Book cover of Gemma Bovery

Book description

Gemma is the bored, pretty second wife of Charlie Bovery, the reluctant stepmother of his children and the bete-noire of his ex-wife. Gemma's sudden windfall and distaste for London take them across the Channel to Normandy, where the charms of French country living soon wear off. Is it a coincidence…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Gemma Bovery as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This satiric, beautifully drawn update of Gustave Flaubert’s novel Madame Bovary brings the story to the 1990s. Simmonds’ writing is witty and well-observed, with blocks of prose interspersed among the flowing panel sequences. It’s a rich, layered reading experience, deeper than those graphic novels which only emphasize the visuals. Simmonds writes as elegantly as she draws, with subtlety and style. 

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Book cover of These Blue Mountains

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas,

A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.

German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…

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