Villette: The End

I'm done! Villette is dead. Okay not really, but you know what I mean. Its over and I can now rest knowing that I won (okay, so there was no competition, but I won in the sense that I didn't let the book beat me - I beat it (meaning I finished it regardless of how boring it was)).  Anyhow, its done and I can honestly say that I didn't hate the book and I'm glad I participated in the read along. I suppose at the end of the day, its just like one of those stuffy classics I had to read for school and immediately forgot about afterward.  Anyhow, before I delete the book from my Kindle, here's what happened in the end  (and yes, the ending did make me smile).

Lucy and M. Paul finally admit that they have a friendship, a close one - so close, that he wants her to think of him like a brother?  That bit was weird - how can you think about someone you want to be with romantically as your sibling?  I know he was trying to establish a relationship with her, but seriously?  Anyhow, before all of this talk of friendship, Lucy finds out (via an errand Madame Beck has asked her to run for her) that M. Paul was once in love and that the woman died.  So he has taken it upon himself to be financially responsible for her family and his priest (the man who encouraged him and counseled him - this is also the guy who listened to Lucy before she fainted).  He has chosen to live the life of a pauper, as long as these people are taken care of.  This altruistic nature melts Lucy's heart and she realizes what a great man M. Paul is.  And so their friendship blossoms and this leads to drama - Madame Beck announces that M. Paul has quit teaching and will be leaving for a faraway country.  Lucy is shocked. What!?! Why!?! When!?! And of course, where is he? Lucy hasn't seen him since they discussed their relationship (you know, the whole love me like a brother scene).  Each time he is at the school, Madame Beck finds a way to keep them apart - in fact, the day he comes to say goodbye to his pupils, she literally blocks Lucy from being seen and ushers M. Paul out of the room ( I had to laugh at that scene. Come on, Lucy! Why didn't you push her aside or run up to M. Paul?!).  Its just crazy how blatant Madame Beck is about keeping Lucy and M. Paul apart and how Lucy doesn't even try to stop her.  Perhaps her will is stronger than her tongue, because one night that she is given a sleeping drug, the drug does not put her to sleep, instead it jolts her awake.  Overcome with the fear that she will not see M. Paul before he leaves, Lucy sneaks out of the school and wanders around town and sees everyone she knows (and yet, they don't see her? I swear, she really can blend into the background at times).  Anyhow, as a result of her spying, she learns that Madame Beck, the priest and the old woman (the one M. Paul is taking care of) have all plotted together to keep Lucy and M. Paul apart.  They each have a stake in this new job of M. Paul's - apparently the old woman discovered some land of hers that needs to be tended to for three years, before she can make any money off of it - so all three, who believe they will each get a cut of the money (except for the priest, he just hates that Lucy is Protestant), have decided to get M. Paul to tend to the land - which will take him far away from Lucy.  OMG! Lucy is shocked and hurt by this truth.  She runs back to school and finds the nun in her bed and wants to scream, but she can't.  As she gets closer, she realizes that its not the nun, but just the nun's clothes.  Anyhow, Lucy and M. Paul finally get to spend time together and she tells him what she learned as a result of her late night wanderings and he shows her why he has been away from her these past few weeks.  M. Paul has acquired a house, which can double as a school and has set it all up for Lucy - he knows that she has been saving her monies in the hopes of one day opening up her own school.  He told Lucy that he feared for her being alone with Madame Beck whilst he was gone, so he decided it would be best to have her realize her dream of opening her own school sooner than later - which of course, he would become a part of when he returns in three years.  Lucy is stunned and deeply moved by M. Paul's actions and realizes just how much he cares for her and she cares for him.  And so, M. Paul leaves to tend the land and Lucy spends the next three years enjoying her new life and awaiting the return of the man she loves. Before I forget, we also find out that Dr. John and Polly get married and have children and remain happy.  Oh and Ginerva and her beau elope and she explains to Lucy that it was Alfred (Ginerva's beau) that dressed up as the nun - it was a means of disguise he used in order to sneak around the school to meet up with Ginerva.  How crazy is that!?! Poor Lucy, all along she thought she was being haunted by a nun.  And so the book ends.

I'm happy that Lucy found love and was able to get away from Madame Beck.  And I'm glad that M. Paul turned out to be a somewhat decent man.  I'm still not sure how much I liked Lucy or this story - it was dreadfully boring at times and it wasn't until the end that the pace picked up, but I am glad I got a sort of happy ending.  After all that loneliness, it was good to see Lucy recognize she didn't want to be alone anymore. 

Villette: Week Six

We are at week six, which means we are covering chapters 26 through 30.  And it also means that I am finally enjoying Villette. Yes, you read that correctly, I like Villette - or at least, I like these chapters.  Why?  Well, Lucy has finally shown us that there is more to her than meets the eye - YAY!  And, I believe that I have been correct all along with regards to a certain relationship - Lucy and M. Paul.  I have been thinking for some time now that romance is on the horizon for those two.  How could it not be, with the way those two carry on with each other?  Its rather obvious that M. Paul's horrid behaviour (telling Lucy what to do, rifling through her belongings, spying on her, and glaring at her) coupled with his rare and odd attempts at kindness (leaving behind books for her to read, teaching her math, and asking her to call him friend), all equal love, or something of that nature.  Before we get to that, we must cover another story line - Polly and Ginerva.  Polly invites Lucy to dinner so that she can see whether or not Dr. John is over Ginerva - which of course must be difficult for Lucy, because I'm positive she held romantic feelings for Dr. John.  Mind you, she hasn't heard from him in ages, so who knows why she would think about him so much - did I mention that she rereads his letters much too often and in order to avoid anyone else reading them she bottles them up and hides them away.  I swear Lucy reminds me of a silly schoolgirl at times - like with the letters. Anyhow, she attends this dinner and its rather obvious that Dr. John likes Polly and considers Lucy a friend, a "quiet" friend to be exact.   This sticks with Lucy, as she becomes aware of how people view her, how little Dr. John truly knows her, and how much more alive she feels when she is around M. Paul.  By the by, did I mention that Lucy lets Ginerva have it in the carriage ride home after Polly's dinner (yes, Ginerva was at the dinner, because what better way to see who Dr. John likes better, than to have both young women present).  It seems to me that Lucy's spirit is finally peeking through her "quiet" demeanor.  And so we continue to read about M. Paul and Lucy's relationship as it continues to evolve.  We find Lucy making some sort of belt for M. Paul - she is going to surprise him with it on his special day at the school - that whole scene had me cracking up at the way M. Paul expected presents from everyone and kept waiting for Lucy to brings hers to his desk - hilarious!! Oh, and the we discover the school is haunted by a nun - the same nun that has terrorized Lucy.  Apparently, M. Paul has seen this nun, too.  Talk about a way to bond.  Anyhow, the main point is that I smell love in the air for Lucy and that puts a smile on my face.  Not only is Lucy finally speaking out and expressing herself more freely, but she will finally experience love with someone who loves her back.  At least I hope that is what happens. 

And so I'm off to find out what will transpire between Lucy and M. Paul. Until next week, Happy Reading!!

Villette: Week Five

Week five and I'm finally caught up and not rushing to read this week's chapters (21-25) - Yay for me!  As far as the book goes, well its going.  I'm not hating it at the moment, so that is a vast improvement.  However, I'm still not loving it.  Don't get me wrong, Bronte does have a way with words - after all,  I do find myself chuckling now and again or rolling my eyes in annoyance at Lucy's lack of behaviour. 

Let's see, we are now back at school and Lucy is receiving letters from Dr. John. He promised to write her and she didn't believe he would and so when she got his first letter she ran to hide it away so that she could save it for later.  That actually made me pity poor Lucy - she always makes herself out to be rather pathetic.  Anyhow, she is reading her letter and relishing it, when out of nowhere an apparition of a nun appears before her and scares the frack out of her to the point that she rushes downstairs and tells the adults that there is someone hiding upstairs - Dr. John happens to be there and they all rush upstairs and find no one, which is when Lucy realizes her letter is missing - where has it gone?  Well, it seems John found it and so he gives it back to her when he sees how overwrought she is about losing the letter. I think he even feels sorry for her, because she is treating the letter like its her most prized possession.  And so they continue to exchange letters for a bit and then we find Lucy and Dr. John together at a show, whereupon they rush to the aid of this poor young girl - who winds up being a blast from the past for them both.  Yes, it is the return of Polly!  Finally! I was wondering when she would show up again - of course her identity is not revealed to Dr. John or Lucy at that time.  And so the story progresses to where we find Lucy wondering why she hasn't received word from Dr. John in such a long time - she begins to think something dreadful has happened to him and doesn't eat because she is so worried and feeling rather depressive (those darn nerves of hers - curse them!).   After seven weeks of nothing, she finally receives a letter from her godmother.  Disappointed its not from Dr. John, Lucy reasons with herself that at least she now knows they are fine and still think of her.  In fact, they have invited her to stay with them over this half-holiday weekend. And, it is at casa de Bretton that Lucy is finally reintroduced to Polly.  Yes, Polly has finally entered the picture (she was the young girl from the show that they rushed to help - how they didn't realize it then that it was Polly is beyond me.  I knew it was her from the moment they begin to describe her minute stature and delicate features, plus when John asked Lucy if the girl was a child that really clinched it for me). From Lucy's observations (which is all the book really is), we find that Polly and Dr. John have rekindled their old friendship and the love bug has bitten them both.  I had hoped it would be Lucy and Dr. John finding love with each other, but looks like Polly has replaced Lucy in that equation.  Hmmm. I wonder what Ginerva would think.  Oh, that's right, she's related to Polly and is beyond annoyed to find Isidore fawning over Polly.  I don't think she's going to be too happy when she finds out that Polly will be attending her school - apparently, Papa wants Polly to get educated and
Madame Beck's school happens to be in Villette and Lucy teaches there, so there you have it - a match.  My questions now are:   What will happen between Lucy and Dr. John, now that all his attention is diverted toward Polly?  Will Polly and Dr. John marry? Will Ginerva scream in rage and tear her hair out when she finds out Dr. John chose Polly over her?  Will Lucy ever do anything, besides blend in with the tapestries and wallpaper?  I suppose I'll find out soon enough. 
 
Happy Reading!!

Villette: Week Four

We are now at week four and I've just finished reading chapters 16-20.  Basically, Lucy has been enjoying the company of her godmother and Dr. John, whilst recuperating from her mental fainting spell.  She is staying at their place, as school is still not in session.  During this stay she has come to feel happy and comfortable being surrounded by these two familiar faces and allows herself to be taken to museums and about town.  She finds herself feeling free.  In fact, she is at the museum looking at a painting of Cleopatra when she runs into M. Paul,  who chastises her for being alone in a museum and for staring at that particular painting.  He sits her in a corner and tells her to stare at these other works which are much more suitable for her.  She finds the whole bit rather odd, but amusing.  Oh and then there is the dress - a pink dress.  Lucy's godmother gets it made for her since they will be attending a concert. And we all Lucy would rather look drab than fab, so there is a bit of reluctance on her part to wear it, but she easily caves and finds herself satisfied when Dr. John merely glances at her in it.  Of course, this stay does include talk about Ginerva - Dr. John's object of affection.  Lucy wishes John would look elsewhere for love, since she is privy to the fact that Ginerva is merely using John for the presents he gives her and has no real interest in settling down with him.  Luckily, Lucy gets her wish when at the concert - John notices Ginerva mocking his dear old mother and from that moment forth he tells Lucy that he could never be with someone who would belittle his beloved mother.  He finds himself disliking Ginverva more and more.  Lucy is glad that John is free of his lust for Ginerva, but does ensure him that her bad behavior is not filled with malice, but simple child's play - which he does not believe. 

And so you see, we are back with Lucy revealing memories to us that sort of include her, but are really about other people.  Where is she in all of this? Why doesn't she want us to know her? Yes, we do learn that she is insecure when she puts on that pink dress for the concert, but that is about it.  And yes, we know she hated being alone in the house and freaked out about it and went to church and then fainted - all of which displayed how shot her nerves were. Oh and of course she reveals to John that she recognized him some time ago, but didn't tell him so.  My point is that though Lucy does reveal bits of herself, she doesn't really reveal true self with us.   I want to get inside of her head, instead of being held back at such a distance.  Seriously, where is this book going?  Is Lucy even going to matter by the end or are we going to forget about her before the last page is turned?  I'm starting to wonder why I decided to give this book a read - its making me mental trying to feign interest in a character who has no character to speak of- all she has are observation skills and a penchant for blending into the scenery. UGH!

Alright, well I'm off to read something interesting and will be returning to Villette next week.  Happy Reading!

Villette: Week 3

Week three and already I am lagging behind with this book - again. Oh well, what can I say, I've been taken in by another book and am trying to fit in Villette when I can (like when I'm on the treadmill). Anyhow, I'm utterly confused. What the frack is happening with Lucy? I thought she was a likeable character and now I'm beginning to wonder why I ever thought that.

This week we had to read about all the visits from Dr. John and Lucy's refusal to let him know that she knows him, because apparently all along she has known that he is Grahame (her godmother's son).  For some reason she won't reveal this to him. Oh, and apparently Grahame is Isidore, one of Ginerva's beaus (the one she gets to buy her all those lovely gifts).  Seriously, what is going on?  I thought that Dr. John would turn out to be a love interest for Lucy, but apparently he isn't going to - or is he? Anyhow, now I'm wondering if Polly will show up at some point, or if she is already in Villette and Lucy is just refusing to reveal to us which pupil is Polly. UGH! Its rather frustrating to have such an unreliable narrator - I'm depending on her and I'm not getting the story I expected. Hmmm. Perhaps, that is Bronte's point - to trick us.  Well, at least I was right about Lucy being more of a behind the scenes kind of gal. I thought perhaps her role as a teacher would move her towards being more involved in the action, but no such luck.  Don't get me wrong, Lucy is involved in the story, but not as much or in the way I assumed she would be. Of course who knows what will happen next, right?  Anyhow, the book is moving along rather well, although I must admit to skim reading some passages (too much detail is rather boring at times, especially when the details are mere descriptions and not actual information).  Nonetheless, I am enjoying this read along so far and am wondering what new surprises will be in store further along the way in Villette.

Alright, well I'm off to continue reading Tropical Depression (which reminds me of Northern Exposure). Cheers!

Villette Chapters 1- 11

Hi, I'm supposed to post about the chapters we've read for the week every Thursday during this read-along, but I didn't get a chance to last week, so I'm making it up this week. Today's post will be about chapters 1-11.  Here goes:

I like this book. I didn't think I would, because I'm not a huge fan of the classics.  And also, because I didn't care much for Jane Eyre.  In fact, I preferred and loved, Jean Rhy's prequel of Jane Eyre, Wide Sargasso Sea - a clever and brilliant book which really captures the essence of Rochester and "Bertha".  Anyhow, it turns out I'm liking this classic.  Hurrah for me! I say this, because I'm trying to read more books outside my comfort zone and this one fits the bill. But I digress.

Let's see, so far, I've read about Paulina (Polly) - who was an annoying little girl left behind to stay with Lucy and her godmother, Mrs. Bretton.  At first I wasn't sure where the story was going since Lucy was more behind the scenes then a part of the story - it was all about Polly and her relationship with John Grahame (Mrs. Bretton's son).  Don't get me wrong, it was good reading, but we hardly learned anything about our narrator, Lucy Snow.  That is until Polly left and then we found Lucy looking for work and winding up being employed by Miss Marchmont.  A woman who was generous with her money and who promised Lucy that she would leave her behind with money so that she would be taken care of.  This of course gets promised right before she dies, and so with no time to change her will, Miss Marchmont leaves Lucy nothing.   Penniless and with no place to live, Lucy heads for London.  She belives that in London she will find some work.  I thought this to be brave of her, considering she had no clue as what to expect in a city she was not acquainted with.  Once in London she hops on a ship and finds herself heading towards France.  On this boat she befriends Miss Fanshawe, a young girl on her way to boarding school in Villette.  And just like that, Lucy decides to head to Villette and look for work.  Soon enough she finds herself working for Madame Beck (the woman from the school that Fanshawe mentioned).  One minute she is taking care of some children and the next thing we know Lucy is standing in from of a classroom teaching English.  It seems as if Villette is inspriring Lucy to blossom in so many ways.  Of course, this must mean that romance is on the horizon and lo and behold enter the doctor.  Hmmm. I wonder what will happen next - wink, wink. 
This book is getting good. At first I thought it was a bit slow in pace and slightly odd to have a narrator, who I imagined to be integral to the story, be so distanced from the action.  Of course, upon reflection, I find that I like that Lucy was not thrown in right away - it was a good introduction to a character that takes awhile to open up.  She seems more comfortable describing the scene around her than participating in it.  Of course, now that she is in Villette, that is all changing.  We are getting to know an adventurous Lucy - or at least that is how I see her.  Plus, now I'm enjoying the writing - it slowly unfolds- which is the perfect pace for this story (I see that now).  And if I'm honest, I was a bit surprised to find out that Villette was not the name of the main character  - yes, I admit that I thought Villette was going to be a person, not a city.  Oh well, I've gotten over my initial surprise and now I'm in deep.  This book is just getting better and better.

I'm glad Wallace at Unputdownables decided to arrange this shared read - its definitely turning out to be a fun and interesting experience.  Join in on the fun, if you fancy reading about Lucy Snowe and her life in Villette.  Or if you've already read the book, leave me a comment and let me know if Lucy does find her happy in this book. Well, I'm off to read some more Villette and will be posting about the next few chapters next week. Cheers!

The Brothers Karamazov: Part 4

I'm done! TBK has been conquered! Yay!! As far as this last part is concerned - why, Dostoevsky, why? How could you build up the speed of the book with such gusto in part 3 and then let the final part just lay flat? I must say I'm disappointed. I was expecting something that would just make that final part POP, but alas, there was no POP, just a poof.  Reminds me of that Eliot poem, The Hollow Men, when he wrote,  "not with a bang, but with a whimper". That is exactly how TBK ended.

Alright, so we have Ilyusha on his deathbed (his illness has progressed), Koyla (who all the schoolboys look up to and who Ilyusha had a falling out with) and Alyosha (who meets Koyla and influences him to the point that Koyla is beginning to rethink his atheist and socialist beliefs).  From here we move on to Ivan and his descent into madness, followed by Dmitri's trial where Katerina's testimony pretty much seals his fate (she introduces a letter that was written by Dmitri and that basically says he would kill his father).  The verdict is guilty ( twenty years of hard labor in Siberia).  We end with Katerina visiting Dmitri and both of them telling each other they will promise to love each other forever.  And we have Alyosha attending Ilyusha's funeral, where he tells the schoolboys in attendance to always keep Ilyusha in their hearts and to love each other - which all the boys promise to do. "Hurrah for Karamazov" the boys chant! The end.

The end indeed. Truthfully, I could not wait to finish this book and was happy to turn the last page. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed reading about these maddening characters and I thought Doestoevsky's writing was definitely great, but there were just times when I felt he went on and on and on and on.  Overall, this was not one of my favorite reads and I'm not sure when I'll be reading more of his work in the future. However, I am really glad that I joined in on Bellezza's read along of this behemoth of a book, because it inspired me to pick up a book by a Russian author that I had been rather intimidated by.  Thanks, Bellezza!! And now I'm off to continue reading a frivolous book titled, The Lost Symbol.

The Brothers Karamazov: Part 3

Part 3 of TBK definitely picked up steam. Finally, something I could get into. This section begins right after the death of elder Zosima.  It is a an established belief that holy men's bodies do not decompose; so when Zosima's body begins to decay, several people begin to question Zosima's holiness.  Of course this gossip devastates Alyosha and leaves him feeling vulnerable about his faith.  However, after a meeting with Grushenka, his faith is restored and a friendship between the two deepens.  As for Dmitri and Fyodor, they are both still lusting after Grushenka.  Worried that his father will wind up marrying his love, Dmitri is desperate to come up with the monies needed to run away with Grushenka.   So he makes a trip to a neighboring town in order to make a business deal which falls through, leaving Dmitri to return home empty handed.  As the story progresses we find Dmitri outside his father's home with a brass pestle in hand and then we find him wandering around town covered in blood and full of rubles.  He spends the rubles and plans to kill himself at dawn.  Of course, Dmitri finds out that Gruneshka is in love with him and just as he and she are about to be together, the police come and arrest him for the murder of his father, Fyodor.  Details of the murder are revealed, Dmitri is interrogated and declarations of innocence are made.  However, without solid proof and no witnesses, Dmitri is carted off to prison to await trial.  And I am eager to find out what happens next.  So, all I am going to write for now is that I am glad to have carried on with this book, because truthfully I was about to give up.  Dostoevsky suckered me in and here I am ready for part 4.  I want to finish it off this weekend so that I can mull over this book that is filled with discussions on faith and redemption; a book that focuses on the dysfunctional father/son relationships that do exist; a book that is disjointed, well written and filled with characters that do leave a lasting impression.  Until the next post, Happy Reading!!!



Alright, well I'm off to continue with TBK. Next week is the last post, so I need to finish it off so that I can gather my thoughts about this great book which questions faith and redemption and the father/son relationship.

The Brothers Karamazov: Part 2

Okay, so I really enjoyed the first part of this book, but this second part was not as amusing as I had hoped it would be. Don't get me wrong, its still interesting. We have a kid who bites Alyosha and then we have Ivan declaring his personal ideologies regarding God to his brother Alyosha and then we learn about the elder Zosima and how he found his faith. All in all, some fascinating events, diatribes, etc - however, as far as trying to get through these pages, well that was a bit difficult. I found myself not as immersed in the text during this part, which made me wonder how the upcoming Part 3 would fare - hopefully better. I'm off to try and read a bit more. Fingers crossed that I get more engaged with this text, because I'm seriously considering putting it on pause.

By the by, I know that this wasn't an actual review of Part 2 and more of a whinge about reading Part 2, but I couldn't help it. However, if you want a review to find out about Part 2, then check out this site or this one.

Happy reading!!

The Brothers Karamazov: Part 1

I made a big mistake. I started to read TBK and was starting to get into it, when I decided to also begin reading The Book Thief. My mistake was not realizing that The Book Thief would steal all of my interest and attention and leave me with barely any patience to get through Part 1 of TBK. Drat! I'm tempted to just finish reading The Book Thief and put off TBK until then. However, I did read Part 1, so here goes.

The tone of the book is actually engaging - its like having a chat with a rather chatty friend (you know the type - the one who does all of the talking for you) who is filling you in on all of the gossip concerning the family down the street. And I must admit I quite liked it, which I wasn't expecting. Truth be told I was rather apprehensive about reading this text because I had heard so much about its brilliance that I was worried I wouldn't be able to get a handle on it. Well, that is most certainly not the case. I actually found myself laughing out loud a bit and enjoying the descriptions of the characters and their follies. And there are several themes already peeking out of the pages: religion (faith/doubt), family (father/son), hysteria and women, etc.. And the use of language is wonderful - the ways in which Dostoevsky provides each character with their own specific speech mannerisms which reflect their personalities so clearly is wonderful. In fact from this first part alone, I can already tell that TBK is going to be a very good read. However, I am still wondering about Liesel the book thief and will be putting TBK aside for a day or two so that I can find out what happens to the poor child. I can't believe how quickly The Book Thief drew me in - love it! Anyhow, I will post about Part 2 of TBK next Thursday.

Cheers! Happy Reading!!

The Brothers Karamazov Read Along

Today marks the beginning of The Brothers Karamazov Read Along hosted by Dolce Bellezza. For the entire month of April we will be reading this much lauded novel and posting reviews. The book is divided into four parts, so basically we will read one part a week.

Part 1: April 8, 2010
Part 2: April 15, 2010
Part 3: April 22, 2010
Part 4: April 29, 2010

If anyone is still interested in joining in, then head on over to Dolce Bellezza and sign up. Of course, if you just want to participate in the discussions, then please do. Happy reading!