====== SPOILERS ALERT ========
I read this because I enjoyed Jane Eyre and wanted a similar thing, but different. Villette didn't disappoint. While some plot patterns and character themes are similar to those used in Jane Eyre, Villette is a completely different thing. I had a blast!
Charlotte has full mastery of the language. No wonder her works are listed among the classics. She has no trouble expressing herself, and offers many insights into the human trials which are still relevant today. But what makes Villette truly fascinating is the protagonist, Lucy Snowe.
This is a romance story like no other. Lucy tries for human intimacy twice, loses both times. The odds are against her; her fate is written from the start. The ending isn't really ambiguous. The narrator states quite clearly what happened, then tells those who can't handle it to imagine their own happy ending, if they're so inclined.
When Dr. John was first introduced, I recognized him as a romantic interest and was pleasantly surprised that he was handsome. This is a step up, I thought, from Jane Eyre, where the narrator thought that handsome men are just too divine for her. Her self-esteem must be improving.
What can I say? At that point, I didn't yet realize that Lucy was born to suffer.
She resents that Graham can't see past her plain features to appreciate the treasure of her true inner self. But how could he appreciate what was denied him? She hid her true feelings from him, from the world, and from the readers. The narrator conceals facts - vital facts. Whenever she feels strongly, she becomes mute.
The story sometimes dragged and often got depressing, but it was all worth it for the ending. The narrator briefly outlines what happened to the main cast of the story - to her adversaries. They lived a long, prosperous life. She says not a word about Lucy, and that silence is loud and funeral. Lucy, who did her best to challenge fate, and this time the defeat was absolute. Once again, she becomes silent, this time to never speak again. Mutely she draws a black curtain over the ending.
Because, the writer wants us to know, some people are destined for happiness. And some people are just born to suffer. Better luck next life, Lucy Snowe.
Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime
and start saving today with fast, free delivery
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
Discover the latest buzz-worthy books, from mysteries and romance to humor and nonfiction. Explore more
Frequently bought together
$11.94
Get it as soon as Monday, May 20
Only 20 left in stock (more on the way).
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Choose items to buy together.
Similar items that may deliver to you quickly
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
From the Publisher
Reviews with images
This is one of the best books I've ever read
This is one of the best books I've ever read. Lucy Snowe is my favorite heroine by far. She's so true and original. Both strong and vulnerable. A delight. Madame Beck is close second.I just found some faults with men in the story. I just couldn't stand Paul Emmanuel, brilliantly written though he was, I cannot deny that.Just so unlikable (rigid, domineering, sexistic, close minded and so on. Not to say with huge mood swings. Lucy talking with him is a traumatic experience). The love between him and Lucy is complex and romantic and fresh, but I still doesn't like it. Can't help it. Dr John seemed like a good promise, kinda heart- breaking, exquisite idea, but badly executed. Lucys' love for him could have been more alike what she felt for Paul, then the ultimate heart-break SPOILERS, DON'T READ THE SPOILERS! (when he gets with Polly) END SPOILERS! would have been even more tragic. Tragedy in literature is always an answer.What I loved the most about this book, though, was not a love stories, but the psychology, the melancholia and mostlyHUGE SPOILERS, DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN"T READ THIS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!The nun plot line, which I hope would be real haliucination and Lucy would be locked up in an insane asylum, and we would explore the insane asylum in the book, or at least that she would be treated for hysteria by a certain doctor, alas nothing happened.Another quick thing- this book is worth reading for the style alone. C.B writting style, is perfection itself.I loved, loved, loved the very real sorrow and heart break. And it was described in such a way, that you just feel it in your soul, in your heart, your brain, or with whatever that you feel with.Below is a photo of Sarah Gardner, an inmate of an insane asylum in victorian era (pretty much how I imagine miss Snowe)
Top reviews from other countries
Esme
Edición preciosa
Reviewed in Spain on January 29, 2024
Esme
Reviewed in Spain on January 29, 2024
Images in this review
Digital Panache
One of the best books I have ever read
Reviewed in India on January 30, 2019
Digital Panache
Reviewed in India on January 30, 2019
Images in this review
