Madame Bovary vs The Plague: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: French fiction, French literature, Fiction
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…
The Plague
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From the Publisher: From one of the most brilliant and influential thinkers of the twentieth century-two novels, six short stories, and a pair of essays in a single volume. In both his essays and his fiction, Albert…
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate The Plague highest: The Plague 4.1 · Madame Bovary 3.7.
- Madame Bovary is the quickest read — about 7 hours vs 12 for The Plague.
- Madame Bovary has the widest readership — 388377 ratings behind its score.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| Madame Bovary | The Plague | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.7 (388377) | — |
| Hardcover | 3.5 (454) | 3.7 (3) |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (316) | 4.5 (14) |
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Reception
| Madame Bovary | The Plague | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 388377 | 14 |
| Editions | 1558 | 2 |
| Citations | 76 | — |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 377133 | — |
| Reading it now | 23808 | — |
| Written reviews | 21977 | — |
| Wikipedia attention | 23433 | 132985 |
| Pages | 430 | 680 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Madame Bovary or The Plague?
The Plague has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Plague 4.1/5, Madame Bovary 3.7/5).
Which is shorter to read: Madame Bovary or The Plague?
Madame Bovary is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Madame Bovary (430 pages, ≈ 7 h 58 m); The Plague (680 pages, ≈ 12 h 36 m).
Which is harder to read: Madame Bovary or The Plague?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Madame Bovary: Challenging; The Plague: Moderate.
Have both books been made into films?
Madame Bovary: 5 film adaptations; The Plague: no film adaptation on record.