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bashsbooks's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Villette was Charlotte Brontë's final novel. I think that's evident in the groundedness of her plot (here groundedness is relative - I mean in comparison to Jane Eyre, not real life) and the dimensionality of her characters. I especially liked Paul Emmanuel - because I didn't like him at first, but I realized how Lucy fell for him by the end. This is not a burning passion from the start, and I appreciate that cool level-headedness from our heroine.
I liked a lot of things about Lucy; she is probably the most likeable (to my tastes, anyway) Brontë heroine thus far. Sure, she's got a morality stick up her ass, but I like her directness, her lack of sentimentality, and that she makes the most queer-esque comments. (Yes, I am a bisexual Lucy Snowe truther - what else was that description of Madame Beck when she was trying to figure out where Doctor John's interests were?)
I'm obsessed, too, with how radical the Protestant-Catholic conflict and its resolution were. I was so sure one of them was going to end up converting, so I was thrilled to see them accept each other and still love each other with that religious difference.
Also, while the resolution to the ghost nun plot was funny, I wish it'd been left without explanation.
I liked a lot of things about Lucy; she is probably the most likeable (to my tastes, anyway) Brontë heroine thus far. Sure, she's got a morality stick up her ass, but I like her directness, her lack of sentimentality, and that she makes the most queer-esque comments. (Yes, I am a bisexual Lucy Snowe truther - what else was that description of Madame Beck when she was trying to figure out where Doctor John's interests were?)
I'm obsessed, too, with how radical the Protestant-Catholic conflict and its resolution were. I was so sure one of them was going to end up converting, so I was thrilled to see them accept each other and still love each other with that religious difference.
Also, while the resolution to the ghost nun plot was funny, I wish it'd been left without explanation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry
Moderate: Ableism, Death, and Racism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, and Colonisation
-So much Catholic-Protestant beefhjb_128's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
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? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexism, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Racism and Classism
Minor: Death and Colonisation
mari1532's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Grief, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Classism
Minor: Colonisation
jasmineandsweetbriar's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
About half of the book is really quite good. The other half is meandering and annoying. These halves are dissipated across the text so one moment you'll be reading a very insightful and thought-provoking scene and the next you'll be hit with opaque, dragging characterisation. C.B's weakness is really her characters, as she relies so heavily on broad phrenological descriptions and telling rather than showing. Since a lot of the novel focuses on its characters, this can make for very flat reading. However, she does a good job with the development of the key themes. The plot is either richly gothic or absurd, depending on how much you are willing to tolerate. I got some good from Villette, and it has affected me a lot in some ways, but I am glad I read it for uni because I would not choose to read this book over others of equivalent length.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry
Minor: Colonisation
sarah_zaffiro's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
Moderate: Body shaming, Racism, Xenophobia, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Alcoholism, Death, and Antisemitism
jaimemt_reads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Abandonment
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
This book is very anti Catholic.buildingtaste's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
What an immersive book. It flagged at points--and it's probably a bad sign I thought the final love interest was two different people until nearly the end--but it is a lovely work in all. I liked the ending, though I can see why it doesn't resonate as much as Jane Eyre with most people. Worth a re-read once you know all the things Lucy is being a bit obtuse about.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Colonisation
Moderate: Incest
There is an extended sequence where the main character is to take care of a disabled child, and the characterisation of that child is not kind. The character in question is legally an adult when they get into the romantic relationship, but they are very young and knew the love interest when they were a child. The love interests for this character and the main character are about 10-20 years older than them. There is an extended sequence of fuguelike depression where the narrator is seemingly suicidal. There is significant discussion of catholicism vs. protestantism and attempts to convert characters. The main character's romance begins with mostly her being bullied, verbally assaulted, and at least once physically assaulted, but none of this is ever explicitly sexual. There are significant amounts of grief over family death and lost chances/circumstances. At one point the protagonist is drugged against her will. A character travels to a colonial plantation for several years. A character is meant to marry their cousin.caribbeangirlreading's review against another edition
Reader, eight weeks and 425 pages later, I DNF'd this baby. I just could not read one more page. Villette is just a sad and depressing book. Lucy Snowe lacks Jane Eyre's fire in the belly. It wasn't until page 200 that I understood that Lucy was a deeply lonely person who most probably suffered from depression. Unfortunately, by then it was too late. The Lucy Snow that I had gotten to know was judgmental AF, anti-Catholic, and xenophobic. We get it Charlotte, you hate the French. You showed us in JE that you don't care for the French but boy did your colors really fly in this novel. The quality of the writing in the novel was head and shoulders above Shirley, but unlike Shirley, I just could not care what happened to any of the characters. I did what I never do, I looked up a summary of the novel with spoilers because I just had to get to the point and know what happened. Then I promptly proceeded to throw the book at the wall and yell "Charlotte Bronte, Are you effin' kidding me?!!!" The end.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Medical content and Death of parent
jessthanthree's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Religious bigotry