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There are so many things to like about Charlotte Bronte's "Villette" and yet I can't say I truly loved this book. It's particularly interesting since the book in so many ways parallels Bronte's own life while she was living in Belgium. This is probably interested me the most, having read a biography about Bronte earlier this year.
The heroine of "Villette" is Lucy Snowe, a somewhat cold, but determined woman who is left to find her own fortune in the world and travels to Villette to (eventually) become an English teacher. As a narrator, she rarely tells what she knows -- or the entirety of her thoughts-- so it's up to the reader to tease them out from what she does say. There are various instances of unrequited love woven throughout the book.
Of course, comparisons to Bronte's more famous "Jane Eyre" are inevitable. Lucy Snowe is a much more realistic character-- much more well-rounded and without that inherent goodness that causes Jane to grate a bit. However, "Villette" seems to drag on more... little happens and Lucy Snowe is generally so reserved that it is hard to connect with any of the characters, including the narrator herself.
While I liked "Villette" overall, it definitely doesn't displace "Jane Eyre" as my favorite Charlotte Bronte book.
The heroine of "Villette" is Lucy Snowe, a somewhat cold, but determined woman who is left to find her own fortune in the world and travels to Villette to (eventually) become an English teacher. As a narrator, she rarely tells what she knows -- or the entirety of her thoughts-- so it's up to the reader to tease them out from what she does say. There are various instances of unrequited love woven throughout the book.
Of course, comparisons to Bronte's more famous "Jane Eyre" are inevitable. Lucy Snowe is a much more realistic character-- much more well-rounded and without that inherent goodness that causes Jane to grate a bit. However, "Villette" seems to drag on more... little happens and Lucy Snowe is generally so reserved that it is hard to connect with any of the characters, including the narrator herself.
While I liked "Villette" overall, it definitely doesn't displace "Jane Eyre" as my favorite Charlotte Bronte book.