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mari1532's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Brief Summary: Lucy Snowe is a governess turned school teacher in this semi-gothic tale. As events take Lucy from her childhood home to France she must navigate classism and societal expectations.
Thoughts: This is my third Bronte book and one thing that the sisters do exceptionally well is vividly describing the life of middle-class women in the mid-nineteenth century.
While the story was captivating in that you wondered what misfortune was likely to occur to Lucy next, it was a bit difficult to follow all of the characters in the plot. Not least because Dr. Bretton has two different names at one point in the book and Pauline goes by her nickname and given name.
Also, it feels like Bronte was trying to have an enemies-to-lovers storyline with Lucy and M. Emmanuel, but I was nearly finished with the book before I realized that. For much of the book M. Emmanuel seemed like a 70-year-old man, perhaps a priest, who truly didn't like Lucy at all. Also, the ending of this subplot was both ambiguous and depressing.
I'm also not entirely sure why there was such a strong Catholic subplot throughout the book. I understand that in England, where Bronte was writing there was both a strong anti-Catholic and anti-French sentiment, but overall it seemed unnecessary to the overall plot of the book.
If you like to read about characters experiencing real issues both mentally and interpersonally you may enjoy this book, but I do think it is an acquired taste.
Thoughts: This is my third Bronte book and one thing that the sisters do exceptionally well is vividly describing the life of middle-class women in the mid-nineteenth century.
While the story was captivating in that you wondered what misfortune was likely to occur to Lucy next, it was a bit difficult to follow all of the characters in the plot. Not least because Dr. Bretton has two different names at one point in the book and Pauline goes by her nickname and given name.
Also, it feels like Bronte was trying to have an enemies-to-lovers storyline with Lucy and M. Emmanuel, but I was nearly finished with the book before I realized that. For much of the book M. Emmanuel seemed like a 70-year-old man, perhaps a priest, who truly didn't like Lucy at all. Also, the ending of this subplot was both ambiguous and depressing.
I'm also not entirely sure why there was such a strong Catholic subplot throughout the book. I understand that in England, where Bronte was writing there was both a strong anti-Catholic and anti-French sentiment, but overall it seemed unnecessary to the overall plot of the book.
If you like to read about characters experiencing real issues both mentally and interpersonally you may enjoy this book, but I do think it is an acquired taste.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Grief, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Classism
Minor: Colonisation
caribbeangirlreading's review against another edition
Reader, eight weeks and 425 pages later, I DNF'd this baby. I just could not read one more page. Villette is just a sad and depressing book. Lucy Snowe lacks Jane Eyre's fire in the belly. It wasn't until page 200 that I understood that Lucy was a deeply lonely person who most probably suffered from depression. Unfortunately, by then it was too late. The Lucy Snow that I had gotten to know was judgmental AF, anti-Catholic, and xenophobic. We get it Charlotte, you hate the French. You showed us in JE that you don't care for the French but boy did your colors really fly in this novel. The quality of the writing in the novel was head and shoulders above Shirley, but unlike Shirley, I just could not care what happened to any of the characters. I did what I never do, I looked up a summary of the novel with spoilers because I just had to get to the point and know what happened. Then I promptly proceeded to throw the book at the wall and yell "Charlotte Bronte, Are you effin' kidding me?!!!" The end.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Medical content and Death of parent