Adolphe vs Madame Bovary: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: French fiction, French literature, Manners and customs, Social life and customs, Fiction
Adolphe
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Adolphe is a privileged and refined young man, bored by the stupidity he perceives in the world around him. After a number of meaningless conquests, he at last encounters Ellenore, a beautiful and passionate older…
Madame Bovary
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Charles Bovary, médecin de campagne, veuf d'une mégère, fait lors d'une tournée la rencontre du père Rouault et de sa fille, Emma. Après leur mariage, Emma reste insatisfaite et rêve d'une nouvelle vie. Son premier…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Adolphe is the quickest read — about 3 hours vs 7 for Madame Bovary.
- Adolphe has the widest readership — 388388 ratings behind its score.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Adolphe | Madame Bovary | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.7 (388388) | 3.7 (388377) |
| Hardcover | 3.5 (1) | 3.5 (454) |
| Apple Books | — | 4.0 (316) |
Reception
| Adolphe | Madame Bovary | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 388388 | 388377 |
| Editions | 134 | 1558 |
| Citations | — | 76 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 377030 | 377133 |
| Reading it now | 23803 | 23808 |
| Written reviews | 21959 | 21977 |
| Wikipedia attention | 598 | 23433 |
| Pages | 202 | 430 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Adolphe or Madame Bovary?
Madame Bovary has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Madame Bovary 3.7/5, Adolphe 3.7/5).
Which is shorter to read: Adolphe or Madame Bovary?
Adolphe is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Adolphe (202 pages, ≈ 3 h 44 m); Madame Bovary (430 pages, ≈ 7 h 58 m).
Which is harder to read: Adolphe or Madame Bovary?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Adolphe: Demanding; Madame Bovary: Challenging.
Have both books been made into films?
Adolphe: 1 film adaptation; Madame Bovary: 5 film adaptations.