Sometimes the very things that made a novel a great classic and literary landmark when it was written are what would cause it to be rejected by a publisher today.

(This was written as an entry for the writelink Classic Rejections competition and was a runner-up in the contest in October 2007.)

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Dear Monsieur Flaubert,

Thank you for sending us your manuscript “Madame Bovary”. Unfortunately, after careful consideration, we are unable to accept it for publication.

While all protagonists should have flaws, we found Emma Bovary unsympathetic and hard to empathize with as the main character. This leaves the reader feeling unsatisfied and separated from the emotional thrust of the story.

We also felt the storyline dragged and was not totally realistic. Why in this day and age would Emma stay in such an unhappy marriage? Why does it take her so long to have an affair? Rodolphe too comes across as two-dimensional, little more than a caricature of the old-fashioned 'seducer'.

Although your denouement is moving, we felt the suicide was unnecessarily graphic. Modern readers do demand realism, but want strong heroines, not victims. You might consider rewriting the story from a different viewpoint. This would be a more engaging novel if, for example, Emma's adultery and suicide were remembered through the eyes of her daughter Berthe as she fights to overcome them.

Overall, your attention to detail in this manuscript is admirable. However, the many lengthy passages of description, particularly of food, do distract the reader and detract from the pace. (By the way, have you considered going into food advertising?)

Finally, the title is misleading and disappointing, evoking connotations of brothels and the bovine rather than a gripping, page-turning read.

We hope you will not be too disappointed.

Best wishes,

I.M. Becile (Editor, Nouveau Novel)