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.   

I feel guilty rating this worse, but can't bring myself to rate it better so I'll settle for 3.75. The writing was lovely, the story a struggle to finish. This would be a terrible introduction to classic literature for someone who hasn't veered into that murky genre. In general classic lit can be challenging just because the way the world has changed both good and bad can make objectivity difficult. 
Some challenges with this book:
-French if you don't speak it then there will be a struggle because whole conversations will be confusing.
-Classism
-Sexism (a woman's place or behavior is discussed many times, and apparently pink is the color of degeneracy)
-Catholicism vs Protestantism 
-Ages of couples (I understand this was a different time, doesn't make grown men with careers sneaking into a school to visit teenaged girls any more comfortable. Even the more acceptable Twenty-three year old with a forty something still didn't sit right in how it came about.)

Side note: I am not particularly fond of 1st person narrative which didn't help. Lucy Snowe is an unreliable narrator who is struggling mentally and physically, and will address the reader through out the story. Though  I thoroughly enjoyed the moments when she spoke her mind and stood for herself, it never lasts. I also wish my book came with translations for all the French parts because I'd probably understand this book so much better and have enjoyed it more. Sadly the bits I did  somewhat understand from my meager skills seemed less than flattering to the characters. But it seems like this books is filled with a quite a few terrible people so maybe my understanding was better than I thought.

I finished this feeling like I went on an incredibly long journey without a proper destination, and am a bit lost upon completion.  What did I just read? Why are any of the couples together? How did anyone tolerate the head of that school? Also why was that ending so vague?