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martacorreia's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
candelllav's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
kellyrenea's review against another edition
3.0
A Classic but not one I would read again
I love the Brontes but this story was my least favorite of the ones I have read. It was a good study of the limited options English women had in the 1800s. I also noticed a deep thoughtful look at the character of Lucy Snowe in this novel. But the whole story was a very depressing read for me.
I love the Brontes but this story was my least favorite of the ones I have read. It was a good study of the limited options English women had in the 1800s. I also noticed a deep thoughtful look at the character of Lucy Snowe in this novel. But the whole story was a very depressing read for me.
cowboylikestoread43's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
deepseascreature's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
libraryofdreaming's review against another edition
3.0
I still can't make up my mind as to what I think about Villette. I've been wanting to read more Charlotte Brontë for a long time now, but perhaps this book was not the best place to start. It was impossible for me to keep from comparing it to Jane Eyre, and this book suffered for the comparison. Lucy Snowe is no Jane Eyre and I could not love her and her story as much as I did Jane and even Mr. Rochester. Overall, Villette is much more mournful and introspective. It blended literary styles to a dizzying degree. It honestly felt more like some mystical, philisophical reflection than a novel for the majority of its pages. I'll be honest, Lucy's narration kind of drove me crazy. At times, she is prententious and annoying, at other times, she is incredibly poignant and relatable. Her habit of only relating bits and pieces was rather maddening. Her meekness and snobbishness drove me up the wall. But her romantic misadventures, her wallflower status, loneliness, and struggle really hit me hard. At times I wanted to snarl, "Grow a backbone! Stop complaining about the Catholics!" and at other times I wanted to wrap her into a hug and cry until my heart broke. Even (if I'm being honest) in her prejudice and willfulness, I saw myself. When she described her reaction to a thunderstorm when she felt something in the wildness call to her and desperately wished to rush out into the elements and be free, I felt like Charlotte Brontë had seen right into my soul.
Maybe that was why I found parts of Villette so irritating. Lucy Snowe had an unsettling habit of showing me the worst sides of myself. I would not recommend Villette to the faint of heart. It's long and it's weird. Unlike Jane Eyre, there isn't a magical happy conclusion full of romance. While it is a fairly happy ending, I still feel unsatisfied with the final romance. Yes, it ended realistically, but I do not share Charlotte Brontë and Lucy's attraction to overly aggressive, pushy men. It really came out of left field to me that the romance ended the way it did. I don't feel like the romantic hero was set up to be the romantic hero. In fact, all of Lucy's romantic interests were irritating to me, either for their lack of social graces or just for their stupidity. Since the books spans many years and lots of character analysis, the plot can be rather rambling. While there are some gothic elements (aka a ghost nun), I couldn't help but wish from time a wife would pop out of the attic to make things move a little quicker. I expected a lot more school drama for some reason but instead we got a lot more philisophical windings than I could have imagined.
Overall, some bits of this book were engaging and heartfelt, but others were dry and rambling. I wouldn't say that this was Charlotte Brontë's best work. Maybe I was just missing something though. I think I will go try out Shirley next, perhaps it will be more my style.
Maybe that was why I found parts of Villette so irritating. Lucy Snowe had an unsettling habit of showing me the worst sides of myself. I would not recommend Villette to the faint of heart. It's long and it's weird. Unlike Jane Eyre, there isn't a magical happy conclusion full of romance. While it is a fairly happy ending, I still feel unsatisfied with the final romance. Yes, it ended realistically, but I do not share Charlotte Brontë and Lucy's attraction to overly aggressive, pushy men. It really came out of left field to me that the romance ended the way it did. I don't feel like the romantic hero was set up to be the romantic hero. In fact, all of Lucy's romantic interests were irritating to me, either for their lack of social graces or just for their stupidity. Since the books spans many years and lots of character analysis, the plot can be rather rambling. While there are some gothic elements (aka a ghost nun), I couldn't help but wish from time a wife would pop out of the attic to make things move a little quicker. I expected a lot more school drama for some reason but instead we got a lot more philisophical windings than I could have imagined.
Overall, some bits of this book were engaging and heartfelt, but others were dry and rambling. I wouldn't say that this was Charlotte Brontë's best work. Maybe I was just missing something though. I think I will go try out Shirley next, perhaps it will be more my style.
marcusnyahoe's review against another edition
4.0
Probably Charlotte Bronte's most accomplished book. This is an absorbing and engaging read that is very much an argument for the equality of women. It feels like a key text in the changing of attitudes towards women in the arts, but without ever seeming too didactic.
The only slight reservation is that this is a Victorian novel and, as such, could be a little too slow moving for some modern tastes. However if you can get beyond this then it is a rewarding read.
The only slight reservation is that this is a Victorian novel and, as such, could be a little too slow moving for some modern tastes. However if you can get beyond this then it is a rewarding read.
rebeccasreadingrambles's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. I think it was written so well and it was a quicker read after Volume 1 (once the action picked up).
The ending was a bit strange.
This was not a book I would have picked up on my own, but I'm so glad it was picked so I got to experience it. I thought it would drag on and on, but it didn't after she got to Villette. Poor Lucy had so many demons to live with...and the people around her did not help! I think Charlotte Bronte did an excellent job describing her depressing and all that was running through her mind. By the end I was despising Mrs. Beck and Guinevere!! I also appreciated that there were not too many characters, so I could actually keep them all straight!
The ending was a bit strange.
Spoiler
But maybe when the author basically said "I'll let you imagine the happy ending for Emanuel and Lucy" maybe she was telling us that he never came back without telling us. I think I'll choose to think he did and they were happy (Lucy deserves some in her life). I hate to think of her sitting around and waiting for him year after year. Also I'm glad that Dr. John and Pauline finally got married...and he stopped messing around with insincere Guinevere. I was surprised that Pauline's father so disliked the match, but am happy for them in the end.This was not a book I would have picked up on my own, but I'm so glad it was picked so I got to experience it. I thought it would drag on and on, but it didn't after she got to Villette. Poor Lucy had so many demons to live with...and the people around her did not help! I think Charlotte Bronte did an excellent job describing her depressing and all that was running through her mind. By the end I was despising Mrs. Beck and Guinevere!! I also appreciated that there were not too many characters, so I could actually keep them all straight!
elj_ne's review against another edition
slow-paced
3.5
Finally read this many years after I last tried to. More mature than JE, slower and with more complex characters and certainly an admirable novel. I continue to love Charlotte Bronte's protagonists, but overall the story was too slow for me and I prefer JE - with more drama! - than Villette. Unlikely to reread.