Madame Bovary vs The Good Soldier: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Middle class, Adultery, Social life and customs, History, Fiction

Madame Bovary Gustave Flaubert · 1856 ★★★★☆ 3.7 430 pages · ≈ 7 h 58 m · Challenging

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…

1 film adaptation

Physicians' spouses Suicide victims Technique Suicide

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The Good Soldier Ford Madox Ford · 1915 ★★★★☆ 3.7 162 pages · ≈ 3 h 00 m · Challenging

This is the saddest story I have ever heard. We had known the Ashburnhams for nine seasons of the town of Nauheim with an extreme intimacy - or, rather with an acquaintanceship as loose and easy and yet as close as a…

German Germany Married people British

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Side by side

The verdict

Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
The Good Soldier is the quickest read — about 3 hours vs 7 for Madame Bovary.
Madame Bovary has the widest readership — 388377 ratings behind its score.
Madame Bovary reaches further in scholarship and criticism — cited 76 times.

How to choose

Want a one-evening read? The Good Soldier ≈ 3h vs 7h for Madame Bovary Want the crowd-tested pick? Madame Bovary 388377 ratings vs 2553 for The Good Soldier Want the literary heavyweight? Madame Bovary cited 76 times vs 33 for The Good Soldier

Scores by source

	Madame Bovary	The Good Soldier
Goodreads	3.7 (388377)	3.7 (2553)
Hardcover	3.5 (454)	3.3 (45)
Apple Books	4.0 (316)	4.0 (86)

Reception

	Madame Bovary	The Good Soldier
Ratings	388377	2553
Editions	1558	355
Citations	76	33
Film adaptations	1	1
Want to read	377133	53121
Reading it now	23808	—
Written reviews	21977	2553
Wikipedia attention	23433	3082
Pages	430	162

Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: Madame Bovary or The Good Soldier?

Madame Bovary has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Madame Bovary 3.7/5, The Good Soldier 3.7/5).

Which is shorter to read: Madame Bovary or The Good Soldier?

The Good Soldier is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Good Soldier (162 pages, ≈ 3 h 00 m); Madame Bovary (430 pages, ≈ 7 h 58 m).

Which is harder to read: Madame Bovary or The Good Soldier?

Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Madame Bovary: Challenging; The Good Soldier: Challenging.

Have both books been made into films?

Madame Bovary: 5 film adaptations; The Good Soldier: no film adaptation on record.