Maybe it's because I read this right after Maugham, but I was really struck by how respectfully Effi is portrayed. She's not censured for her behaviour by the narrator (which I suppose is the point), and she is given a full, well-rounded character.

It is a book to make you angry, though, which also seems to be the point - what good is social criticism if you don't leave it angry. The end was a little over the top for my tastes, though - with everyone coming to regret what happened and Effi actually apologizing for blaming her husband. I guess it's a masterwork to make me empathize with her for doing what she did?

The blurb on the back gives away the most important plot point though, which is all the more upsetting because the book does an excellent job of um den heißen Brei herumreden about what it actually is that happens until after the fact.