erweatherburn 's review for:

Villette by Charlotte Brontë

4.0

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I really enjoyed reading Villette. It’s not quite as Gothic as Wuthering Heights, which remains my favourite Brontë novel, but it does have some gothic elements that I very much appreciated. It also considers much of the same social contexts explored through Austen’s works, but, whilst I have never… let’s say, adored Austen’s writing style, I found Brontë’s portrayal of them much more engaging. Whilst some people don’t like it because they don’t like Lucy’s character, I actually found that she made the book all the more impressive. Whilst she is by no means perfect, we can understand her actions; she is accessible, and she is real.

Maybe Villette‘s just one of these ‘Marmite’ books, and you either love it or hate it, but, regardless, I thoroughly recommend that you give it a read. I am yet to find a fusion of Gothicism and the romantic love story that is quite as satisfying as the Brontë sisters’ works. So, my advice: give it a chance (because it does take a while to get going), keep reading until the end (because the last few pages will make you shiver), and don’t judge Lucy too harshly, just because she’s not perfect.