Summary
Villette was published by the English author Charlotte Brontë in 1853. The protagonist, Lucy Snowe, leaves her tragic past in England when she sails for Villette. Villette offers opportunities, jobs, and even love.
Review
I finished Villette on the 14th of August, exactly two months after I started it. It was a slow read for me. I went from reading 11 books in May to reading two books the entire summer. Don’t get me wrong, I very much enjoyed reading Villette, however, classics always take a little longer for me. English isn’t my first language, so I believe old 19th Century English is a little difficult for me still. I also prefer fast paced books, books that has my undivided attention, books I can’t stop reading. Villette was mostly none of those things.
A lot of the conversations in the book are in French, and sometimes Lucy translates the main idea of the conversation, and sometimes she does not. I read the Penguin Clothbound edition so it had translations in the back. The French became a fun little challenge for me since I used to study French for many years. So, seeing how much I could remember was fun, which wasn’t a lot.
Also, the mental aspect of Lucy is very interesting. It was a little difficult to wrap my head around what was happening. Was she delirious? Did she have a mental breakdown, or what happened? Was it ghosts, or was it not? Furthermore, the relationship dynamic between her, Dr. John, M. Paul, Polly, Ginevra and Madame is very interesting. How is Lucy being treated? The interactions Lucy has with every character, and how every character treats Lucy, give a further description of what kind of person she is. A little push-over perhaps but I don’t love her any less.
This is not a full-blown romance by any means. It’s subtle and has small hints of love. At first, Lucy is not at all interested in love. However, as time moves forward her interest increases. Her relationship with M. Paul is one of the most interesting relationships in the book. They start off as hostile to one another, but eventually, their relationship evolves. Even though M. Paul was an absolute prick, I still wanted them to be together. They seemed like a good match. They were complete opposites personality-wise, and yet so similar. They would argue about something silly, like sewing, and then forgive each other. Both were incredibly stubborn, yet they accepted each other’s flaws. I just love the idea of them together.
The ending is open-ended, which left me feeling a little disappointed, but I guess I can make my own ending now?
If you enjoy classics, I recommend this book. If you do not enjoy classics or slow books, then this is not for you!
Happy Reading ❤
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