Hey Bookworms !! I just finished my first book of 2021 and it was a classic , Villette by Charlotte Bronte . This year I wanted to try a different reading goal , lesser known books and classics are my priority. Though I am not planning to neglect my lovely ARCS ❤ . Without much further ado lets begin my review . I can do no better to begin with than to quote George Eliot, who upon reading Villette called it “a still more wonderful book than Jane Eyre“. We all have read Jane Eyre cuz it is a gem but Villette is a hidden and different kind of gem altogether .
Plot – With her final novel, Villette, Charlotte Brontë reached the height of her artistic power. First published in 1853, Villette is Brontë’s most accomplished and deeply felt work, eclipsing even Jane Eyre in critical acclaim. Her narrator, the autobiographical Lucy Snowe, flees England and a tragic past to become an instructor in a French boarding school in the town of Villette. There she unexpectedly confronts her feelings of love and longing as she witnesses the fitful romance between Dr. John, a handsome young Englishman, and Ginerva Fanshawe, a beautiful coquette. The first pain brings others, and with them comes the heartache Lucy has tried so long to escape. Yet in spite of adversity and disappointment, Lucy Snowe survives to recount the unstinting vision of a turbulent life’s journey – a journey that is one of the most insightful fictional studies of a woman’s consciousness in English literature.
My Rating – 5 Stars
This is the story of what happens when a woman finds herself in the midst of a strange community, with aloof, pretentious, and judgmental people; when she must ground herself in an academic environment that overflows with pretenses and mockery. This novel’s trajectory is what happens when love is unrequited, for it demands social status from the one it inhabits. These three meandering volumes make lucid the loneliness that blooms within, one that stems from loss of family and identity. Lucy Snowe is difficult to get to know at first. In fact, she is difficult to like. This is deliberate; she tells you about other people, what they think, what they feel, but precious little about herself, of whom she appears fiercely private. Only as the story unfolds does she start to let you in – I remember being surprised when she showed such tender, gentle thoughts and actions towards the sick daughter of her employer; that, I believe, was the first glimpse of emotion from Lucy and it really endeared me to her. She is a different heroine altogether .
Brontes prose is gorgeous, Villette is such a richly embroidered account of a young woman trying to make a life for herself in a foreign country and fighting for independence and friendship. This book isn’t a romance in the same way that Jane Eyre is. I wasn’t sure for a long time who the leading man would be (in fact he doesn’t even appear until the second half of the book). And it isn’t love at first sight, we watch it grow. I absolutely adored this book and it is now a firm favorite of mine.
Go ahead, indulge and enjoy! Happy Reading.
WHAT ARE YOUR READING GOALS FOR 2021 ?? WHAT ARE YOU READING AT THE MOMENT ?? LET’S CHAT IN THE COMMENTS SECTION .
Great review! I just started reading Dishonoured by Jem Tugwell
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WOW. HAPPY READING TO YOU 🥰💕
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Thanks for that review. It’s so long since I read Villette I can’t remember it at all. I shall look for it now at the back of the bookcase somewhere!
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I am glad that I read this hidden gem . It was so much fun to read and well I absolutely adored it. You should pick it up if you have some time to spare . 🥰💕
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Thank you for this great review. I love classics but I never heard of Villette but only of Jane Eyre which I read several years ago. I will surely check this book out.
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even I love classics so much . You should definitely check this book out in your free time 💕 happy reading 🍦
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I read this book several years ago, and loved it. It’s unspeakably sad, but also wonderful in the way a Charlotte Bronte book can be. Thanks for the review.
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yes , the prose is just so beautiful that it makes readers find so much solace in the book 🥰💕 . I am so happy that I read it . Happy reading to you Tina 💖
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Thank you, you too!
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yay 💕
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Oh, I would like to read this. Thanks.
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yay . Happy to hear that 🥺💗
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I’ve only read Jane Eyre but I loved it so this is one I need to pick up!
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yes you should definitely check this out . You’ll find that it is a hidden gem of the book 🥺💗
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I have only read Jane Eyre and I didn’t know of Villette. The plot and your thoughts are interesting, and I feel as if this is a sturdy yet overlooked story (due to Jane Eyre’s popularity). As I did enjoy Jane Eyre and Brontë’s writing, I hope to check this out soon. Great review!
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yes, Jane Eyre is one of the absolute beauties in the classic world but when you read villette . You notice that the villette surpasses it all and shines so much bright .
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Jia you’ll can find Villette on project gutenberg website, i.e ebook , so happy reading 💗
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Thanks for the review! I’m so bad at reading classics, the only one I’ve read is Emma! Maybe I’ll have a go at Vilette this year!
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if you are bad at reading classics you should definitely check out my fav classics blog post and well I’ll recommend that you should read Pride and Prejudice or Jane Eyre or Oliver Twist. They are superb classics . Happy reading 💗
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ooo thank you, I will definitely check that out at some point! I didn’t know I coukd get them for free! Thank you!
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and do try reading villette. All these books you will find in project gutenberg , free of cost.
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It has been years (and year) since I read Jane Eyre and you have me absolutely convinced that I should really Villette. Amazing review!
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yes i am so glad that you are convinced. Happy reading 💗
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What a lovely review, thank you! Jane Eyre is an absolute favorite but I’ve never picked this up. That will change soon!
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Yes . You will be a hell lot of shocked 👀
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Villette isn’t my favorite Bronte book, I’m afraid the answer would be very clichéd and obvious thus- Jane Eyre. But yes, Villette is such a gorgeous book, isn’t it? I love it! And it’s so hard to come across people who love it too, and I definitely think that’s a shame, alright. Love the review! ( ´ ∀ `)ノ~ ♡
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