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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
A great read as always . . . Although I must admit I am revising my opinion that it is even better than Jane Eyre.
Definitely more feminist than Jane Eyre, with more characters of varying depths, I was most happy to read this book because of the familiar language and style of Charlotte Bronte's writing. Compared to our modern world of continual action, the action in this novel seems abrupt when there is so much digestive thought and observation that goes on. I think I might read this book again!
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
expositions on fate, religion, desire, her isolation, her independence. intensely christian. very personal narrative style, lots of dialogue and sensory experiences. i feel that it left more of an impression than jane eyre although it was less gothic and more of a sluggish read. her real life seemed to bear such similarities to the novel that it is almost impossible not to feel connected to the narrator. closeness despite the years. she was only 23. rip brontës you would have loved hear me out cakes.
Very slow and boring, might try again once I’ve read Jane Eyre
soooo upsettingggggg. i just want lucy snowe to win.
lucy: heartbreaking. the way she copes with trauma is so interesting to read; i loved the unreliability because it reframes a lot of scenes on rereads. ultimately, lucy is a girl who just wants to be known. everyone around her only sees what they want: a dutiful teacher, a mystery, a shadow. but lucy is so much more than that—she’s multifaceted: someone who likes to joke around, someone who’s snarky, vulnerable, guarded but longing for a connection. i also really like that she’s not as much of a reader as basically every other brontë heroine. she’s still smart, reading the world around her, but you get the feeling that her ability to read the world around her developed from the trauma of her childhood necessitating that skill. she’s also super pragmatic/realistic. she’s not happiest as a caretaker, but she realizes that this is what she has to do as a woman of her time and is upfront about it. she doesn’t feel guilty for not wanting to do it either.
paul: first half of the book, jail. it was funny when he’d accuse lucy of scheming for tyrannical power when she’s just 😐 but he got old quick when it was paired with scenes of him driving her to tears before finally relenting bc it felt like him putting her down was the boost he needed to be nice. and also that scene in the museum when he mean-girl bumped her for huddling against graham. like ho….. but i loovveeddddd the scene when he finally stood up to beck and then showed lucy the house he worked on FOR HER SAKE AND HER DREAM. bonus points for also not having an inappropriate relationship w/ his goddaughter unlike a certain guy who keeps going after school-age girls ☺️! i can be content w/ interpreting paul’s later development as him getting over his ego-boost phase since he and lucy come to mutual understandings about their religions
graham: beat him UP. i loved the scene when he was trying to paint ginny in this deceptive light and lucy told him to cut it out bc he was just lying to himself. he doesn’t deserve polly, even if lucy was super nice and said he got better the longer he was married.
polly: super sad imo. it’s like.. yeah she’s content in being the quintessential wife and daughter, but i feel like these relationships limit her. with her das, he was so focused on her valorization that he was slow to realize she’s a girl with desires and a life that will exist outside of him. and graham treats her well, but through lucy *we* know that he only values things if they heighten *his* value. he sees that polly is an amazing, educated girl, but he also sees the way she is approved by society and that’s what encourages him to go for her. polly’s isolated and i’m willing to bet these men are the only ones she’s known fr, so i wish she could go out more b4 committing T_T. to me, i see her as a “lucy if she’d been born with privilege” bc lucy is so vigilant and prophetic with her, so me wanting the best for lucy also means i want the best for her.
ginevra: she’s so awful but im sorry i love her. it’s just really entertaining to see a terrible person realize they’re terrible and totally embrace it. also, bc her awfulness was *mostly* victimless (not withstanding lucy). she shows a lot of awareness about her surroundings, which i argue is smart in its own right, but what i loved most is that even if she was awful, lucy (brontë) didn’t demonize her. over and over we see the fact that this is all ginny has known and will know because her society isn’t willing to teach her otherwise, so the havoc she wreaks can be partially attributed to society. it’s surprisingly progressive.
lucy: heartbreaking. the way she copes with trauma is so interesting to read; i loved the unreliability because it reframes a lot of scenes on rereads. ultimately, lucy is a girl who just wants to be known. everyone around her only sees what they want: a dutiful teacher, a mystery, a shadow. but lucy is so much more than that—she’s multifaceted: someone who likes to joke around, someone who’s snarky, vulnerable, guarded but longing for a connection. i also really like that she’s not as much of a reader as basically every other brontë heroine. she’s still smart, reading the world around her, but you get the feeling that her ability to read the world around her developed from the trauma of her childhood necessitating that skill. she’s also super pragmatic/realistic. she’s not happiest as a caretaker, but she realizes that this is what she has to do as a woman of her time and is upfront about it. she doesn’t feel guilty for not wanting to do it either.
paul: first half of the book, jail. it was funny when he’d accuse lucy of scheming for tyrannical power when she’s just 😐 but he got old quick when it was paired with scenes of him driving her to tears before finally relenting bc it felt like him putting her down was the boost he needed to be nice. and also that scene in the museum when he mean-girl bumped her for huddling against graham. like ho….. but i loovveeddddd the scene when he finally stood up to beck and then showed lucy the house he worked on FOR HER SAKE AND HER DREAM. bonus points for also not having an inappropriate relationship w/ his goddaughter unlike a certain guy who keeps going after school-age girls ☺️! i can be content w/ interpreting paul’s later development as him getting over his ego-boost phase since he and lucy come to mutual understandings about their religions
graham: beat him UP. i loved the scene when he was trying to paint ginny in this deceptive light and lucy told him to cut it out bc he was just lying to himself. he doesn’t deserve polly, even if lucy was super nice and said he got better the longer he was married.
polly: super sad imo. it’s like.. yeah she’s content in being the quintessential wife and daughter, but i feel like these relationships limit her. with her das, he was so focused on her valorization that he was slow to realize she’s a girl with desires and a life that will exist outside of him. and graham treats her well, but through lucy *we* know that he only values things if they heighten *his* value. he sees that polly is an amazing, educated girl, but he also sees the way she is approved by society and that’s what encourages him to go for her. polly’s isolated and i’m willing to bet these men are the only ones she’s known fr, so i wish she could go out more b4 committing T_T. to me, i see her as a “lucy if she’d been born with privilege” bc lucy is so vigilant and prophetic with her, so me wanting the best for lucy also means i want the best for her.
ginevra: she’s so awful but im sorry i love her. it’s just really entertaining to see a terrible person realize they’re terrible and totally embrace it. also, bc her awfulness was *mostly* victimless (not withstanding lucy). she shows a lot of awareness about her surroundings, which i argue is smart in its own right, but what i loved most is that even if she was awful, lucy (brontë) didn’t demonize her. over and over we see the fact that this is all ginny has known and will know because her society isn’t willing to teach her otherwise, so the havoc she wreaks can be partially attributed to society. it’s surprisingly progressive.
Charlotte Bronte’s canonical Victorian novel Villette. God this book took me FOREVER to read, I don’t know why but 500 pages seemed so long, Bronte attempted to fit in hundreds of scenes and characters (that didn’t do anything or add any substance to the book) made it drag on unnecessarily. There was so much going on it was hard to know what was relevant and what was not. I don’t know who had the audacity to say Villette was better than Jane Eyre – but they were SO wrong.
Like I get it, Lucy finds her happy ending without love (Love? Her and Paul were such a bad match, there was no romance or passion, would hardly call it love) and I’m pleased she ‘accomplished’ opening her school (bought and funded by Paul so she didn’t really achieve it did she?) but overall, this book was so dry. I can see why so many people cannot finish this novel, I almost gave up twice.
Polly was a weird character wasn’t she? So obsessed and in love with her father, their relationship presented as an Electra Complex, Freud would have a field day analyzing their conversations and interactions. Every scene they were featured in felt so Lolita themed, I was waiting for them to reveal he’d been raping her and trying to construct a wife like figure from her. And this book was so dull, it would have actually made it more interesting (as horrible as that sounds.) It was nice that Dr. John Graham Bretton and Polly got together, as much as it broke her father’s heart it did save her from the inevitable incest waiting to occur between them.
The French, oh god the French. Every few lines Bronte wanted to show off her education and show her reader how perfect and fluent her French was. Maybe during the 19th century her audience would have been able to read French? But I certainly can’t. If I had loved the book, I would have Google Translated, but the novel was so bad I honestly didn’t think it would make it any better. This novel defiantly contains more French than any of her other works, and part of me was pleased to be able to skip these chunks – sorry Charlotte.
Overall would I reread or recommend this book? Not a chance.
Like I get it, Lucy finds her happy ending without love (Love? Her and Paul were such a bad match, there was no romance or passion, would hardly call it love) and I’m pleased she ‘accomplished’ opening her school (bought and funded by Paul so she didn’t really achieve it did she?) but overall, this book was so dry. I can see why so many people cannot finish this novel, I almost gave up twice.
Polly was a weird character wasn’t she? So obsessed and in love with her father, their relationship presented as an Electra Complex, Freud would have a field day analyzing their conversations and interactions. Every scene they were featured in felt so Lolita themed, I was waiting for them to reveal he’d been raping her and trying to construct a wife like figure from her. And this book was so dull, it would have actually made it more interesting (as horrible as that sounds.) It was nice that Dr. John Graham Bretton and Polly got together, as much as it broke her father’s heart it did save her from the inevitable incest waiting to occur between them.
The French, oh god the French. Every few lines Bronte wanted to show off her education and show her reader how perfect and fluent her French was. Maybe during the 19th century her audience would have been able to read French? But I certainly can’t. If I had loved the book, I would have Google Translated, but the novel was so bad I honestly didn’t think it would make it any better. This novel defiantly contains more French than any of her other works, and part of me was pleased to be able to skip these chunks – sorry Charlotte.
Overall would I reread or recommend this book? Not a chance.
I think it's deeply unfair that I stuck with this 600 page book for two weeks for that :(
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
the way that lucy just…. figures it out and stumbles through her life is impressive. girlie pop took 500 pages to grow a back bone