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Don't get me wrong it can be disturbing… like a lot of Flaubert's work (go read 'La tentation de Saint Antoine' for example). It was already very disturbing when it was first published in the XIX century. So much so that Flaubert went into trial for this novel where he dared honestly describe a woman committing adultery.
Its sincerity is part of what makes this novel so powerful despite being 150+ years old. That coupled to Flaubert’s mastery as a writer… Like Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina, another essential book imho, whose very first line should be enough to draw anyone into the novel. With ‘Mme Bovary’ one will probably need to read the first few pages, though, describing how 15 years old Charles Bovary enters a new classroom. But that should be enough to give a good idea of how finely tuned, how well crafted, the entire novel is.
The other reason it can be difficult to read today is that, well, it’s an old novel which means it was written for the readers of back then. Readers that were much more used than us to read more demanding texts. OI mean, suffice to read Jules Verne’s own novels (which are not literary master pieces, unlike Flaubert or Tolstoy) to realize how downhill the expectations have gone as far as we, readers, are concerned: some of Verne’s stories that were written for younger readers would be considered demanding read for more than a few adult readers nowadays.
If I may, Dumas won't be disturbing. Or only to the most sensitive readers. The novel tells the story of barely older than teen boys in 17th century Paris. Young men that, while trying their best to act rightfully, are not afraid to fight in duels using their swords to maim or kill people, that are also not afraid to use their brains (with the same energy they put in using their swords) to find workarounds to their constant lack of money, and that are not ashamed to quickly and madly fall in love with women. It's a a fun and easy read while being so very well written (it would make for an excellent suggestion to anyone willing to quickly improve their French, plus it’s fun ;)