Classics for Beginners discussion

VILLETTE by Charlotte Bronte is the quarterly read for Oct-Dec 2015. Read at your own pace and please use the "spoiler" tag when appropriate, so as not to spoil the plot for slower readers.

I really liked this book, even when Lucy Snowe is kind of introverted and puritan (we would never be friends, thats for sure) and even when the tone of the book is really Brontë, and by that I mean sad and lonely. If you want happy and light read Austen. This book is lovely written but by the second half I was tired of the continuous and (in my opinion) unnecesary monologues full of metaphores and educated words.
I totally missed that (view spoiler)[ Lucy was in love with Emanuel and his later death. (hide spoiler)] I had to reread several times to get it... actually, I had to google it to understand it, it is really subtle.

Of course, Jane Eyre is by far the best of Charlotte´s, but I think this one is better written than The Professor, although I felt more enjoyment with that one.

It seems that Lucy spends A LOT of time talking about Mr. Paul. I wonder if something will happen there...

Karel wrote: "I really liked this book, even when Lucy Snowe is kind of introverted and puritan (we would never be friends, thats for sure) and even when the tone of the book is really Brontë, and by that I mean..."

I really enjoyed this book as well. It was a nice change from Austen and I think it was written so well (once the action picked up).

Are you sure (view spoiler)[ Emmanuel died? I thought he just left for whatever Mrs. Beck's business was. But maybe when the author basically said "I'll let you imagine the happy ending for Emanuel and Lucy" maybe she was telling us that he never came back without telling us. I think I'll choose to think he did and they were happy (Lucy deserves some in her life). I hate to think of her sitting around and waiting for him year after year (hide spoiler)]

This was not a book I would have picked up on my own, but I'm so glad it was picked here so I got to experience it. I thought it would drag on and on, but it didn't after she got to Villette. Poor Lucy had so many demons to live with...and the people around her did not help! By the end I was despising Mrs. Beck and Guinevere!! I also appreciated that there were not too many characters, so I could actually keep them all straight!

Finally finished this last Tuesday. I'm siding with RebeccaS's spoiler -- (view spoiler)[Why would she put herself through such a story if there wasn't a happy ending? I don't think this particular narrator, based on what we know of her from the book, would have written her their story if it did not end happy. (hide spoiler)]

I'm on the other side. (view spoiler)[ My reading was that he died and I found that really depressing. Having said that, might re-read those passages. (hide spoiler)]

I still think that (view spoiler)[ Emanuelle died on his way back from India. (hide spoiler)] I wanted to think as RebeccaS and Heather L as well, but one line settled the matter for me: When Lucy is talking about the "Happiest time of her life" is when Emanuelle is in India and they are writing letters to each other. I assumed then that he never returned because then life together would have been the Happiest time of her life, unless life with him was horrible (with his humour it could be). But it is true that Charlotte leave it to the reader to figure it out. There is a Goodread question that discuss this matter deeply, I leave the link. Just a suggestion, if this book was too depresive and you want somethink very similar but with a lighter ending, I suggest The Professor by the same author. It is not a better written book but it is more optimistic.

link: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

I interpreted it the same way as well Karel, so I will check out The Professor as I like a (view spoiler)[ happy ending! (hide spoiler)].