The two main characters badly needed therapy.

Lucy especially tended to self-sabatoge, which drove me nuts.

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?