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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
I picked this book up because some random internet reviewer said that she liked it better than Jane Eyre. I don't agree with that, but I will say that "Villette" is really good. It seems to have less hope, fewer joyful moments than "Jane Eyre" does. It does have a great unrequited love story, and a great ending, whether you decide that it's happy or sad. I enjoyed Lucy Snowe's dealings with her boss, Madame Beck, and with M. Emanuel. I also love the 19th century novel convention of having people randomly find each other after years apart - you would think that the whole of Europe was a very small town, where everyone goes to live eventually. Bonus: No mentally ill women trapped in attics!
I enjoy audio books and Davina Porter is one of my favorite narrators. For this novel, it was difficult to rely on the audio version alone. I needed my visual skills due to the time period and the French phrases. I often referred to the hard copy of the book to enhance my understanding. This may not be an issue for all readers, but certainly was for me.
As for plot, the story held some mystique & was not as depressing as I expected. I read the introduction by Susan Fromberg Schaeffer which was well written with great insight. Once I had such intimate knowledge, I feared everything would be predictable. To prevent spoilers, I recommend reading the introduction afterward. Lucy Snowe was a woman ahead of her time.
As for plot, the story held some mystique & was not as depressing as I expected. I read the introduction by Susan Fromberg Schaeffer which was well written with great insight. Once I had such intimate knowledge, I feared everything would be predictable. To prevent spoilers, I recommend reading the introduction afterward. Lucy Snowe was a woman ahead of her time.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“Villette” by Charlotte Brontë is an underrated classic. I liked it as much as I liked “Jane Eyre”. It was classed as a romance at the time, but I like it much more thinking of it as a contemporary fiction (now turned classic) or a Bildungsroman. I continue to not be a fan of her male love interests, but I adore her heroines. The novel was so ahead of its time in its portrayal of Lucy Snowe, an English teacher in the fictional town of Villette based off of Brussels, Belgium. We see Lucy deal with depression, which is surprisingly written about without judgement despite this being a 19th century novel, and we also watch her fight for workplace autonomy and subtlety critique slavery. The novel is full of imperialist and anti-Catholic sentiment. As much as I disavow prejudice, I find it interesting to reflect upon how people thought incorrectly in the past. It brings clarity to how we’ve corrected these prejudices with time. I highly recommend reading this and really any classic in the Penguin Clothbound editions. They have notes and an introduction (don’t read that until the end) that add a lot of valuable context to the novel like that “Villette” is largely auto-biographical. I loved the ending and find it so subversive in its original intent. Brontë’s father did influence it to be more ambiguous to fit the desire for a HEA, but I still loved it. Overall Brontë’s writing style is consistent, so if you like Jane Eyre for any of these reasons, I encourage you to try “Villette”.
I listened to the audiobook which was very good, but if you can get your hands on an annotated version with translations of all the French, do that instead. There is SO much untranslated French. There were ideals and morals presented in the book which really disagreed with me but I think probably 90% of that was Victorian Morality Mess. Like everyone analyzing the proportions and angles of each others facial features to judge whether they are gracious/intelligent/kindly/evil all the time. Not a perfect book but interesting and very engaging.
What a good book. I feel like I've been reading so much modern stuff lately, but this kind of writing is what I grew up on and it is peace to my soul.
I can't recommend this book, though it does have its good moments, for a couple of reasons. Constant need to refer to a dictionary is one (though perhaps those with a classical education wouldn't have as much trouble). Some of it seems almost ridiculous in its effort to use uncommon words.
Also, a fair amount of the dialogue is in French, for which I had to make some reference to a translation dictionary (I could not have attempted this book without my Kobo).
It doesn't have a happy ending either, though you do see that coming. I like happy endings, especially after the drudgery this woman endures.
Also, a fair amount of the dialogue is in French, for which I had to make some reference to a translation dictionary (I could not have attempted this book without my Kobo).
It doesn't have a happy ending either, though you do see that coming. I like happy endings, especially after the drudgery this woman endures.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I'm writing this review like 6 months after I read it and honestly I barely remember it. Lucy travels to Villette, which is supposed to be Belgium? I must've liked it, I guess.
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A