Gustave Flaubert

On a whim I picked up Madame Bovary, thinking it was going to be a chore. It wasn't. Flaubert is a true writer's writer. Amazing. A real live 'dead novelist.' Not stuffy, but pretty, accurate, lyrical, patient. Sentimental Education is just as good. Ah, to live in Paris. Anyone who likes literature, READ Flaubert. To compare, he's similar to Proust, but less verbose and windy. Flaubert is flawless.