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.

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.   

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. 

um so I was going to put 'most normal repressed victorian' as my review. but then the ending happened. and now I feel like I've been punched in the gut lol. 

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.