Villette (Naxos Classic Fiction)

I love Charlotte Bronte's work and while Villette certainly does not surpass Jane Eyre, the life and inner struggles of the main character - Lucy Snowe - are just as compelling. Bronte does not hold back on letting the reader in on the emotional and psychological impact of the character's loneliness and isolation in a foreign land, her vulnerability and methods of coping with the relationships...more

I love Charlotte Bronte's work and while Villette certainly does not surpass Jane Eyre, the life and inner struggles of the main character - Lucy Snowe - are just as compelling. Bronte does not hold back on letting the reader in on the emotional and psychological impact of the character's loneliness and isolation in a foreign land, her vulnerability and methods of coping with the relationships that seem to toy with her deepest longings. I found this to be a thoroughly good read that drew me in and involved me by stirring my compassion towards this woman. My only disappointment was the ending which seemed somewhat abrupt and lacking in comparison to the rest of the book.   hide

I love this book, in fact it's probably one of my top 3. Lucy Snowe finds herself alone on the fringe of society and evidently suffering depression to boot. To most people she meeets, she is a quiet, steady introvert. But her first-person narrative is incredibly passionate, crtitical and rebellious. It's exhilirating to read a book that has such a human, real character at its centre. Given...more

I love this book, in fact it's probably one of my top 3. Lucy Snowe finds herself alone on the fringe of society and evidently suffering depression to boot. To most people she meeets, she is a quiet, steady introvert. But her first-person narrative is incredibly passionate, crtitical and rebellious. It's exhilirating to read a book that has such a human, real character at its centre. Given that her world is so small and still, it has nothing like the dramatic action of Jane Eyre, but it's just as compelling.   hide

Villette isn't as fast-paced as Jane Eyre (if you can call Jane Eyre fast-paced). It's not as positive, either--the ending is sad. I think you can learn a lot about Charlotte Bronte through reading it, though. It's about a teacher in another country (Brussels?) who falls in love with another teacher at her school, M. Paul, who's just about the antithesis of normal literary heroes. He's short,...more

Villette isn't as fast-paced as Jane Eyre (if you can call Jane Eyre fast-paced). It's not as positive, either--the ending is sad. I think you can learn a lot about Charlotte Bronte through reading it, though. It's about a teacher in another country (Brussels?) who falls in love with another teacher at her school, M. Paul, who's just about the antithesis of normal literary heroes. He's short, unhandsome, rude. But he turns out to have a heart. Bronte herself taught at a foreign school and fell in love with the married husband of the head of the school (nothing came of it). There are some satirical portraits of secondary characters too, like Ginevra Fanshawe. The book is well-written, but in my opinion not Bronte's best.   hide

This novel has flashes of brilliance, but also has many flaws. It's worth the time and effort, if only as a study of how NOT to write a novel. For English majors and intellectual-types only... I give this book a 3 out of 10 (but I still finished it anyway!)