Villette in What's the Name of That Book???

Jul 24, 2007 Wealhtheow rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical

"I seemed to hold two lives--the life of thought, and that of
reality; and, provided the former was nourished with a sufficiency of the strange necromantic joys of fancy, the privileges of the latter might remain limited to daily bread, hourly work, and a roof of shelter."

Lucy Snowe, the book's heroine, has good common sense, steely nerves, and no protectors. Not for her the life of a hothouse bloom--she must fend for herself from an early age. After the old woman she works for dies, she is left "I seemed to hold two lives--the life of thought, and that of
reality; and, provided the former was nourished with a sufficiency of the strange necromantic joys of fancy, the privileges of the latter might remain limited to daily bread, hourly work, and a roof of shelter."

Lucy Snowe, the book's heroine, has good common sense, steely nerves, and no protectors. Not for her the life of a hothouse bloom--she must fend for herself from an early age. After the old woman she works for dies, she is left homeless and without friends or family to appeal to. On the spur of the moment, she uses her small store of money to go to France, and thence, to the little town of Villete. There, she lucks into a position at a ladies' school, headed by the strong-minded, light-moraled Madame Beck.

Bronte made a few choices I didn't like. The book is almost comically prejudiced against "popery" and foreigners in general. The paragraphs upon paragraphs of how beautiful, dainty, feminine, delicate-minded, etc. Polly is seem to last forever. And I'm still not sure why Bronte had a nun haunt the school (I assumed it was to A) remind us of Lucy's repression and B)fufill the need for sensationalism), only to explain away the spectre in a sneering aside.

My problems aside, I enjoyed this book, mostly because I loved Lucy so much. She has a low opinion of herself but very high standards, is often depressed but refuses to be ruled by her darker moments, is thoughtful and introverted. She is, overall, someone I'd very much like to meet. Although she has a keen eye and recognizes her friends' faults, she never turns her incisive wit against them. After her love becomes disillusioned with his own paramour, the frivolous, selfish Ginevra, he denounces her to Lucy. Lucy points out that as mercenary as Ginevra is (as she warned him at the start), she has many good qualities; Lucy doesn't sound like a goody-two-shoes, but rather a girl defending her friend. Bronte writes friendships very well and very realistically, and these relationships, along with Lucy's engaging personality, are the backbone of the novel. ...more

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Sep 16, 2019 Nadine in NY Jones rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, literary-schmiterary, audio, classic

I am bound to say it might have been made much more truly impressive, if there had been less French, Rousseau-like sentimentalizing and wire-drawing; and rather more healthful carelessness of effect.

I can’t disagree!

At its heart, I suppose this is one of the first enemies-to-lovers romances.

This plot is simultaneously completely BANANAS and incredibly (truly, mind-numbingly) dull. To hell with all those people claiming this was Charlotte’s best book; this plot was a shit show: the big event ...more

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Mar 22, 2010 Lauren rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: worthrereading

It was worth taking the time to re-read this and prove to myself that for 30 minutes or so a day, I could quiet my brain, turn off the tv, get away from social media and relish every word. It's as nutty now as it was when I first read it in 1986 - Lucy Snow is more Jane Eyre than Jane ever was and between the ghostly nun, the unspoken trauma, the constant spying, and the fierce Anti-Catholic sentiment, this remains an intoxicating, delicious, radical and upsetting novel. I remain, as ever, Bront ...more

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Feb 29, 2008 Maria Elmvang rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 4-stars, 2008, owned-audiobook, classics

If you read this book, be sure to get a translation where all the French has been translated as well (if nothing else then as foot- or endnotes) as the one I listened had long paragraphs in French. I know that at the time of writing all educated English-women spoke French as well so Charlotte wouldn't have thought twice of using it in her books, but while I don't think I lost anything plot-wise, it was frustrating to not be able to understand all that was going on.

Apart from that I really enjoye ...more

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Feb 25, 2009 Jain rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: european, fiction, female-author, british-literature, 2009-reads

I strongly dislike Jane Eyre, but Villette fortunately shares little of the overblown melodrama of that book. Lucy Snowe, the protagonist of Villette, is sensitive, but also purposefully practical, as she considers it a necessary trait for someone of little means and plain features.

Even some of the passages that had initially felt superfluous and self-indulgent to me--especially Lucy's self-righteous comparisons of Protestantism and Catholicism and her denunciations of the latter--proved later s ...more

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May 08, 2010 Esther rated it it was amazing

Shelves: author-female, favourites

My favourite of Charlotte Bronte’s (and I think most autobiographical) it is a quiet sad story set in Belgium. The writing style seems different, maybe more personal.

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