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A review by caitpaige
Villette by Charlotte Brontë
3.0
Great book. Jane Eyre has long been my favorite and Villette doesn't quite top it, but its similarities get it very close. As people have said, Villette is a lot less transparent and the narrator is not very forthcoming. But I definitely understand why this book is lauded for its insight into the feminine psyche - despite 150 years difference there were definitely female sentiments presented that I could identify with. I even dog-earred pages because there were passages that were so poignant and pertinent and even touched a chord with current events in my life - very meaningful coincidence there.
I was really happy with volumes I and II. I have to admit my reading started to flag entering volume III - I saw the Dr. John/Paulina match-up coming (and had frivolously enjoyed the idea of Lucy getting Dr. John) and started to see the M. Emanuel relationship on the horizon, which I did not really want to happen, since he was portrayed as rather unpredictable and unlikeable. In fact I didn't really like him at all until the very end when he gifted Lucy her life goal and finally showed his dedication and love. Knowing Mr. Rochester, I should have known that the true-love would be the one who's not entirely likeable or understandable, but I liked M. Emnauel much less than Rochester, so I was starting to get disappointed. The end was brilliant though. I usually hate endings that are open to interpretation, but this one was well-crafted and satisfying nonetheless. Plus, though I started to like M. Emanuel at the end, it allows me to suspect that he is at the bottom of the sea. And though it's a little depressing, I think it's fitting and satisfying that Lucy end up on her own, a successful school mistress, always upholding her pure love and dedication to M. Emanuel and his gift. (He's flighty and impassioned and she's stubborn - if he came home, I'm sure they'd fight constantly!)
I was really happy with volumes I and II. I have to admit my reading started to flag entering volume III - I saw the Dr. John/Paulina match-up coming (and had frivolously enjoyed the idea of Lucy getting Dr. John) and started to see the M. Emanuel relationship on the horizon, which I did not really want to happen, since he was portrayed as rather unpredictable and unlikeable. In fact I didn't really like him at all until the very end when he gifted Lucy her life goal and finally showed his dedication and love. Knowing Mr. Rochester, I should have known that the true-love would be the one who's not entirely likeable or understandable, but I liked M. Emnauel much less than Rochester, so I was starting to get disappointed. The end was brilliant though. I usually hate endings that are open to interpretation, but this one was well-crafted and satisfying nonetheless. Plus, though I started to like M. Emanuel at the end, it allows me to suspect that he is at the bottom of the sea. And though it's a little depressing, I think it's fitting and satisfying that Lucy end up on her own, a successful school mistress, always upholding her pure love and dedication to M. Emanuel and his gift. (He's flighty and impassioned and she's stubborn - if he came home, I'm sure they'd fight constantly!)