in his writing! "

" I read this in French and had no idea what was going on, and that's the book fault, so I give it one star. "

" I read the Everyman's Library translation. It flows better and makes more sense than this one. "

" Pretty good, except I kept getting Les Mis songs stuck in my head. I did prefer Madame Bovary though. "

" I think Flaubert could have added another couple footnotes. "

" I enjoyed this book much more than Madame Bovary. It's always a pleasure to read such a fine writer and I believe this story suits his style better than the more famous novel. "

" A cautionary tale about an unexamined life. "

" Mildly boring account of the infatuation of the Last Troubadour. What am I missing? "

" Beautifully written; the ultimate coming of age novel set in Paris..what's not to love. Love how the story ends in such a deflating manner.. "

" For a long time, I hesitated to read this novel because I wasn't a big fan of "Madame Bovary." But, in my opinion, "Sentimental Education" is much more authentic and poignant than Flaubert's best known piece. The basic plot of "Education" is quite oedipal, but it still felt unique. "

" For a long time, I hesitated to read this novel because I wasn't a big fan of "Madame Bovary." But, in my opinion, "Sentimental Education" is much more authentic and poignant than Flaubert's best known piece. The basic plot of "Education" is quite oedipal, but it still felt unique. "

" It's a great work and I split the difference between its merit historically and as a work, and how much I enjoyed the experience. 5 for it and 3 for me. I needed to read Flaubert but sometimes we need to do things that aren't as much fun as we'd like. "

" This book is part of those I could not finish. I only read the 7 first chapters. It took me a whole week. Forced by my mum 'cos it was for school and she saw I was struggling. I prefered reading "Le Rouge et le Noir" from Stendhal. "

" One of only two books I didn't finish in high school English classes. "

" The book is written beautifully-- just the way he uses words to describe everything from feelings to nature is really lovely to read. The actual story part of it was just ok for me. "

" It was an awful book! But the county fair scene was hilarious. "

" Beautiful translation...but is it bad that I was looking forward to the death scene for most of the book? Good grief is Emma a horrid person... "

" Very good read, very enjoyable. "