Gemma Bovery

I am quite partial to a good graphic novel.  A while ago I read Posy Simmonds excellent Tamara Drewe, which has apparently been turned into an OK movie.  I enjoyed the graphic novel so much that I took a punt and bought another Simmond's work, Gemma Bovery and was not disappointed.  This isn't really surprising as there are many similarities between the books.  Both have a female protagonist in her late 20s/early 30s who is dissatisfied in life and ends up in a relationship with someone inappropriate.  Both heroines escape large city life to live in the countryside - Tamara in England, and Gemma in France.  The real differences lie in the stories origins.  Whilst Tamara Drewe was an original story, Gemma Bovery is a tongue-in-cheek retelling of the literary classic, Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert.  Simmond's version is set in contemporary times, with a slight twist in the retelling, but features the same themes of adultery, debt, empty consumerism and tragedy.

At some point I may pick up Madame Bovary to compare to see if Simmond's version differs much to the original.  Of the differences between Tamara Drewe and Gemma Bovery - to tell you the truth, there isn't much in it.