Villette (Harper Perennial Deluxe Editions) Paperback – Deckle Edge, September 1, 2015

Charlotte Bronte’s Villette is much less beloved than Jane Eyre. While understandable given that Jane is a more sympathetic character than Villette’s Lucy Snowe, the latter is in some ways a more realistic novel that speaks to present day concerns more than the fairy tale saga of the former.Lucy Snowe is essentially a thinly veiled substitute for Charlotte herself. Striving for a meaningful intellectual life outside of traditional feminine roles, she finds little but suffering—as did Charlotte. But her and her character’s confrontation with fate and an unjust world is heroic, almost Promethean in nature.She’s also a keen judge of character. The Anglicanism in which authors like the Brontes and Jane Austen were immersed obviously stressed the humane virtues in a way that we have lost. These authoresses consistently show the ramifications of virtue and vice in a realistic rather than a moralistic manner. If Jane Eyre could be called a fairy tale it’s not for its moralizing but for its Cinderellaesque ending.Bronte also articulates the era of the Oxford movement and corresponding resurgence of Catholicism with aplomb. Adverse to points of theological controversy, she depicts exemplars of each creed in a way that, while showing her perspective—she lived with her father who was an Anglican parson—will still resonate with the modern reader.Thus, while both novels contain hard to believe coincidences and characters that stretch the imagination, Villette reads to me as the more realistic and contemporary of the two. I did enjoy Jane Eyre more, as does most everyone, but found Villette worth reading even for those who are well acquainted with the feminist themes of the better known novels of the Brontes. While not a must read it is a good one. Highly recommended.

The cover is gorgeous, I admit. The print, however, is tiny, closely-set, and the margins small. It took me twice as long to read as I struggled with the print. Another challenge of narrow margins is that the print is tucked so tightly into the binding that I had to fight with the book to see all the text. There's no lounging while reading this book! Also, Villette has a significant amount of French text, which most texts will translate in notes or otherwise, but this text does not. My final complaint is that since it's an independent--read: private person?-- publisher, there is no bibliographical information in the text. As a graduate student of English literature, this text is not amenable to citation. Publisher? Dates? Not to be found.My advice is, if it's worth it to you to struggle with the text in order to save a couple of bucks, go ahead and purchase this version; however, if you appreciate notes and an otherwise physically accessible text, and you need citational information, buy a different version.

This is a serious novel. I gave it four stars because of its depth, plot twists, and status as a celebrated Bronte classic. But modern readers will need a great deal of patience and persistence to unfold and comprehend all its treasures, and after all that trouble, the final buried treasure must be unearthed in the reader's own imagination.To begin, have a French translation device close by if you do not speak that language, because you will need to translate at least one sentence, if not whole paragraphs, for most pages. (Not a problem for educated Victorian readers, I am sure, but modern American readers may lose key points of conversation without a working knowledge of French). Secondly, this novel is very flowery (literally) and poetic in its descriptions. The French enhances its charm. It is a very scholarly work, with lovely images and interesting styles of covert communication and thought, along with a great deal of symbolism, in a very romantic, Victorian style. Third, the reader should be prepared to spend some time re-reading in places, to fully understand the characters and events. There will be Victorian curiosities to grasp, and also a need to be acquainted with Victorian French-Catholic and Anglican beliefs in order to fully understand the characters' angst. On a good note, Bronte reminds me of Scheherazade, spinning only forty-two cliff-hangers instead of a thousand and one, but adroitly keeping her reader plunging forward into the next chapter to find answers to all the points of interest. I docked it one star because of the slight confusion that seems to come at times from managing such a large cast of characters, and consequently, some inconsistencies. M. Paul's character in particular seems inconsistent - almost Jekyll-Hyde in my opinion, from the person first introduced to the one we see later, but in a reverse, Hyde-Jekyll way. I'm not sure I'll return to this one as I have Jane Eyre, but it was worth it for one reading.

Please note, this review is for the Amazon-published copy only. Villette itself is a literary masterpiece which Amazon have done zero justice to in their own publication. I give it one star because the cover is pretty, which was what prompted me to buy this particular copy. I assumed it couldn't be hard to publish a literary classic whose text is already in the public domain. How wrong I was.There is no introductory text or note about the author - you are launched into the main text immediately after the flysheet without these normal courtesies. The print itself was small enough to make me worry I wouldn't be able to read it with ease (I'm not yet 40). But the worst offence is the plethora of typos to be found on every page. There is nothing more frustrating when reading a text (which you know to be a joy in the right hands) than to be constantly jarred by commas in the wrong place, missing spaces, and unclosed or unopened speech. And that's just the first two pages.It's little wonder I couldn't find a publisher logo on the cover, spine, or flysheet of this book - if I had churned something out of this standard, I'd be ashamed to put my name to it, too. Do yourself a favour and buy a copy from a proper publisher who has at least had someone proofread the text. I will be returning my copy.

Esse livro é diferente do que consta na descrição!! Ele tem 6cm de largura. Apesar de ter o mesmo número de páginas de Jane Eyre, tem o DOBRO do tamanho! Completamente difícil de manusear e até mesmo de guardar. A gramatura das folhas é maior, o que faz o livro ficar de um tamanho surreal. Tem outra avaliação aqui com uma foto do mesmo livro, com a mesma capa, mas 3 vezes menor. Decepcionada com a Amazon me enviando esse tijolo no lugar de enviar o produto com as especificações corretas, que constam na descrição.

"Villette" is not so well known as "Jane Eyre", but it has much in common with it and is every bit as interesting. Our heroine and narrator is a young woman called Lucy Snowe: poor, possessed of no special talents, and left to her own resources, she takes a startling gamble with fate by sailing to France, and there finds a living as a teacher in the eponymous town. To avoid spoilers, I'll say only that we are much concerned with the men she meets.Lucy Snowe is a well named, for she hides her extraordinary passions beneath a cool exterior. Her nature is contrary, elusive and contradictory, puzzling even to those closest to her: even we, her readers, are but qualified confidantes, often left in the dark by her reticence. Whilst doing what she must to make her way in the world, Lucy somehow remains uncompromising, aloof and self-sufficient, earning respect even from those she most confounds. She is perhaps the most intriguing female character I've ever read about.Just as in "Jane Eyre", Charlotte leans shamelessly on coincidence to work her plot, but a little cunning telegraphy sweetens the pill, providing this reader with a satisfying oh-I-see! moment. Just as in "Jane Eyre", different kinds of potential suitors for our narrator are juxtaposed and contrasted; and different styles of womanhood are presented, demonstrating what Lucy is not. But the arc of this book is less obvious than in "Jane Eyre": we are very far along before we even understand what kind of story this is (and the saucy intrusion of classic gothic elements keeps us guessing).Speaking of technique, Charlotte's prose is superbly controlled, whether lofty and fanciful or sharp and deft, as here: "...it was not my godmother's habit to make a bustle, and she preferred all sentimental demonstrations in bas-relief."It's also frequently a novel of high humour, through Lucy's dry observations. Here we catch her in catty mood: "[I was] paired with Ginevra Fanshawe, bearing on my arm the dear pressure of that angel's not unsubstantial limb - (she continued in excellent case, and I can assure the reader it was no trifling business to bear the burden of her loveliness; many a time in the course of that warm day I wished to goodness there had been less of the charming commodity)..."I could have done without swathes of dialogue conducted in French, but I suppose Charlotte was not to know that half-educated barbarians like me might paw at her books a century later!"Villette" is an impressive achievement, beautifully constructed, relentless in its focus, concerned with the affections and interior lives of complex and atypical people, and with much to say about both religious disagreement and transcending those disagreements. It insists on its own careful, measured pace, even as it treads through the most surprising situations and revelations, and sure enough it arrives punctually at its intended, yet long unsuspected, destination. Excellent stuff.(Incidentally, the Gutenberg/Kindle freebie edition has lots of typos, mainly wayward punctuation; but I would be fascinated to observe "Madame Beck's fist classe"!)

When I started the book, I wondered how the story would keep my attention but Charlotte Bronte is such an author! She develops her characters to become so much part of my life that, in the end, I didn’t even want to let go of Lucy Snowe or any of those characters who were part of her world – although I was even told what happens to them until their death! Her study of human nature, motivation, behaviour and emotions is engrossing. She paints the inner and outer world of women in those days and sheds light into the rebellion of Lucy against the ideas prevailing at the time.Lucy, a young woman doomed to a grim and dismal life of poverty in England, risks it all by seeking her fortune in France even without knowledge of the language. Her hard work and integrity is rewarded in the end. With little hope of finding love in her situation, her struggles lead her to the most loyal of friendships. It is a timeless heart-warming story with the deepest and most detailed character study. A pleasure to read.  THE ISLAND GIRLTHE ISLAND GIRL

Concordo que o livro está excessivamente grosso. A minha edição de impressão 2020 não veio com esse detalhe colorido dentro do livro (acabamento em vermelho no verso da capa e primeira folha. O que tbm aconteceu com a minha edição 2020 de Agnes Grey, que deveria ter esse detalhe em verde). As folhas têm,no mínimo, uma gramatura maior ou uma qualidade diferente se comparada com a minha edição 2019 de Jane eyre (da mesma coleção, obviamente) , assim como tbm foi comentado aqui anteriormente por outra consumidora. Eu não sei o motivo da editora/gráfica ter utilizado outro tipo de papel, mas de fato deixou a leitura menos confortavel, desnecessariamente, tanto pela espessura quanto pelo peso. Comparei as 780 páginas de Jane Eyre com 780 páginas de Villette na foto (ambos têm aproximadamente a mesma largura de folha). O nome Jane Eyre está em alto relevo na capa, enquanto que nas edições mais recentes de Villette e Agnes Grey também não tem esse detalhe... Em contrapartida, as capas são realmente lindas e foi o motivo de eu ter escolhido essas versões, mas me decepcionei ao ver que a qualidade diminui conforme descrevi acima. Apenas li Jane Eyre até agora e devo acrescentar que tem alguns erros "bobos", como a troca de ponto por vírgula ou "o" no lugar de "a" ao longo de todo o livro. Estas edições belas dessa editora deixam a desejar.